A Quarter Century of Community Science: Volunteers Complete the 25th Year of River Monitoring

by Carly Stines, SYRCL’s Americorps River Monitoring Coordinator

2025 marked a major milestone for SYRCL’s community science-driven River Monitoring Program: 25 years of continuous monitoring of the Yuba River watershed! None of this work would be possible without our incredible volunteers, so we would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who contributed their time, energy, and care this past year.

Each spring for the past 25 years, SYRCL has trained a group of devoted, caring, river-loving volunteers to collect water quality data throughout the Yuba River watershed. This consistent, long-term data collection allows SYRCL to track trends, identify areas of concern, and respond to changes in watershed health over time.

Contact Carly Stines at carly@yubariver.org if you are interested in becoming a River Monitor.

2025 Program Highlights

• 37 monitoring sites across the Yuba River watershed
• 48 active volunteers
• 1,157 volunteer hours contributed
• Over 1,500 water quality measurements recorded

From March through November, volunteers collected data on the second Saturday of each month, providing a reliable snapshot of conditions across the Yuba. Volunteers monitored key parameters including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, E. coli, nitrates, and salinity. Thanks to this consistent schedule and volunteer commitment, SYRCL’s River Monitoring Program stands as a powerful example of successful, long-term community science.

All river monitoring data is publicly available at RiverDB.org. We encourage community members to explore the website and learn more about the conditions throughout the watershed!

Water temperature is collected at all 37 river monitoring sites. Aquatic organisms are dependent on certain temperatures for their success and survival. Temperature also affects the oxygen content in the water, as cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. A threshold of 20 degrees Celsius marks the upper range of water temperatures appropriate for the survival of native species that prefer cold water habitats, such as salmon and steelhead. While temperatures reached the threshold during the summer months, average temperatures stayed at a healthy range for the majority of the year.  

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is also collected at all 37 river monitoring sites and is the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water. Most aquatic organisms need oxygen to survive and grow. Factors that affect DO are pollution, temperature, altitude, salinity, and mineral content. If DO drops below 7 mg/L, there may be negative biological effects on aquatic organisms such as the death of juvenile and adult fish, reduction of growth, and failure of fish eggs to survive. DO measurements for 2025 were within a healthy range.

Another data point taken at all 37 monitoring sites is pH, which indicates how acidic or basic the water is. Most aquatic organisms thrive within a narrow pH range of 6.5-8.5. factors that influence pH include runoff, pollution, geology of the surrounding area, and biological activity. If pH levels fall outside the optimal range, aquatic organisms may experience stress, reduced growth, impaired reproduction, or increased mortality. The levels noted for 2025 are within a healthy range.

COMING UP THIS YEAR…

If you are interested in becoming a River Monitor, please attend the orientation for new volunteers on Wednesday January 28, 2026 from 6-7pm at the SYRCL office in Nevada City or online.

For current and new river monitors, field training will take place on Saturday February 7, 2026 from 9am-12pm at Bridgeport. All training to become a River Monitor is free and open to all!

Contact Carly Stines at carly@yubariver.org with interest to become a volunteer River Monitor and to RSVP for orientation and field training!