UCWW MISSION

The Upper Cumberland Water Watch (UCWW) was formed in 1999 as an entirely volunteer organization that performs lab tests on streams in the Upper Cumberland watershed.  Its members are people that live in or near the watershed and are concerned about the quality of water.  It is said that if you want to measure the health of the land, judge the health of the streams.  As streams pass over the landscape, it takes on the characteristics of its environment.  By testing the water, we can monitor the health of the surrounding land.

Our mission is to raise awareness of water quality issues in the drainage basin.  The way we fulfill that mission is to organize and run water quality sampling events 3 times each year.  The samples are taken at approximately 100 stream locations. Each sample is tested using various sampling parameters such as bacteria, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen.  With as large a watershed as UCWW monitors, volunteers are always needed. If you are concerned about water quality, contact UCWW or Volunteer.  The data collected since 1999 is instrumental in determining baseline data and highlighting problem areas.

UCWW is a 501(c)3 organization comprised of a four member annually elected board.  In addition, UCWW is actively driven by a Steering Committee.  For more information about the operational structure of UCWW please view the Bylaws.

Minutes from recent Steering Committee meetings:

• Steering Committee Meeting 09/23/08
• Steering Commitee Meeting 03/17/09

UCWW has received annual funding from the Virginia Environmental Endowment (VEE).  The annual report submitted to VEE can be found here.