Overview

Water quality and quantity have been getting more attention as indicators of land use. Degradation of water quality due to increases in population, waste disposal and intensive land use in agriculture has been noticed by the inhabitants of the communities in Canton Cotacachi, Ecuador. Inhabitants noticed flow reduction in local springs and considered that it may be related to deforestation, new agricultural and horticultural activities, overgrazing and other resource management activities in the region. UNORCAC, which is an organization that represents 43 communities in the canton, felt the need to do something to improve water quality in nature and to maintain high quality drinking water. This project addresses UNORCAC’s concerns by training and equipping residents of the watersheds to be water quality monitors and provide scientifically valid water resource data. The resulting information will be presented in formats appropriate to interest groups, including teachers, decision-makers, the scientific community and the general public.