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April 9, 2009

ÍøÆØÃÅ Toxicology Department and Club monitor water quality; events set for April 18 and 24

The University of Louisiana at Monroe Department of Toxicology and Tau Omicron Chi, the Toxicology Club, are working to ensure a high-quality water supply and an educated public.

ÍøÆØÃÅ students will participate in Earth Day at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Students will disseminate educational material about nonpoint source pollution and ways to reduce pollution to area lakes and bayous.

On Friday, April 24, the Department of Toxicology will host a World Water Monitoring Day adjacent to Bayou DeSiard on the ÍøÆØÃÅ campus. Elementary students from local schools will participate from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Students will sample water from Bayou DeSiard, and the data will be submitted to the international database.

World Water Monitoring Day is designed primarily as an education and awareness raising activity to bring communities closer to their local water bodies. The data collected through WWMD activities can provide an annual glance at local water quality, and gives community groups, students, citizens, scouting groups, and others the basic skills needed to participate in more formal citizen monitoring programs.

An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, pH (acidity), turbidity (clarity), and dissolved oxygen. Conducting simple monitoring tests teaches participants about some of the most common indicators of water health and gets them more personally connected to their water resources. Results are then shared with participating communities around the globe through the WWMD Web site.

Additional information about WWMD may be obtained at:
www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.

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