Upstate Forever worked with several partner organizations to bring the Adopt-A-Stream program from Georgia to the Upstate. Due to its great success in the Upstate, the SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES, formerly SCDHEC) and Clemson University's Center for Watershed Excellence expanded the program statewide in Spring 2017.
Through the program, volunteers attend a free one-day training workshop that equips for one of three monitoring protocols: freshwater, macroinvertebrate, and tidal saltwater.

Interested in getting your hands dirty to help keep our streams clean? Attend a free one-day training workshop to get started as a volunteer and help monitor water quality in the Upstate. To find out when the next training workshop is being held in your area, please view the calendar at the SC Adopt A Stream Program.
This hands-on activity is an excellent educational tool that is perfect for schools, scouting groups, faith-based groups, and other community organizations. Participants sample a stream each month and enter the results on a website. These sampling results help evaluate water quality conditions, establish baseline conditions, and quickly identify possible contaminants or problems.
Top image via Clemson University.Water is our planet's most precious natural resource, and Upstate Forever is working to safeguard both the quantity and quality of water in our region. Sign up to receive our Clean Water team's quarterly newsletter dedicated to clean water issues and advocacy. See past issues here