Friends of the Chicago River partners with EarthEcho International to gather water quality data in the Chicago-Calumet River watershed. Schools in our Chicago River Schools Network (CRSN) and Adopt A River Schools (AARS) programs are welcome to this database. If your students take a trip anywhere within the watershed to test water quality, survey macroinvertebrates, or conduct a service project (like litter), Friends can give you access via our shared account on the EarthEcho Water Challege website. Their database is free and available to the public and Friends' dashboard is a great way to visualize our shared data.

Visit the EarthEcho Water Challenge.
Request access to Friends' Account to upload data.
View Friends' dashboard.

Data on the EarthEcho Water Challenge

• Water Chemistry
  Water Quality Index based on nine parameters of water quality: pH, phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, change in temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, and fecal coliform.

• Macroinvertebrates
  Presence of water quality indicator species of macroinvertebrates. Macros are small (but not microscopic) animals that live in the river. They include insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. They are good indicators for determining water quality as they exist in great numbers and form the foundation of the river food web.

View a list of AARS member schools and a map of the AARS schools' adopted sites. If you have questions or want specific water quality data, please contact our education staff.

Photo by Brittany Harthan.

Drawing by Clark, Dewey Elementary.