Volunteer Lakes Monitoring Program (VLMP)

Three main goals have been identified for the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program:

Educate the Public

By providing training and research opportunities to citizens so that they understand the science of water quality, the VLMP increases public awareness of water quality issues and environmental protection.

Generate Data

The VLMP provides easily accessible, quality data that covers a large area and can be used by citizens who want to learn about the state of their local waterbodies, and also by government agencies, researchers, and others to characterize water ​quality in Kentucky lakes.

Complete the Picture

Measurements taken by citizen scientists help augment work conducted by DOW and other government agencies. These measurements and observations will also provide field verification to improve remote sensing models employed by DOW to rapidly evaluate large areas of lakes across Kentucky.
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Tier 2 Program Updates

• We are introducing a 2-tier system to allow those who want to be more invested with lake monitoring to receive additional training and sample for new parameters. Tier 1 will be the standard training that all volunteers receive and Tier 2 will focus on more complex parameters. New volunteers will be placed in Tier 1, while returning volunteers have the option to request training to join Tier 2. Current Tier 1 volunteers do not have to move up to Tier 2 if they choose not to.


• In addition to creating Tier 2, we have also introduced a few new parameters to the standard (Tier 1) sampling regiment, most notable are the questions about in-lake and on-bank trash.


• Along with the standard monitoring timeframe of once every 2 weeks, volunteers are now able to pick 2 days that work best for their schedule. Please keep in mind that sampling events must take place at least 12 days apart.


• For more information on the Volunteer Lakes Monitoring Program, please watch the Introductory Video.