Annual Beaver Lake Volunteer Day Event: September 29th, 2025 Register Now

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Logo for H2Ozarks with H2 in blue, Ozarks in green, a wave inside the O, and the slogan “Cleaner Water Together!” in blue script below. Blue water lines flow through the text.
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StreamSmart Water Quality Monitoring

StreamSmart is a volunteer-led water quality monitoring program in the Beaver Reservoir Watershed. Started in 2012, the program trains volunteers to collect water samples and site observations 4 times a year, during March, June, September, and December.

The water samples that volunteers collect are sent to a certified lab for analysis. They become data points that help us understand changes in water quality over time. This tells a story of what’s happening in our local creeks and streams that flow back to Beaver Lake, the drinking water source for over 600,000 Arkansans. Our StreamSmart volunteers are vital for buildling a long-term database on tributary stream sites in the Beaver Lake Watershed.

Our StreamSmart Mission:

  • Engage with citizen scientists and volunteers
  • Increase public awareness about the quality of our waterways
  • Identify potential trends in water quality over time
  • Provide high-quality data for water resource managers


This program is funded by Beaver Water District.

What do volunteers do?

Volunteers take notes about their site, record air temperature, water temperature, and take pictures during each monitoring period. Then they collect water samples at their stream site, and deliver the samples to the Arkansas Water Resources Center Water Quality Lab, where they are analyzed for the following parameters:

  • Alkalinity
  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • Total dissolved solids (TDS)
  • Total suspended solids (TSS)
  • Turbidity
  • Total nitrogen (TN)
  • Total phosphorus (TP)
  • Air temperature
  • Water temperature

In June and September, volunteers also get to collect and identify macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates, or “aquatic bugs,” can be excellent indicators of water quality—and they’re fun to collect and identify!

How often do they monitor?

Volunteers monitor sites in March, June, September, and December. Monitoring takes place during the first ten days of the month, since it’s important for all site samples to be taken around the same time, and under the same weather conditions.

Photo Gallery

Three older women stand outdoors near water and greenery, smiling at the camera. One woman wears a blue shirt, one a white shirt, and one a green shirt while holding a walking stick and water bottle.
Jane, Rita, and Karan, or the "Stream Muskateers" at the Brentwood site
Six adults wearing hats and casual clothing kneel and crouch together by a creek under a bridge, smiling at the camera. They are gathered around a white tray, possibly conducting a nature or science activity.
A group of volunteers receiving macroinvertebrate identification training
Close-up of a small insect fossil preserved in a piece of amber, showing the oval-shaped outline and fine details of the insect’s body against the amber’s golden-brown, translucent surface.
Water Penny (Coleoptera), 1st place winner of our 2025 photo competition!
A person kneels by a rocky stream, examining papers and a white container, with a clipboard and documents nearby. The scene is outdoors, surrounded by greenery and rocks.
Daniel from Beaver Watershed Alliance identifying macroinvertebrates
Two people wearing boots and outdoor clothing stand on a rocky riverbank beside a shallow stream, with trees and brush in the background on a sunny day.
Grimsley and Mark at Clifty Creek
Two people kneel on rocky ground by a stream, examining a white container filled with water. One person points into the container while the other looks closely. A white bottle and a net are nearby.
Cale and Willa at Middle Fork of the White River
A person wearing a mask, glasses, and sweatshirt stands outdoors by a wooded, leafy slope, holding a notebook and writing instrument while surrounded by trees and fallen leaves.
Abbie taking site observations at Town Branch
A person in a camouflage jacket, jeans, boots, and a cap stands in a shallow rocky stream, writing on a blue clipboard, surrounded by leafless trees and clear water.
Phil at Baldwin Creek
A person wearing a green Stream Smart Volunteer hat and holding a clipboard smiles for a selfie by a rocky stream with leafless trees in the background on a sunny day.
Olivia at the White River near St Paul
Four adults stand smiling on rocky ground near a creek, dressed in outdoor clothing and jackets. Bare trees and a clear blue sky are in the background, suggesting a cool, sunny day.
Patty, Care, Ken, and Charlotte at Holman Creek (Fall 2025)

Volunteers needed!

We need volunteers at the following monitoring sites:

  • Baldwin Creek (Site 103) – located at latitude 35.822256 and longitude -93.758937 in southern Madison County. This site currently has no active volunteers!
  • White River near St. Paul (Site 104) – located at latitude 35.818676 and longitude -93.779774 in southern Madison County. This site currently has no active volunteers!
  • Hock Creek (Site 205) – located at latitude 36.022453 and longitude -93.859784 in western Madison County. This site currently has one volunteer who would love to work with two or three more volunteers.
  • Glade Creek (Site 302) – located at latitude 36.159851 and longitude -93.81169 in northern Madison County. This site currently has a couple of volunteers who would love to work with one or two more volunteers.

Become a volunteer!

We’d love to have you join us! StreamSmart is designed for adult volunteers and high school students who are supervised by adults. All volunteers receive training and usually are paired with an experienced team.

Our volunteers are friendly, passionate about the outdoors, and love sharing that passion with others! We have several sites that need volunteers. Contact us for more information, or to join the program!

Interested in becoming a volunteer? Let us know!

Data Reports

Curious what we’re learning from StreamSmart data? Check out our Water Quality in the Beaver Lake Watershed reports! There are two versions: the full report, and a shorter, more accessible “highlights” version. There’s something for everyone!

Report cover titled Water Quality across the Beaver Lake Watershed for January 2026, featuring a lake surrounded by green trees, with logos for H2Ozarks and StreamSmart at the top.

Data Report Highlights (quicker, easier read)

Cover page of the StreamSmart Data Report: Water Quality Across the Beaver Lake Watershed, dated December 2025, with StreamSmart and H2Ozarks logos and information about authors and the Beaver Water District.

Full Data Report (more detailed, technical read)

Volunteer Resources:

Blue letter B with a water droplet inside, above stylized ripples, representing water. Text below reads Beaver Water District, with Water highlighted in blue.

Funding provided by Beaver Water District