Community Science Institute

Community science projects focus on local issues and local government. They prioritize observational monitoring and the use of data for science-based management of local resources over hypothesis testing and publication in scientific journals. We adhere to the scientific method, and projects may contribute to new scientific knowledge.

However, creating new knowledge is secondary to gathering data within a known scientific framework and using results to manage local resources sustainably.

Empowering citizens to understand, protect and manage local water resources.


Community Science Institute
The Community Science Institute (CSI) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization whose mission is to empower local people to understand their environment and manage their resources sustainably, particularly water.

Training the community
We recruit, train and support groups of volunteers to partner with our state-certified water quality testing lab and monitor streams and lakes over the long term.

By participating directly in the scientific process of collecting management-quality data, volunteers become knowledgeable stewards of their watersheds.

Accessible and Reliable Data
Data produced by our monitoring partnerships with local volunteers fills gaps left by federal, state and academic programs. Monitoring results, available free of charge, help position local governments to manage water resources and distribute costs equitably among stakeholders.

Non-profit Organization
With generous financial support from county and municipal governments and local foundations in Tompkins County, New York, CSI has partnered with seven groups of volunteers to collect over 25,000 pieces of certified water quality data on Cayuga Lake and its tributary streams since 2003.

Private Drinking Well Testing

CSI has offered baseline testing of private drinking water wells since 2009. Baseline testing establishes the levels of 20 “signature chemicals” that are most likely to change in the event of contamination from hydraulic fracturing fluids and shale gas waste.

CSI’s Water Quality Database. The purpose of the CSI database is to make scientifically credible water quality monitoring data available for use by the general public, regulators and policy makers.

 

Open Database

Sampling water sources in the Finger Lakes Region since 2003.

Conducting baseline testing of private drinking water wells in New York.

CSI database makes scientifically credible water quality monitoring data available for use by the general public, regulators and policy makers.

Training community members to monitor local water resources.

May, 2012