From Stream to State: Engaging Communities in Approved Water Monitoring Frameworks

Abstract More than 50% of Oklahoma's surface water systems are classified as impaired by the US EPA, with limited funds designated toward surface water monitoring. Community science data can contribute to increasing the amount of quality‐controlled government water quality reporting. A framework is presented for implementing a community‐based approach to generating quality‐controlled water field data to support water quality monitoring by local and regional governments. This research focuses on the design and implementation of a water quality community science project in Oklahoma, USA. In this study, community scientists collected water samples and produced over 100 measurements of key water quality parameters, including alkalinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, temperature, and selected metals (e.g., iron, manganese, mercury, cadmium, and lead). The frequency and resolution of these community‐generated data exceed those of conventional state government monitoring, demonstrating the potential for community science to provide cost‐effective, high‐frequency, and spatially expansive data sets, which fill monitoring gaps. Additionally, community science can act as a method to bridge the gap between stakeholders, scientists, and policy makers. This study highlights the quality‐controlled methods, tools, and community‐driven efforts shaping water quality research and public engagement in Oklahoma, a step forward in community‐driven data acquisition and water policy.