Water Reporter — Be the eyes of the Bay
As an organization guided by science, we know the importance of careful observation. Identifying sources of pollution, tracking algal blooms, observing changing habitats, and recording wildlife sightings help us answer the questions:
How healthy is Casco Bay? How is Casco Bay changing?
With 200 square miles of water and 578 miles of coastline, Casco Bay is large and our staff cannot be everywhere at once. That is why we rely on our community of Water Reporters to collect observational data, helping us to act as the eyes and ears of Casco Bay.
We all hold the responsibility to take care of the health of the Bay. One way you can help is by becoming a volunteer Water Reporter.
Please note: If you see an emergency along the Bay like a stranded or injured animal or person, please contact the appropriate authority. You can find a list of them here.
How it works
Volunteer Water Reporters use their smartphones to photograph algal blooms, coastal erosion, sea level rise, pollution, eelgrass, sightings of coastal and marine wildlife, and other changes they are seeing on and around Casco Bay. Photographs, latitude and longitude data, and observational notes are then shared with other Water Reporters and our staff through the Water Reporter app.
Water Reporter is the name of our volunteer program and the smartphone app that we use to post our photos and observations. Water Reporters are the community members participating in the program.
Water Reporters’ documentation has helped to spur emergency responses to pollution and algal blooms, identify impaired streams flowing into the Bay, and document evidence of climate change. Over time, Water Reporters’ contributions are helping us amass a collection of visual data on the health of the Bay and how it may be changing.
If you care about Casco Bay and want to have a meaningful, positive impact on our efforts to advocate for solutions and protect the health of our coastal waters, please join us as a volunteer Water Reporter.
Ways to participate
Our Water Reporter program was launched with versatility in mind, designed to adapt to the capabilities and schedules of our volunteers. In general, there are two ways that Water Reporters participate in the program:
As you see it, on the fly
Many of the most powerful Water Reporter images are captured by volunteers who are simply in the right place at the right time. As Water Reporters are out and about around Casco Bay, they keep an eye out for evidence of rising seas, algal blooms, wildlife, and more. By taking a moment while walking on the beach or paddling in a kayak to snap a timely photo, our Water Reporters can have a big impact on improving the health of Casco Bay.
Site-specific and high-frequency
Our most dedicated Water Reporters often commit to tracking a specific site on Casco Bay and posting at regular intervals. Keeping an eye on a unique location throughout the year helps us better understand how the Bay may be changing. This is also a great reason to spend more time on the Bay. Many Water Reporters share that regular participation has helped them to learn more about coastal ecology and build a deeper relationship with our marine waters.
Learn more:
Getting Started: sign up for Water Reporter
Water Reporter learning resources
Navigating the Water Reporter app (coming soon)
Creating a post: a visual guide
Water Reporter Frequently Asked Questions
How Water Reporters have made a difference
Always feel free to contact our Community Engagement Coordinator, Sarah Lyman, for questions you may have about Water Reporter: slyman [at] cascobay [dot] org, or text or call (207) 370-7553.
Thank you to the Water Reporter team!
The Water Reporter app is owned and operated by The Commons, a nonprofit that provides software solutions to individuals and organizations seeking to improve water quality and the environment. We appreciate their work and support!
Creating a post: a visual guide
Before you begin, make sure you have downloaded the app and have made an account. See how here.
Start with taking a photo with the camera application on your smartphone.
First open the camera app on your smartphone to quickly capture what you are seeing.
Next, open the Water Reporter app and click the pencil icon
Make sure you have downloaded the app and have made a profile before you begin. See how here.
To start, open the Water Reporter App on your phone.
From any screen, tap the blue circle icon with the “pencil” symbol at the bottom of the screen. It will bring you to the “Start Post” page.
Note: If you see the upgrade option, as shown here, just ignore it. We have the professional account features. You don’t need them to share your observations.
Overview
There are five steps to creating a post on Water Reporter. This guide will walk through them step by step.
1. Find your location
Every post must have a location.
Your best option here is to grant access to the Water Reporter app to your location services. When this action is turned on, Water Reporter will find your location automatically.
If you are posting away from the original location, you can type in a location. The location pin will drop to that address. Then you can move the pin manually to adjust.
2. Describe your photo and observations. Use hashtags to organize the post.
Describe what you see and add any hashtags that are relevant to your observation. Hashtags help us by grouping and categorizing posts. Once you’ve completed your comment, tap on the blue save button in the upper right-hand corner.
Include our suggested hashtags, as they apply to your post.
Think WATERS!
- W #wildlife (Share the wildlife you see)
- A #algae (Report algae blooms or areas that are known to have algal blooms, but don’t at this time)
- T #trash (Report marine trash)
- E #eelgrass (Share changes in eelgrass growth) and #erosion (Identify coastal erosion sites)
- R #reportpollution (Report pollution: sheen, foam, discolored discharges)
- S #sealevelrise (Revisit the same location to capture high tide impacts) and #saltmarsh (Share changes in areas of saltmarsh over the seasons and years)
You may use multiple hashtags. You may also use hashtags not on this list, even creating your own. Just be sure to use the ones above every time you post about those topics.
3. Add an Image
Take a picture through the app or select an existing photo on your phone.
Click on the camera icon, then select “Take a picture” and take a new photo.
Alternatively, you can choose “Select a saved photo” and choose a photo from your Photo Library, if you already took the image through your device’s camera app. This can be a better option for areas with poor data coverage. It ensures you don’t lose the image.
4. Share with us to make sure we are notified of your post and it displays on our map.
Tap the small green circle next to “Friends of Casco Bay”.
You will know you clicked the circle because it will fill in.
Troubleshooting: Sometimes the tagging a group feature does not work. If this happens to you, skip this step and continue to post your photo. Once it is posted, you can edit your post and share it with the Friends of Casco Bay group. You can see how to do that in the Troubleshooting section below.
5. Review and submit your post
Review your post to ensure it is complete and accurate.
Click the checkmark in the upper right-hand corner to complete and save your post.
You will be taken to your profile page, and if you have good data service, you will immediately see the post. If you do not see it, tap the globe icon, and see if it is there. Be patient, especially when you do not have good cell phone data coverage.
Still not seeing it? Contact us at volunteer [at] cascobay [dot] org.
Note: All times recorded on the map are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Troubleshooting
One part of the app isn’t working, such as the location or sharing with the group:
- That’s okay! Skip the step that isn’t working and continue with the rest of the steps.
- Post your image
- Later follow the step below to edit your post and correct the things that were not working.
If you need to delete your post, on your phone:
- Once you’ve opened Water Reporter, tap on the rightmost icon, the house, on the bottom bar to navigate to your profile.
- Tap the icon in the upper left, three stacked lines.
- Click View profile.
- Scroll past your bio to find the post you need to edit.
- Click on the three horizontal dots at the bottom right of your post.
- Click “Delete post”.
You can follow these steps to edit your post and add forgotten hashtags:
- Once you’ve opened Water Reporter, tap on the rightmost icon, the house, on the bottom bar to navigate to your profile.
- Tap the icon in the upper left, three stacked lines.
- Click View profile.
- Scroll past your bio to find the post you need to edit.
- Click on the three horizontal dots at the bottom right of your post.
- Click “Edit post”.
- Make the changes
- Click the checkmark in the upper right-hand corner
Unable to post your photo while outside?
iPhone users: start with turning off live photos. See how on this page. Then you can try again. For others, or if that still does not work:
- Take the photo on your phone’s camera (outside of the app).
- Make sure to note the location and time when you take the photo.
- Back at home, bring Water Reporter up on your phone or sign in on your computer (computer link: https://www.waterreporter.org/community/user/login).
- Upload your photo on Water Reporter and go through the same posting steps above, making sure that your location pin is where you took the photo and not your current location if you are posting from home, work, etc.
- In the caption of the photo, before any description or hashtags, write the date and time of when the photo was taken.
- Share your post with Friends of Casco Bay and save it.
How to edit your profile:
- Once you’ve opened Water Reporter, tap on the rightmost icon, the house, on the bottom bar to navigate to your profile.
- Tap the icon in the upper left, three stacked lines.
- Click “Edit profile”.
- Make your edits.
- Click the checkmark in the upper right once you are done editing.
What is the Presumpscot Watershed?
The Presumpscot Watershed is the name of the Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) assigned to the entire Casco Bay area by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). While we know that many communities around Casco Bay are in actuality beyond the Presumpscot River system, we are not able to change the name of this region in the app because of the way USGS has coded the watershed. All posts located in the Casco Bay watershed will be grouped as being in the Presumpscot Watershed.
