Boulder, Colo.,
residents can now check on the health of their watershed by surfing
the Web. The Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network
(BASIN) Web site publishes water quality indicators and trends in
the Boulder Creek watershed, which provides water for the city of
Boulder. The site also includes snowpack information, an
air-quality index, and information about household hazardous
waste.
Mark McCaffrey, communications coordinator
for BASIN, says industries are required to give environmental data
to the federal government, but this information rarely reaches the
general public. “The public ultimately needs to get in the loop,”
says McCaffrey, who hopes that the Web site will spur “focused
community involvement” in protecting the local
environment.
BASIN, originally funded by the
Environmental Protection Agency, spread news of its existence
through notices included with Boulder water bills. People have been
taking notice: BASIN has been nominated for the $150,000 2001
Stockholm Water Prize.
See the BASIN Web site for
yourself at bcn.boulder.co.us/basin, or contact Sheila Murphy,
research analyst at the City of Boulder, 303/413-7381. For
information on other environmental Web sites in the EPA’s EMPACT
network, go to www.epa.gov/empact.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Water Watch.
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