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Students at Monmouth Junior High School work on test sample as part of the Farmland Foods - Monmouth, Illinois facility's WWMD project

Mike Spaetzel of Gwaltney explains the WWMD testing procedure to BSA Troop 36

Last month, with test kits in hand, Smithfield Foods employees from across the United States once again joined with other volunteers around the world to test the water quality of local waterways in observance of World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD).

Smithfield Foods provided 77 water monitoring kits for employees at 39 company locations in 17 states. Employees, their families and other participants volunteered to collect water samples from at least 39 sites, including Jones Creek (Virginia), Neuse River (North Carolina), Beaver Dam Creek (Maryland), Big Blue River (Nebraska), and the Connecticut River (Massachusetts). During last year’s initial observance of WWMD, Smithfield employees in 10 states and Poland tested water samples from 31 sites.

Using a simple water test kit, volunteers collected samples in order to perform four key tests: pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and clarity. Participants then entered their water sample data into the WWMD database. The data will be used to draft summary comparisons reflecting water quality conditions throughout the world.

WWMD was created in 2002 by America’s Clean Water Foundation to engage the public, governments and corporate leaders in global efforts to protect and enhance worldwide water quality. Each year’s official WWMD observance falls on October 18, although volunteers began the testing period a month earlier.

“Smithfield Foods is proud to be a corporate sponsor of WWMD, but we wanted to do much more. That’s why we encouraged our employees to conduct local water tests and use this as a teaching opportunity with their families, local student groups and civic groups,” said Dennis H. Treacy, vice president of environmental, community and government affairs at Smithfield Foods, Inc.

“At Smithfield, we’re committed to improving water quality in the communities where we live and work. Smithfield employees understand the importance of being good environmental stewards, and they have demonstrated time and again a firm belief that environmental protection is everyone’s duty and obligation,” Treacy said.

“In creating World Water Monitoring Day, we wanted to provide an opportunity for people of all ages, backgrounds, creeds, faiths, cultures and ethnicities to come together as a global network of individuals who are willing to invest their time and energy in the pursuit of clean water,” said Roberta (Robbi) Savage, president of America’s Clean Water Foundation.

“For the second year in a row, Smithfield Foods has been a generous sponsor and volunteer, and has shown that individuals can make a difference in preserving our natural resources,” Savage said.

World Water Monitoring Day was inspired by the success of the 2002 U.S. National Water Monitoring Day event, which marked the 30th anniversary of initial passage of the U.S. Clean Water Act.

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Tim Bradbury performs Step 1 by obtaining a temperature reading of Smith Mountain Lake.

Step 4: Tim dissolves a pH Wide Range TesTab to receive an accurate pH reading.

Step 1: Obtain water temperature. The temperature is very important to water quality. Temperature affects the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, the rate of photosynthesis by aquatic plants, and the sensitivity of organisms to toxic wastes, parasites and disease.

Step 2: Obtain water sample

Step 3: Obtain a dissolved oxygen (DO) reading

Step 4: Obtain pH sample and test for levels. pH is a measurement of the acidic or basic quality of water. The pH scale ranges from a value of 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic), with 7 being neutral. the pH of natural water is usually 6.5 and 8.2. Most aquatic organisms are adapted to a specific pH level and may die if the pH of the water changes even slightly.

Step 5: Check the turbidity of the water. Turbidity is the measure of the relative clarity of water.

Step 6: Record all sample data and findings.