Muddy Water Watch (MWW) is a statewide education program which uses citizen volunteers to address problems associated with stormwater runoff. The goals of MWW are to create an educated public in the state of Alabama, to foster a grassroots support network for improving water quality, and to reduce the amount of stormwater pollutants that reach Alabama’s waterways.

Muddy Water Watch (MWW) was developed by Mobile Baykeeper in conjunction with the Alabama Stormwater Partnership (ASP) as a statewide education program using citizen volunteers to reduce stormwater runoff pollution. MWW educates citizens statewide on stormwater and the dangers mud, increased water volume and pollution from construction and development pose to Alabama’s waterways. MWW coordinates and trains citizens to monitor their local waterways for stormwater runoff. Those trained citizens then assist local inspectors through frequent monitoring of construction sites. Once contractors begin to understand that their onsite activities are being monitored by a better educated and well trained public, they should work harder to remain in compliance, thus leading to a decrease in overall permit violations. While citizens are trained to first go to the contractor with any problems, they are also trained to take problems remaining unaddressed to local and state reporting agencies.

Combining efforts of environmental agencies and educated citizens, MWW heightens local and statewide awareness regarding non-point pollution sources, specifically construction stormwater runoff. MWW produces a better educated and trained community, a coordinated partnership influencing practices of contractors, and a group of trained citizens monitoring stormwater runoff statewide. The ultimate goal of MWW is to improve water quality of all connected rivers and streams throughout the state.