Are Groundwater Level Data Collected by Citizen Scientists Trustworthy? A Cautionary Tale

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Hydrogeology
• Citizen Science

Background:

• Public engagement in groundwater projects is growing.
• The reliability of citizen-collected groundwater data requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the trustworthiness of groundwater level data collected by citizen scientists.
• To evaluate the efficacy of citizen science in hydrogeological monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 31 citizen scientists to measure groundwater levels across 29 monitoring wells.
• Provided training on groundwater concepts and data collection using electronic water level meters.
• Compared citizen-collected data (35 time series, 450+ measurements) against automated logger data.

Main Results:

• Citizen-collected groundwater level data demonstrated trustworthiness.
• Data exhibited reliability and validity when compared to automated measurements.
• The study confirmed the potential of citizen science in hydrogeological data collection.

Conclusions:

• Citizen scientists, with adequate training and support, can gather dependable groundwater data.
• This approach can aid in monitoring aquifer sustainability and managing groundwater resources.
• Successful citizen science initiatives necessitate substantial time and effort from project managers.