Stream Team researchers conduct optical brightener sampling at Cypress Creek in Wimberley, TX. Photo by Texas State University.
Texas Stream Team, a program of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, has launched a new Optical Brightener Water Quality Community Scientist Training to help detect potential sources of wastewater contamination in Texas waterways.
The program trains volunteer community scientists to monitor local water sources for optical brighteners — fluorescent compounds commonly found in household laundry detergents, toilet paper and soaps. Their presence in rivers, lakes or streams may indicate contamination from leaking septic systems, sewer overflows or other wastewater sources.
Kelly Albus, Ph.D., research scientist for the Texas Water Resources Institute at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas, played a key role in developing the program's educational and national data collection components. She initially introduced the Texas Stream Team to the project and collaborated with the program to vet and develop a scientific method for detecting optical brighteners. This partnership enabled the integration of optical brightener monitoring into Texas Stream Team’s established community science network.
“Clean water is essential to every community, and through this collaboration, we’re giving local community scientists the tools to protect it,” said Albus. “By refining methodology and ensuring data accuracy, we are helping to advance research and improve water quality monitoring across Texas but with lower cost materials accessible to everyone."
The Optical Brightener Water Quality Community Scientist Training is open to eligible community scientists who have completed Texas Stream Team’s Core and Bacteria Water Quality Trainings and have submitted at least six months of bacteria monitoring data. This prerequisite ensures participants have foundational knowledge in water quality monitoring before advancing to optical brightener detection. Additionally, pairing bacteria monitoring with optical brightener monitoring enhances the ability to identify human wastewater contamination.
“Water pollution sources are often difficult to detect, but with the help of community scientists across the state, we can identify potential problem areas more effectively,” said Aspen Navarro, Meadows Center deputy director of watershed services. “This program empowers community members to contribute meaningful data that can help safeguard the health of their waterways.”
Participants will receive training on how to properly collect and analyze water samples using optical brightener-free tampons that absorb optical brightener compounds. This data will be stored in the Texas Stream Team database, allowing researchers and local officials to use it for identifying pollution hotspots. Training is available both remotely and in person and follows a three-phase certification process, including classroom instruction, field demonstration and independent monitoring at an approved site.
Texas Stream Team and Texas A&M are also co-authoring a methods manuscript to refine and document the approach, further enhancing the program’s scientific foundation and accessibility across the nation and beyond. Texas Stream Team engages a statewide network of volunteer community scientists trained to monitor the water quality of their local lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries at sites throughout the state. The program is open to Texans from all backgrounds and requires no prior experience. Each year, community scientists monitor hundreds of water quality sites across the state, contributing valuable data to a database maintained by The Meadows Center that spans more than 30 years.
For more information or to register for the Optical Brightener Monitoring Program Training, visit www.meadowscenter.txst.edu/leadership/texasstreamteam/trainings-programs/opticalbrightener or contact txstreamteam@txstate.edu.