Supporting NWT communities to become more involved in water monitoring is an important part of implementing the Northern Voices, Northern Waters: NWT Water Stewardship Strategy (the Water Strategy).

Community-based monitoring (CBM) fosters a wide range of benefits, including increased awareness of water stewardship issues, improved collection and application of traditional knowledge, and greater community involvement in research and monitoring program design.

Watch a You Tube video from the CBM Program on how to take a water sample:

Support for community-based monitoring programs ranges from support with funding and equipment to program design. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) provides information about monitoring parameters, as well as equipment and other monitoring resources for community-based projects.

Many Aquatic Ecosystem research and monitoring programs also support community-based monitoring initiatives across the NWT. These programs contribute to the implementation of the Water Strategy and help advance its overall goals.

Across the NWT, communities are actively participating in monitoring programs and collaborating with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, environmental organizations, federal and territorial governments, and universities to study water and ecosystem health.

The NWT-Wide Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring Program, the Slave River and Delta Partnership and the Slave Watershed Environmental Effects Program are ongoing community-based water monitoring programs that emerged directly from the Water Strategy. These programs support implementation of the Water Strategy action plans under "Know and Plan- A Collaborative Approach to Community-based Monitoring" component.

The year 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the NWT Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring program. The program continues to play a vital role in protecting NWT waterways. The 10-Year Summary Report highlights key findings and recommendations from the 10-year review and technical report—effectively communicating the information to the community.