Community Science Institute

Community Science Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and NYSDOH ELAP-certified water testing lab. Our mission is to empower communities to protect water quality through volunteer stream and lake monitoring in the Cayuga Lake watershed and the surrounding region. CSI recruits, trains, and coordinates volunteers to participate in our water quality monitoring programs: Synoptic Stream and Lake Monitoring, Biomonitoring, and Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring. In partnership with these volunteers, we build long-term datasets of regulatory quality data that can help guide the sustainable management of local water resources while empowering volunteers to act as stewards of water resources. These data are available to the public on our online water quality database: www.database.communityscience.org. Alone, these data speak volumes, but we help give them a voice through our outreach and education initiatives including our Water and Community events, Water Bulletin Newsletter, Journey of Water youth education series, Biomonitoring Open Lab nights, and Monthly Updates. In addition, CSI offers fee-based, certified drinking water testing services and counts the Tompkins County Health Department and Cornell University as well as dozens of businesses and hundreds of private homeowners among our clients. In this way we provide a valuable service to our community while earning fees that help support our nonprofit mission.