Rivers are more than water; they are life, memory, movement.
At Stroud Water Research Center, we uncover the science behind these living systems so we can all help protect them. Step in and start your journey.

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Since 1967, Stroud Water Research Center has focused on one thing — fresh water.
We advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration.

What We Do

Freshwater Research

Environmental Education

Watershed Restoration

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Latest News

A girl smiles while holding a bluegill fish she caught.

Expanding Watershed Education in the Oxford Area

From reeling in fish to exploring the tiny critters that call our streams home, youth and families are experiencing watershed science in exciting new ways.

Teachers from Avon Grove and Octoraro schools at a professional development workshop.

New Grant Brings Outdoor Watershed Learning to Octorara and Avon Grove Students

Thanks to a new grant-supported partnership between the Stroud Center and local schools, hundreds of students will explore, study, and protect their local rivers and streams.

Publication title with image of a mayfly

Reduction in nitrification during the early transition from conventional to organic farming practices

Price, J.R., D. Oviedo-Vargas, M. Peipoch, M.D. Daniels, and J. Kan. 2025. Ecosphere 16(8): e70375.

A sample of aquatic macroinvertebrates viewed under a microscope.

Building Scientific Rigor Through Certified Taxonomic Expertise

Taxonomic certification administered by the Stroud Center is the gold standard, with certifications in aquatic invertebrates, diatoms, and soon, fish.

Dave Funk collects macroinvertebrate samples from a stream.

Six New Species of Mayfly Identified: A Video Interview with Dave Funk

Entomologist Dave Funk shares how his 2025 study named six new Ameletus mayflies — and what these parthenogenetic insects reveal about stream health.

Dave Montgomery collecting a water sample from White Clay Creek during Hurricane Isaias.

USGS Cuts to Water Resources Threaten Health and Safety

River monitoring funding cuts are a problem not just for water scientists but for all Americans, because we all rely on and live near a river or stream.

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Featured Initiatives and Partnerships

WikiWatershed® web tools offer watershed data visualization, geospatial analysis capabilities, and science-based predictions of human impacts on stormwater runoff and water quality.

The Water Quality mobile app is a water-monitoring data-collection and learning tool designed for use by educators and their students, citizen scientists, and researchers.

EnviroDIY™ is a community where members ask and answer questions and network within interest groups to develop do-it-yourself environmental science and monitoring devices.

The Society for Freshwater Science Taxonomic Certification Program ensures skilled persons are providing aquatic invertebrate identifications in North America.

The Leaf Pack Network® is an international network of teachers, students, and citizen monitors using a simple experiment to determine the health of their local streams.

The Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Watersheds provides free technical assistance to Pennsylvania-based watershed and conservation organizations.