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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Road Salt is Polluting Fresh Water

Salt keeps us safe on icy roads — but it’s also quietly harming waterways.

IT’S TIME TO

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Latest News

Publication title with image of a mayfly

Distinct changes in riparian sediment microbial communities with depth and time since dam removal

Moore, E.R., M.M. Rahman, J.G. Galella, M. Sena, B. Joshi, A. Yaculak, M. Peipoch, J. Kan, and S. Inamdar. 2026. Nature Scientific Reports 16: article 6885.

Road salt impacts on soil properties and permanent nitrogen removal capacity of freshwater urban wetlands

Rahman, M.M., M. Peipoch, J. Kan, E. Moore, M. Sena, M. Kantak, S. Sharma, C. Lekha, and S.P. Inamdar. 2026. Wetlands 46, 14.

Freshwater salinization syndrome is degrading streamwater quality in the National Capital Region national parks, USA

Myers, D.T., D. Oviedo-Vargas, S. Ensign, M. Daniels, J.P. Schmit, M. Peipoch, and J. Kan. 2025. Freshwater Science 54(1): 18–30.

A scientist measures chlorophyll in a stream using a field fluorometer.

When Local News and Science Go Dark, the River Loses Its Voice

Supporting local journalism and local science is not charity. It is an investment in the data, transparency, and accountability that keep fresh water safe.

Scott Ensign with Open-Source River Camera and Altimetry (ORCA) for measuring river flooding.

Open Source Hardware Solves Flood Monitoring Challenges

Scientists and engineers at Stroud Water Research Center have developed a compact, inexpensive, and rapidly deployable tool for measuring river floods.

Heather Titanich Receives Exceptional Partner Award

The Stroud Center’s Heather Titanich earned an award from the Schuylkill Highlands Partnership for riparian buffer restoration in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

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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.