Freshwater Stream Monitoring

Methodology Guide

A localised adaptation of the UN Environment Programme / IOC Guidelines and the US EPA Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program's Rapid Trash Assessment Protocol.

Pre-Survey Safety Checklist

Complete all safety checks before beginning your survey. This checklist must be confirmed in the survey wizard before data entry unlocks.

0 of 10 items confirmed

Survey Protocol — 5 Steps

Litter Category Reference

8 material categories used across all Litter Intelligence surveys. Tap any category for examples and notes.

Visual Assessment Grades

Assigned at the start of the survey (overall site) and separately for plastic resin pellets.

A
No litter

Pristine. No litter visible in the survey area.

B
Low litter

Occasional items. Good condition. Minimal human impact visible.

C
Moderate litter

Scattered litter present. Clearly impacted but not overwhelming.

D
Heavy litter

Dense litter throughout. Significant human impact. Immediate action needed.

Litter Intelligence uses grades A–E for beach surveys and A–D for freshwater stream surveys. Resin pellet grade is recorded separately from the main site grade.