Mon River Quest isn’t the name of an upcoming Indiana Jones movie; it isn’t a board game you can find in the local toy store; and it isn’t the name of some kind of river geography quiz. Mon River Quest is a major West Virginia University -based initiative that is empowering hundreds of volunteers in an effort to keep an eye on thousands of miles of Monongahela River tributary streams so that any detected irregularities can be quickly monitored, traced and alleviated.

The project, funded by the Colcom Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based private foundation dedicated to fostering a sustainable environment, represents an unprecedented level of community involvement in pursuit of water quality information and a prime example of WVU’s outreach mission to make lives better by seeking ways to head off potential environmental problems.