Volunteers for the Coastal Watershed Council have began collecting annual samples. Every May, for the past 16 years, water samples have been taken from all of the waterways emptying into the Monterey Bay. The samples are then analyzed to determine the overall health of the Central Coast Watershed. The past several years volunteer collectors, have noted declining water levels in all of the tributaries, due to the on going drought. Once the samples are analyzed, and the data is received by the council, decisions can then be made on how to best manage lower runoff totals with respect to the drought and the wildlife dependent on the water.