The City of Austin (Texas) provided funds for a supplementary educational activity to involve at-risk minority high school students in water quality issues. The program encourages at-risk students to remain in school by providing an interesting and authentic activity to use in the development of academic skills. Program activities included testing water quality and tutoring of at-risk students by student mentors. Both mentors and at-risk trainees were paid for the time spent testing the water and in tutoring sessions. In addition to the 22 1993-94 student trainees that continued in the program, the 1994-95 Austin Youth River Watch program recruited and trained 26 minority, at-risk students in river water monitoring. All participants agreed that they would encourage others to participate and that they planned to continue their participation. Seven of the 1994-95 participants obtained their high school diplomas, and traditional school program population members of the River Watch achieved a higher grade point average than the mean grade point average of all district high school students. One program participant left school before completing the year, but none of the program participants were potential grade retainees at the end of the school year. In addition to benefits to students, the program provided a water quality database for the Colorado River and its tributaries. Recommendations are made for program continuation and expansion. (SLD)