One of the primary challenges in water quality monitoring, is the significant amount of resources required to monitor extensive freshwater networks. In the case of the Irish river network, only 4% of all river bodies are actively monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the small order bodies being excluded due to a lack of resources. Therefore, there is a critical need to implement additional and reliable means of data collection. Doing so would allow for better support of policy- making, and help authorities reach the goals established in the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD). In recent years, citizen involvement has emerged as an effective way to gather reliable water quality data with an improved spatial resolution, complimenting traditional monitoring approaches in a desirable way. In this optic, the Catchment Communities project aims to design a framework for the development of citizen science (CS) water quality monitoring projects, easily scalable to a national scale. In order to address all aspects of the WFD, the project will cover hydromorphological and physico-chemical elements, while also focusing on the anthropological considerations of citizen science and water quality. This interdisciplinary approach is a key output of the project, as its presence in the framework will be essential for the successful creation of future citizen science projects. This presentation focuses on the physico-chemical part of the project, demonstrating the application of existing and new CS tools for improved data gathering, sample collection and citizen engagement. The scope of development is driven by WFD needs, data gaps, EPA water quality reports and the potential to develop new robust tools that are reliable and citizen science ready.