Freshwater resources in New Jersey are deteriorating and require quality assessment, which can be costly in time, material and human resources. Strategies of the New Jersey Division of Watershed Management are moving in the direction of citizen action, promoted by service learning programs for water assessment. These programs are funded through non-governmental organizations in collaboration with federal and state agencies. GIS tools are being put into practice for volunteers to report at volunteer monitoring sites throughout the twenty watershed management areas within the state. Data from these sites are displayed at the NJ-GeoWeb portal. The "next generation" NJ-GeoWeb application is the most current browser-based GIS tool implemented for public use in New Jersey to date. This server-side database is supported through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with system support from the New Jersey Office of Information Technology in a user-friendly interface. This study illustrates lessons of GIS applications in a collaborative approach to watershed management being realized through federal, state, nonprofit and university service learning programs. The topics will specifically address using the NJ-GeoWeb within the Hackensack River watershed area number 5 on the Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan campus.