Released October 14, 2008
MADISON, Wis.--Wonder how recent floods may have affected the lakes and streams where you went swimming, fishing or boating on your summer vacation? Your neighbor might know the answer.
Thousands of citizens across Wisconsin worked throughout the summer to monitor water quality in lakes, streams and wetlands.
All together, citizen volunteers visited 230 stream sites more than 1,100 times in 2008. They monitor up to six aspects of stream health including water clarity, dissolved oxygen and insects, which can be sensitive or tolerant to pollutants. And more than 1,100 lakes were monitored for water clarity, native plants, phosphorus and chlorophyll. Phosphorus is the nutrient that controls how densely plants or algae grow, while chlorophyll levels tell us the amount of algae in the lake.
The volunteer monitoring programs are sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), River Alliance of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.
“Volunteers’ efforts help bring attention to local water quality issues and help protect resources. Without their contributions many problems would be overlooked,” says Kris Stepenuck, volunteer stream monitoring coordinator for the UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center and the WDNR.
Wisconsin volunteers are planning to observe World Water Monitoring Day on Oct. 18 with like-minded citizens around the country. The event began in 2002 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Clean Water Act—designed to restore and protect water resources across the nation--by the U.S. Congress.
Since the Act was signed, the country has taken huge steps to clean up and safeguard U.S. waters from pollution. However, ongoing effort is needed to educate citizens about the effects of human activities on water resources and to monitor those waters to restore and protect them for future generations.
“World Water Monitoring Day is a great opportunity for people to participate in monitoring their local waterways,” said Laura Herman, citizen lakes monitoring coordinator for UW-Extension and WDNR. “It also lets us celebrate the efforts of the volunteers who commit their time and energy to monitoring, protecting and restoring our lakes, streams, wetlands and groundwater.”
In Wisconsin, over 400 volunteers keep tabs on aquatic invasive species in lakes while more than 70 volunteers in southeastern Wisconsin monitor ephemeral ponds--wetlands that amphibians such as frogs and salamanders rely upon for breeding.
The Citizen Stream Monitoring Program includes three volunteer levels. Water Action Volunteers is the entry level in which citizens monitor six aspects of stream health. Over 200 adults and 1600 students participate at this level annually. Level 2 allows volunteers to use WDNR methods to monitor streams; about 150 people participate. Level 3 streams and wetland research projects are next when citizens who have completed previous levels collaborate with university scientists and WDNR biologists to conduct focused research.
In the Citizen Lakes Monitoring Network (CLMN), after one year of monitoring water clarity, some volunteers receive additional training on collecting information about a lake’s total phosphorus and chlorophyll, along with temperature, water clarity and dissolved oxygen. This information is used to determine changes in a lake's trophic state—its ability to produce plants and algae blooms.
Other volunteers in the CLMN identify and map native plant beds. Many watch for Eurasian water-milfoil, zebra mussels or other aquatic invasive species on Wisconsin’s lakes.
To learn more about the Citizen-Based Water Monitoring Network of Wisconsin and how you can participate, visit http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu. For more information about World Water Monitoring Day. go to http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org
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Contacts: Kris Stepenuck, (608) 265-3887
Laura Herman, (715) 365-8998