# Presentation: 193994

## Wisconsin's Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network

- Ken Schreiber
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

## Wisconsin’s Surface Water Resources

- 15,000 lakes (982,000 acres)
- 22,613 perennial streams( 41,465 stream miles)
- 4,364 Great Lake shoreline miles

## Land Use Patterns in Wisconsin

**Northern Lakes **
**and Forests**

**“****Driftless”**
** ****Area**

## Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

**Administrative Regions**

## River trend monitoring 
	network consists of:
42 large river sites

- 	network consists of:
- 42 large river sites

**Wisconsin's Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network**

## Lake trend monitoring 
	network consists of:
55 lake sites  

- 	network consists of:
- 55 lake sites

**Wisconsin's Surface Water Quality Monitoring Network**

## History:
Monitoring has been conducted at some sites for 30+ years.
Program revised in 2000
Program review in 2005-06
Includes data collected from 2001-2005

- Monitoring has been conducted at some sites for 30+ years.
- Program revised in 2000
- Program review in 2005-06
- Includes data collected from 2001-2005

**Wisconsin’s River Trend Monitoring Network**

- Site Selection Criteria:
- Spatial distribution across state and ecoregions
- Availability of historical data
- Most sites located near mouth of major rivers
- Presence of USGS gauging stations

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality **
**Trend Monitoring Network**

## Sampling Frequency:
24 quarterly sites, 28 monthly sites
Parameters:
Nutrients (P&N), total suspended solids, chlorides, chlorophyll a, hardness, bacteria, metals, etc.

- 24 quarterly sites, 28 monthly sites
- Parameters:
- Nutrients (P&N), total suspended solids, chlorides, chlorophyll *a*, hardness, bacteria, metals, etc.

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality **
**Trend Monitoring Network**

## Wisconsin’s River 

**Wisconsin’s River **
**Monitoring Network**
**Total Phosphorus**
**Medians (range):**
**   ****0.02 – 0.369 mg/L**
**Means (range):**
**   ****0.021 – 0.396 mg/L**

## Wisconsin’s River Water Quality

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality**
** ****Trend Monitoring Network**

## Wisconsin’s River Water Quality

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality**
**Trend  Monitoring Network**

- Northern
- Forests

- Driftless Area

**Biological impacts **
**“****threshold”**

## Wisconsin’s River 

**Wisconsin’s River **
**Water Quality Trend**
**Monitoring Network**
**Total Suspended Solids**
**Medians (range):**
**   ****2.0 – 49 mg/L**
**Means (range):**
**   ****2.7 – 57.2 mg/L**

## Wisconsin’s River Water Quality 

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality **
**Trend Monitoring Network**

## Wisconsin’s River 

**Wisconsin’s River **
**Water Quality Trend**
**Monitoring Network**
**Chlorophyll a**
**Medians (range):**
**   ****0.99 – 94.8 mg/L**
**Means (range):**
**   ****1.39 – 91.9 mg/L**

## Wisconsin’s River 

**Wisconsin’s River **
**Water Quality Trend**
**Monitoring Network**
**Chloride**
**Medians (range):**
**   ****2.3 – 213 mg/L**
**Means (range):**
**    ****3.1 – 261 mg/L**

## Wisconsin’s River Water Quality 

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality **
**Trend Monitoring Network**

## Slide 18

## Slide 19

## Wisconsin’s River Water Quality

**Wisconsin’s River Water Quality**
**Trend Monitoring Network**

## Wisconsin's Surface Water Quality Trend Monitoring Network

- Program challenges:
- Lack of continuity
- Changing Department priorities
- Changing staff responsibilities
- Data use and inconsistencies
- Insufficient coordination

## Questions?

**Questions?**