E M PAC T

Environmental Monitoring for Public Access 

& Community Tracking

United States Office of Research and Development EPA/625/R-00/013

Environmental Protection Office of Environmental Information September 2000

Agency Washington, DC 20460 http://www.epa.gov/empact

Delivering Timely 

Water Quality Information to 

Your Community

The Lake Access–Minneapolis

Project

1EPA
Disclaimer

This document has been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and approved for publication.

Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of their use.
EPA/625/R-00/013

September 2000

Delivering Timely Water Quality

Information to Your Community

The Lake Access–Minneapolis Project

United States Environmental Protection Agency

National Risk Management Research Laboratory

Office of Research and Development

Cincinnati, OH 45268

2Printed on paper containing at least 30% postconsumer recovered fiber.
CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Dan Petersen (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], National Risk Management Research

Laboratory) served as principal author of this handbook, and managed its development with the support of

Eastern Research Group, Inc., an EPA contractor. Contributing authors included the following:

Rich Axler, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota–Duluth

John Barten, Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District

José Goin, Apprise Technologies, Inc.

Cindy Hagley, Minnesota Sea Grant

George Host, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota–Duluth

Barbara Liukkonen, University of Minnesota–Extension

Dr. Bruce Munson, Department of Education, University of Minnesota–Duluth

Chris Owen, Apprise Technologies, Inc.

Barb Peichel, Minnesota Sea Grant

Elaine Ruzycki, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota–Duluth

Brian Vlach, Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District

Norm Will, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota–Duluth

i i
iii

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK 5

3. WATER QUALITY MONITORING 7

3.1 Water Quality Monitoring—An Overview 7

3.2 Designing a Time-Relevant Water Quality Monitoring Project 10

3.3 Selecting Your Sampling Frequency 13

3.4 Selecting Water Quality Parameters for Monitoring 14

3.5 Selecting Monitoring Equipment 16

3.6 Siting Monitors 20

3.7 Installing RUSS Units 23

3.8 Operating RUSS Units 27

3.9 Maintaining RUSS Units 29

3.10 Other Local Monitoring Efforts 32

4. COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, AND MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT 

WATER QUALITY DATA 41

4.1 System Overview 41

4.2 Getting Your Equipment and Software in Place 43

4.3 Programming Your System for Scheduled Transfers of Data 46

4.4 Managing Data at the Base Station 53

4.5 Troubleshooting Q&A 57

5. DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 59

5.1 What is Data Visualization? 59

5.2 Data Visualization Software 61

6. COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY INFORMATION 71

6.1 Creating an Outreach Plan for Time-Relevant Water Quality Reporting 71

6.2 Elements of the Lake Access Project's Outreach Program 76

6.3 Resources for Presenting Water Quality Information to the Public 79

APPENDIX A 

Glossary of Terms A-1

APPENDIX B

Lake Access Brochure B-1

APPENDIX C

Lake Access Survey C-1
1. INTRODUCTION

P

eople who spend time in, on, or close to lakes in and near your community

can use timely and accurate information about lake water quality to help

make day-to-day decisions about lake use and lake issues. For example, swimmers can use information about fecal coliform levels to protect their health when

levels of these bacteria near swimming beaches are high. Anglers can use water

quality information (e.g., temperature and oxygen levels) to help them decide

where and when to go fishing. Time-relevant information can help recreational

lake users, businesses, resource managers, lakeshore residents, and other landowners located farther from the lakeshore understand how a lake's water quality is

affected by land use practices within its watershed.

This handbook offers step-by-step instructions about how to provide timerelevant water quality data to your community. It was developed by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) EMPACT program. EPA created

EMPACT (Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community

Tracking) in 1996, at President Clinton's direction. The program takes advantage

of new technologies that make it possible to provide time-relevant environmental

information to the public.

EMPACT is working with the 86 largest metropolitan areas of the country to

help communities in these areas:

■ Collect, manage, and distribute time-relevant environmental

information.

■ Provide residents with easy-to-understand information they can use in

making informed, day-to-day decisions.

To make EMPACT more effective, EPA is partnering with the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey. EPA will work

closely with these federal agencies to help achieve nationwide consistency in

measuring environmental data, managing the information, and delivering it to

the public. 

To date, environmental information projects have been initiated in 84 of the 86

EMPACT-designated metropolitan areas. These projects cover a wide range of

environmental issues, including groundwater contamination, water quality, smog,

ultraviolet radiation, and overall ecosystem quality. Some of these projects were

initiated directly by EPA. Others were launched by EMPACT communities

themselves. Local governments from any of the 86 EMPACT metropolitan areas

are eligible to apply for EPA-funded Metro Grants to develop their own

EMPACT projects. The 86 EMPACT metropolitan areas are listed in the table at

the end of this chapter.

Communities selected for Metro Grant awards are responsible for building their

own time-relevant environmental monitoring and information delivery systems.

To find out how to apply for a Metro Grant, visit the EMPACT Web site at

http://www.epa.gov/empact/apply.htm.

INTRODUCTION 1
One such Metro Grant recipient is the Lake Access–Minneapolis project. The

project provides the public with time-relevant and historical water quality data for

lakes within the largest, most populated watershed districts in Minnesota.

The Lake Access Project team is using Remote Underwater Sampling System

(RUSS) devices to collect time-relevant water quality data from three locations—

two in Lake Minnetonka and one in Lake Independence. The Lake Access team

has developed an Internet interface for the RUSS units that allows data from the

RUSS sensors to be displayed in near-real time on the Lake Access Web site at

http://www.lakeaccess.org. The project is a cooperative effort of the Suburban

Hennepin Regional Park District, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, the

University of Minnesota Water on the Web Investigators (i.e., the Natural

Resources Research Institute, the University of Minnesota–Duluth Department of

Education, and Minnesota Sea Grant), and Apprise Technologies, which holds the

license to RUSS technologies. The project team also collects data from monitoring stations established as part of other monitoring programs. The team integrates

data supplied by these non-RUSS sites with RUSS-generated data to track conditions in area lakes. Many of the project Web site's key features, such as the

Limnology Primer and the Data Visualization Tools, were developed under a grant

from The National Science Foundation's Advanced Technology Education

Program. 

The Technology Transfer and Support Division of the EPA Office of Research and

Development's (ORD's) National Risk Management Research Laboratory initiated development of this handbook to help interested communities learn more

about the Lake Access Project. The handbook also provides technical information

communities need to develop and manage their own time-relevant lake water

monitoring, data visualization, and information dissemination programs. ORD,

working with the Lake Access Project team, produced this handbook to maximize

EMPACT's investment in the project and minimize the resources needed to

implement similar projects in other communities.

Both print and CD-ROM versions of the handbook are available for direct 

on-line ordering from EPA's Office of Research and Development 

Technology Transfer Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl. You can also

download the handbook from the Lake Access—Minneapolis Web site at

http://www.lakeaccess.org. You can also obtain a copy of the handbook by 

contacting the EMPACT program office at:

EMPACT Program

U.S. EPA (2831)

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20460

Phone: 202 564-6791

Fax: 202 565-1966

We hope you find the handbook worthwhile, informative, and easy to use. We

welcome your comments, and you can send them by e-mail from EMPACT's

Web site at http://www.epa.gov/empact/comments.htm.

2 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION 3

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Albuquerque, NM

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA

Anchorage, AK

Atlanta, GA

Austin- San Marcos, TX

Bakersfield, CA

Billings, MT

Birmingham, AL

Boise, ID 

Boston, MA-NH

Bridgeport, CT

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY

Burlington, VT

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Charleston, WV

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NCSC

Cheyenne, WY

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI

Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KT-IN

Cleveland-Akron, OH

Columbus, OH

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

Dayton-Springfield, OH

Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI

El Paso, TX

Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN

Fresno, CA 

Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland,

MI

Greensboro-Winston Salem-High

Point, NC

Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson,

SC

Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA

Hartford, CT

Honolulu, HI

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX

Indianapolis, IN

Jackson, MS

Jacksonville, FL

Kansas City, MO-KS

Knoxville, TN

Las Vegas, NV

Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange

County, CA

Louisville, KY-IN

Memphis, TN-AR-MS

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL

Milwaukee-Racine, WI

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

Nashville, TN

New Orleans, LA

New York-Northern New JerseyLong Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA

Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport

News, VA-NC

Oklahoma City, OH

Omaha, NE-IA

Orlando, FL

Philadelphia- Wilmington-Atlantic

City, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Phoenix-Mesa, AZ

Pittsburgh, PA

Portland, ME

Portland-Salem, OR-WA

Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RIMA

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Richmond-Petersburg, VA

Rochester, NY

Sacramento-Yolo, CA

Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT

San Antonio, TX

San Diego, CA

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose,

CA

San Juan, PR

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton, PA

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA

Sioux Falls, SD

Springfield, MA

St. Louis-E. St. Louis, MO-IL

Stockton-Lodi, CA

Syracuse, NY 

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

Toledo, OH

Tucson, AZ

Tulsa, OK

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VAWV

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL

Wichita, KS

Youngstown-Warren, OH

EMPACT Metropolitan Areas 
2. HOW TO USE 

THIS HANDBOOK

T

his handbook provides you with step-by-step information on how to develop

a program to provide time-relevant water quality data to your community,

using the Lake Access Project in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area as

a model. It contains detailed guidance on how to:

■ Chapter 3 provides information about water quality monitoring—the

first step in the process of generating time-relevant information about

water quality and making it available to residents in your area. The

chapter begins with an overview of water quality monitoring in freshwater systems and then focuses on the remote time-relevant water quality monitoring conducted as part of the Lake Access Project. It also

provides step-by-step instructions on how to install, operate, and maintain the Remote Underwater Sampling Station (RUSS) units used by

the Lake Access Project team to gather time-relevant water quality data.

■ Chapter 4 provides step-by-step instructions on how to operate and

maintain an automated system to transmit, store, retrieve, and analyze

the water quality data collected from the remote time-relevant water

quality monitors. The chapter focuses on the software used by the Lake

Access Project team from their RUSS units to their base station, and it

also contains information on data quality assurance and control.

■ Chapter 5 provides information about using data visualization tools

to graphically depict the time-relevant water quality data you have

gathered. The chapter begins with a brief overview of data visualization.

It then provides a more detailed introduction to selected data visualization tools developed by the Lake Access team. You might want to use

these software tools to help analyze your data and in your efforts to

provide time-relevant water quality information to your community.

■ Chapter 6 outlines the steps involved in developing an outreach plan

to communicate information about water quality in your community's

lakes. It also provides information about the Lake Access Project's outreach efforts. The chapter includes a list of resources to help you

HOW TO USE THIS HANDBOOK 5

Design, site, operate, 

and maintain a 

system to gather 

time-relevant water 

quality data.

Design, operate, and 

maintain a system to 

retrieve, manage, 

and analyze your 

time-relevant water 

quality data.

Use data visualization 

tools to graphically 

depict these data.

Develop a plan to 

communicate the 

results of your 

time-relevant water 

quality monitoring 

efforts to residents in 

your community.
develop easily understandable materials to communicate information

about your time relevant water quality monitoring program to a variety

of audiences.

This handbook is designed for decision-makers considering whether to implement a time-relevant water quality monitoring program in their communities and

for technicians responsible for implementing these programs. Managers and decision-makers likely will find the initial sections of Chapters 3, 4, and 5 most helpful. The latter sections of these chapters are targeted primarily at professionals and

technicians and provide detailed "how to" information. Chapter 6 is designed for

managers and communication specialists.

The handbook also refers you to supplementary sources of information, such as

Web sites and guidance documents, where you can find additional guidance with

a greater level of technical detail. Interspersed throughout the handbook are text

boxes that describe some of the lessons learned by the Lake Access team in developing and implementing its time-relevant water quality monitoring, data management, and outreach program.

6 CHAPTER 2
3. WATER QUALITY 

MONITORING

T

his chapter provides information about water quality monitoring—the first

step in the process of generating time-relevant information about water quality and making it available to residents in your area.

The chapter begins with a broad overview of water quality monitoring (Section

3.1). It then focuses on the remote time-relevant water quality monitoring conducted as part of the Lake Access Project. It also provides information about

installing, operating, and maintaining the equipment used by the Lake Access

Project team to gather time-relevant water quality data. Section 3.2 discusses factors to consider when designing a remote time-relevant water quality monitoring

project. Sections 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5 explain how to select remote time-relevant

monitoring frequencies, parameters, and equipment. Section 3.6 describes how to

select the locations of your remote time-relevant water quality monitoring stations. Sections 3.7, 3.8, and 3.9 explain how you can install, operate, and maintain the remote time-relevant water quality monitoring equipment used by the

Lake Access Project. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of other water

quality monitoring projects conducted in the Twin Cities area (Section 3.10).

Readers primarily interested in an overview of water quality monitoring might

want to focus on the introductory information in Sections 3.1 and 3.2. If you are

responsible for the actual design and implementation of a monitoring project, you

should review Sections 3.3 through 3.9. They provide an introduction to the specific steps involved in developing and operating a remote time-relevant water

quality monitoring project and information on where to find additional guidance.

3.1 Water Quality Monitoring: An Overview

Water quality monitoring provides information about the condition of streams,

lakes, ponds, estuaries, and coastal waters. It can also tell us if these waters are safe

for swimming, fishing, or drinking. The Web site of the U.S. EPA Office of Water

(http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/) is a good source of background

information on water quality monitoring. (The information presented in the following paragraphs is summarized from this Web site.)

Water quality monitoring can consist of the following types of measurements:

■ Chemical measurements of constituents such as dissolved oxygen, nutrients, metals, and oils in water, sediment, or fish tissue.

■ Physical measurements of general conditions such as temperature, clarity, flow, and water color.

■ Biological measurements of the abundance, variety, and growth rates of

aquatic plant and animal life in a water body or the ability of aquatic

organisms to survive in a water sample.

You can conduct several kinds of water quality monitoring projects, such as those:

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 7
■ At fixed locations on a continuous basis

■ At selected locations on an as-needed basis or to answer specific questions

■ On a temporary or seasonal basis (such as during the summer at swimming beaches)

■ On an emergency basis (such as after a spill)

Many agencies and organizations conduct water quality monitoring, including

state pollution control agencies, Indian tribes, city and county environmental

offices, the U.S. EPA and other federal agencies, and private entities, such as universities, watershed organizations, environmental groups, and industries.

Volunteer monitors—private citizens who voluntarily collect and analyze water

quality samples, conduct visual assessments of physical conditions, and measure

the biological health of waters—also provide increasingly important water quality information. The U.S. EPA provides specific information about volunteer

monitoring at http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/vol.html.

Water quality monitoring is conducted for many reasons, including:

■ Characterizing waters and identifying trends or changes in water quality

over time.

■ Identifying existing or emerging water quality problems.

■ Gathering information for the design of pollution prevention or

restoration programs.

■ Determining if the goals of specific programs (such as the implementation of pollution prevention strategies) are being met.

■ Responding to emergencies such as spills or floods.

EPA helps administer grants for water quality monitoring projects and provides

technical guidance on how to monitor and report monitoring results. You can

find a number of EPA's water quality monitoring technical guidance documents

on the Web at http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/techmon.html.

In addition to the U.S. EPA resources listed above, you can obtain information

about lake and reservoir water quality monitoring from the North American Lake

Management Society (NALMS). NALMS has published many technical documents, including a guidance manual entitled Monitoring Lake and Reservoir

Restoration. For more information, visit the NALMS Web site at

http://www.nalms.org. State and local agencies also publish and recommend documents to help organizations and communities conduct and understand water quality monitoring. For example, the Minnesota Lakes Association maintains a Web site

(http://www.mnlakesassn.org/main/resources/waterquality/index.cfm) that

lists resources for water quality monitoring and management. State and local organizations in your community might maintain similar listings. The University of

Minnesota–Duluth's Water on the Web site also maintains a list of links for water

quality information and resources, including sampling and monitoring methods, at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow/under/links.html. (The Water on the Web project

8 CHAPTER 3
WATER QUALITY MONITORING 9

provides on-line, time-relevant lake data as a tool for teaching basic and environmental science.)

In some cases, special water quality monitoring methods, such as remote monitoring, or special types of water quality data, such as time-relevant data, are needed to meet a water quality monitoring program's objectives. Time-relevant environmental data are data collected and communicated to the public in a time

frame that is useful to their day-to-day decision-making about their health and

the environment, and relevant to the temporal variability of the parameter measured. Monitoring is called remote when the operator can collect and analyze data

from a site other than the monitoring location itself.

Remote Time-Relevant Water Quality Monitoring: The Lake Access Project

The Lake Access Project helps community lake management and research organizations learn more about the characteristics of lakes in the Minnehaha Creek

Watershed District (MCWD) and the Suburban Hennepin Regional Park district

(Hennepin Parks) through remote time-relevant monitoring of lake water quality. In turn, the data gathered through the Lake Access Project are used to communicate time-relevant information about lake water quality to the local public. 

The Lake Access Project team conducts remote time-relevant monitoring at two

locations in Lake Minnetonka and at one location in Lake Independence. At each

location, the project team operates a remote underwater sampling station

(RUSSTM) unit, manufactured by Apprise Technologies, Inc. The RUSS unit consists of a mobile underwater monitoring sensor tethered to a buoy and featuring

an onboard computer, batteries, solar panels, telemetry equipment, and other

optional monitoring equipment. Four times daily, each RUSS unit raises and lowers a tethered multiprobe water quality sensor manufactured by Yellow Springs

Instruments© (YSI©) to collect a profile in 1-meter intervals from the lake surface

to the lake bottom. The RUSS unit measures the following parameters:

■ Temperature

■ pH

■ Dissolved oxygen

■ Electrical conductivity

■ Turbidity

■ Depth

The Lake Access Project team uses a land-base station to communicate with the

RUSS units via cellular connection. Time-relevant data are remotely downloaded

from the RUSS units daily.

The diagram on page 10 illustrates some of the basic RUSS unit components, and

it shows how the RUSS unit communicates with the land-base station. This diagram was taken from the RUSS System Manual, which is available from Apprise

Technologies. For more information about Apprise Technologies and the RUSS

unit, visit http://www.apprisetech.com.
1 0 CHAPTER 3

The remainder of this chapter highlights the Lake Access Project. The text box

below provides some background information on the characteristics of the lakes

studied in the Lake Access Project, and it introduces some important technical

terms relevant to the study of these lakes. The information in this text box was

taken from the Lake Access Web site, which provides extensive online information about lake ecology. For more information, visit these Web pages at

http://www.lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecology.html.

3.2 Designing a Time-Relevant Water Quality 

Monitoring Project

The first step in developing any water quality monitoring project is to define your

objectives. Keep in mind that remote time-relevant monitoring might not be the

best method for your organization or community. For example, you would not

likely require a remote time-relevant monitoring capability to conduct monthly

monitoring to comply with a state or federal regulation. 

Diagram showing some of the RUSS unit components and illustrating the

communication between the RUSS unit and the land-base station. (Taken

from the RUSS System Manual, available from Apprise Technologies at

http://www.apprisetech.com.)
WATER QUALITY MONITORING 1 1

Lake Stratification and Lake Mixing

This text box provides some basic information about the effects of seasonal temperature variations on the

types of lakes studied by the Lake Access Project team.

Lakes are directly influenced by fluctuations in seasonal air temperature. The following figure shows the

seasonal activities and characteristics of lakes, such as Lake Minnetonka and Lake Independence in the

Minneapolis area, with an annual pattern of two seasonal mixing periods. (Lakes with this pattern of mixing are known as dimictic lakes.)

Seasonal air temperatures directly affect lake temperatures. Lake temperatures, in turn, affect lake water

densities. Water is most dense at about 4°C and becomes less dense at higher and lower temperatures.

The typical seasonal lake temperature and density characteristics seen in dimictic lakes are described

below:

Summer. During the summer, the lake surface is warmed by the sun, while the lake bottom remains cold.

These differing temperatures affect lake water density, causing the water in deeper lakes to separate into

layers. This process of separation is called stratification. The figure on page 12 shows the following three

layers of a typical stratified lake:

■ The epilimnion is the upper layer. It is warm, well-mixed, and rich in dissolved oxygen.

■ The metalimnion is also called the thermocline region. The thermocline is the point of maximum temperature change within the metalimnion. In this layer, water temperature declines and density increases rapidly with depth. The drastic density change in this layer prevents the epilimnion and hypolimnion

from mixing.

■ The hypolimnion is the bottom layer of cold water. Because this layer is isolated from the atmosphere

and the epilimnion, it becomes anoxic (i.e., the water does not contain any dissolved oxygen). Anoxic

conditions can result in many events, including the release of phosphorus, a nutrient, from the lake bottom sediment into the hypolimnion. 

Stratified layers develop different physical and chemical characteristics, and support different types of

aquatic life. Lake stratification usually persists until the fall.

(continued on next page)

Figure showing the activities and characteristics of the types of lakes

studied through the Lake Access Project. (Taken from the Lake Access Web

site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecologyprim4.html).
Here are some questions to help determine if remote time-relevant monitoring is

appropriate to meet your monitoring objectives:

■ What types of questions about water quality would you like to

answer, and do you need time-relevant data to answer these questions? For example, do you want to know more about how rapid

events, such as urban or agricultural runoff from rainstorms, might

affect water quality in your area by stimulating algal blooms?

■ If you already have other water quality monitoring projects in place,

how would the addition of time-relevant data enhance them?

1 2 CHAPTER 3

Fall. As air temperatures cool in the fall, the water temperature in the epilimnion cools and water density

increases. Fall winds mix the lake to greater depths, and the thermocline deepens. Then, when the temperature and density of the epilimnion approach the temperature and density of the hypolimnion, fall

winds mix the entire lake. This mixing event is called a turnover. 

Winter. During the winter, the water temperature in the epilimnion cools even further, until a layer of ice

forms on the lake surface. Under the ice, the lake again stratifies. Winter stratification differs from summer

stratification because the temperature in the epilimnion is lower than that of the hypolimnion, which stays

at about 4°C throughout the winter. The stratification is also less stable than in the summer, because the

temperature and density differences between the layers is not large. Because the ice isolates the lake from

wind mixing, however, stratification usually persists throughout the winter. Anoxia occurs at the bottom of

most lakes during the winter.

Spring. During the spring, the water in the epilimnion is heated. As the temperature approaches 4°C, the

density increases. When the temperature and density of the epilimnion approach that of the hypolimnion,

very little wind energy is needed to mix the lake. After this turnover, the temperature and density of the

water in the epilimnion continue to increase until this layer becomes too warm and too buoyant to mix with

the lower layers.

Figure showing the three distinct layers of a typical stratified lake.

(Taken from the Lake Access Web site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecologyprim4.html).
For example, would the frequent review of time-relevant data allow you

to tailor your other monitoring projects to yield more representative

water quality data or conserve your organization's labor and analytical

resources?

■ How would your community or organization benefit from a time-relevant monitoring project? For example, would time-relevant data provide you with a better opportunity to communicate water quality issues

to your community?

Designing the Lake Access Project

The Lake Access Project team's decision to collect time-relevant water quality data

using RUSS units grew out of an interest to learn more about rapid, weather-related mixing events in Lake Minnetonka. To do so, Minnehaha Creek Watershed

District (MCWD) and Hennepin Parks required time-relevant water quality data

and the capability to collect these data remotely. The box on page 14 provides

more information on the design of the Lake Access Project.

3.3 Selecting Your Sampling Frequency

The sampling frequency you select for your remote time-relevant water quality

monitoring project depends upon your project's objectives. For example:

■ If you want to determine the effects of storm-related nonpoint sources

on water quality in your area, you could tailor your monitoring frequency to collect data during storm events.

■ If you want to study a water body affected by tidal flow, you could tailor your monitoring frequency to collect data during tidal events.

It is appropriate to experiment with different monitoring frequencies to optimize

your ability to fulfill your project's objectives.

Lake Access Project Monitoring Frequency

The Lake Access Project team typically programs its RUSS units to collect lake

profile samples four times daily. This monitoring frequency enables team members to observe short-term changes in lake stratification and water quality, and to

document day-to-night differences for the purpose of teaching basic and environmental science through the Water on the Web curriculum. In order to provide

a high-quality data set for understanding and managing the lakes, the data's accuracy needs to be certified. See the box on page 15 for more information.

The Lake Access Project team can adjust the RUSS unit monitoring frequency

from the land-base station. For example, to allow for a more detailed analysis of

rapid lake mixing, Lake Access team members can program the RUSS unit to collect samples at a greater frequency during severe storm or wind events.

With frequent review of the time-relevant data, the project team has been able to

tailor the frequency of its manual water quality monitoring projects to yield more

representative data. For example, the team can conduct manual monitoring in

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 1 3
Halsteds Bay immediately after documenting a rapid mixing event with time-relevant data. The team can then use the data collected through manual monitoring

to determine the effect of the mixing event on the lake.

3.4 Selecting Water Quality Parameters for 

Monitoring

Your selection of time-relevant monitoring parameters depends on your project's

objectives and on the remote time-relevant technologies available to you. To satisfy the objectives of the Lake Access Project, the project team chose to monitor

1 4 CHAPTER 3

Using Remote Time-Relevant Monitoring to Study Rapid Lake Mixing

The remote time-relevant monitoring conducted using RUSS units has provided the Lake Access Project

team with new opportunities for data collection and analysis.

During several years of water quality monitoring, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) and

Hennepin Parks personnel learned that water quality conditions in Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA)

lakes varied on an annual basis. Although MCWD and Hennepin Parks personnel weren't particularly surprised by this finding, they were quite surprised that the data showed no correlation between water quality in TCMA lakes and the characteristics of runoff from surrounding watersheds. Instead, the data showed

that mixing events occurring within TCMA lakes seemed to have a more significant impact on lake water

quality than the effect of watershed runoff.

In addition, water quality data collected from Lake Minnetonka during several summers showed highly

variable phosphorus concentrations at the lake bottom. Typically, lake-bottom phosphorus concentrations

increase steadily throughout the summer as decreased oxygen levels at the hypolimnion cause phosphorus to be released from bottom sediment. At first, MCWD and Hennepin Parks personnel assumed their

highly variable data were caused by sampling error. If they had accidentally hit the lake bottom during

manual sampling, they could have inadvertently collected sediment with high phosphorus concentrations.

However, several years of highly variable phosphorus data convinced them of the improbability of making

the same sampling mistake year after year!

MCWD and Hennepin Parks personnel began to suspect that weather events, such as strong winds or

storms, were causing rapid lake mixing events. They suspected these mixing events were similar to seasonal mixing that typically occurs in the spring and fall, but that these events were occurring very rapidly—

often in one or two days. As a result, the phosphorous concentration near the lake bottom decreased, and

the phosphorous concentration in the upper layer of the lake, where sunlight penetrates, increased, thereby promoting algae growth.

MCWD and Hennepin Parks personnel realized they could not test the validity of their theory using their

"traditional" methods for monitoring water quality for the following reasons:

■ Rapid lake mixing events typically occur during strong winds or storms. Field personnel could not collect manual water quality samples to document these rapid mixing events because of safety concerns

associated with working on lakes during severe weather.

■ Lake mixing events can occur rapidly, and algae growth can double in one day under prime conditions.

MCWD and Hennepin Parks could not provide the laboratory or analytical resources to conduct water

quality monitoring at the short intervals required to fully document these types of rapid events.

As you will read in this chapter, remote time-relevant monitoring has allowed the Lake Access Project team

to document and study rapid lake mixing events in Lake Minnetonka.
five basic water quality parameters on a time-relevant basis: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and turbidity.

The Lake Access Project team uses time-relevant measurements of temperature,

dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity as indicators of lake stratification

and rapid mixing events. When summer lake stratification is stable, parameter

measurements typically show the following:

■ Temperature at the lake surface is about 4° to 5° warmer than temperature at the lake bottom, and a thermocline region exists with a temperature gradient of greater than 1° C per meter.

■ Dissolved oxygen in the upper mixed layer is nearly saturated. Below

the thermocline, dissolved oxygen decreases very rapidly and most of

the hypolimnion is completely anoxic until fall overturn.

■ Electrical conductivity tends to be higher below the thermocline, and it

increases as the summer progresses due to the release of carbon dioxide

and other ions from decomposing organic matter.

Immediately after a rapid lake mixing event, time-relevant measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity are nearly identical at the

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 1 5

Data Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)

QA/QC procedures ensure that data are accurate, precise, and consistent. QA/QC involves following

established rules in the field and in the laboratory to ensure that samples are representative of the water

you are monitoring, free from contamination, and analyzed following standard procedures. (Chapter 4,

section 4.4, provides additional information on standard QA/QC analysis procedures used by the Lake

Access Project.)

The Lake Access Project uses two types of water quality data:

1. Time-relevant data collected with a YSI multiprobe water quality sensor controlled by the RUSS unit.

2. "Conventional" data collected by trained field staff, including manual measurements with a YSI multiprobe water quality sensor, as well as the collection of water samples analyzed at a laboratory.

Many state and federal monitoring projects use YSI multiprobe or similar water quality sensors. To ensure

the QA/QC of data collected with these sensors, the Lake Access Project team follows manufacturer's

instructions for sensor calibration and maintenance. (See Section 3.9 for more information on the calibration and maintenance procedures followed by the team.) To ensure the QA/QC of "conventional" data, the

Lake Access Project team follows guidelines set forth by the U.S. EPA and American Public Health

Association, in addition to those set forth by the Minnesota Department of Health. 

The team also has several years of experience identifying systematic errors associated with sensor deterioration, or biofouling, that occurs when algae, bacteria, and fungi grow on the sensor while it is continually submerged in water beneath the RUSS unit.

The Lake Access Web site provides more information about the team's QA/QC procedures 

at http://www.lakeaccess.org/QAQC.html. EPA's publication The Volunteer Monitor's 

Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans provides more information on QA/QC plans for monitoring 

projects. For more information on this guide, visit http://www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/monitoring/

volunteer/qappexec.htm.
lake surface and the lake bottom. In addition, the Lake Access Project team usually observes increased turbidity measurements in the lake's upper layer, where

sunlight penetrates as algae growth increases because of the additional phosphorus mixed into the upper layer. The project team will often collect manual samples for laboratory analyses of additional parameters immediately after a mixing

event to learn more about the effects of the event on the lake. 

The Lake Access Web site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/russ/ contains descriptions of time-relevant water quality parameters measured through the Lake Access

project and the significance of their measurements. The descriptions are briefly

summarized in the box on page 17.

3.5 Selecting Monitoring Equipment

Your selection of remote time-relevant water quality monitoring equipment

depends on your project's objectives. When selecting monitoring equipment,

you should also consider equipment lifetime, reliability, and maintenance

requirements.

Lake Access Equipment Selection

The Lake Access Team selected the RUSS unit to provide the capability to collect

time-relevant water quality data remotely. This capability has provided the Lake

Access Project team with new opportunities for data collection and analysis:

■ The daily collection of multiple depth profiles enables personnel to

view characteristics of lake stratification and metabolism on a daily

basis.

■ Because the remote equipment can collect and analyze water samples

over frequent time intervals and during severe weather conditions, the

Lake Access Project team can document lake mixing episodes. In some

instances, some bays of Lake Minnetonka can completely mix in a 24-

hour period. Scientists had discussed the potential for this type of rapid

1 6 CHAPTER 3

Making the Most of Your Time-Relevant Water Quality Data

Currently, your organization will find a limited number of cost-effective time-relevant monitoring technologies available. Also keep in mind that time-relevant data might not be as accurate, precise, or consistent

as "conventional" laboratory analytical data. You will want to carefully consider how your project will use

time-relevant data and make the most of the time-relevant monitoring parameters you select. 

In designing your program, think about how you could use time-relevant measurements of certain parameters as indicators of the phenomena you wish to document. For example, depending on your water body's

characteristics and the location of your monitoring equipment, you could use turbidity and dissolved oxygen measurements as indicators of an algae bloom. Then you could learn more about the bloom by conducting manual monitoring of parameters that might not currently be available to you on a cost-effective,

time-relevant basis (e.g., chlorophyll-a, phosphorus, nitrogen). Another example might involve using 

time-relevant measurements of turbidity and electrical conductivity to trace the influx of streams laden with

higher loads of particulate (as indicated by turbidity) and dissolved solids (as indicated by electrical

conductivity).
mixing to occur, and other organizations had attempted to document

these events by conducting monitoring on a daily basis, but Lake

Access is the first project to successfully measure and document this

phenomenon in Lake Minnetonka.

The RUSS unit, developed through a cooperative effort between Apprise

Technologies and the University of Minnesota, performs remote water quality

monitoring using commercially available monitoring sensors. The sensors

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 1 7

Lake Access Time-Relevant Water Quality Parameters

Temperature. Temperature has a direct effect on biological activity and the growth of aquatic organisms

because most aquatic organisms are "cold-blooded" (i.e., they cannot regulate their core body temperatures). Temperature also affects biological activity by influencing lake water chemistry. For example,

because warm water holds less oxygen than cold water, it might not contain enough oxygen to support

some types of aquatic life. 

pH. pH is a measure of the acidity of the water. A pH of 7 is neutral. Values lower than 7 are acidic and

higher than 7 are basic. Many important chemical and biological reactions are strongly affected by pH. In

turn, chemical reactions and biological processes (e.g., photosynthesis and respiration) can affect pH.

Lower pH values can increase the amount of dissolved metals in the water, increasing the toxicity of these

metals. 

Dissolved oxygen. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in water determines the number and type of

aquatic organisms that can live in the water. Dissolved oxygen must be present at adequate concentrations

to sustain these organisms.

Electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity is an estimator of the amount of total dissolved salts or total

dissolved ions in water. Many factors influence the electrical conductivity of lake water, including the watershed's geology, the watershed's size in relation to lake's size, wastewater from point sources, runoff from

nonpoint sources, atmospheric inputs, evaporation rates, and some types of bacterial metabolism.

Electrical conductivity is also a function of temperature; therefore, RUSS data are "standardized" to 25° C.

Turbidity. Turbidity describes the clarity of water. Turbidity increases as the amount of total suspended

solids in the water increases. Increased turbidity measurements might have several adverse effects on

lakes, including the following:

■ If light penetration is reduced significantly, growth of aquatic plants and organisms can decrease.

Reduced photosynthesis can result in decreased daytime releases of oxygen into the water.

■ Particles of silt, clay, and other organic materials can settle to the lake bottom, suffocate eggs and/or

newly hatched larvae, and fill in potential areas of habitat for aquatic organisms.

■ Turbidity can affect fish populations. Increased turbidity can reduce the ability of predators, such as

northern pike and muskellunge, to locate prey—shifting fish populations to species that feed at the lake

bottom.

■ Fine particulate material can affect aquatic organisms by clogging or damaging their sensitive gill structures, decreasing their resistance to disease, preventing proper egg and larval development, and potentially interfering with particle feeding activities.

■ Increased inputs of organic particles, either produced from plant growth in the lake or washed in from

the watershed, can deplete oxygen as the organic particles decompose.

■ Increased turbidity raises the cost of treating surface water for the drinking water supply.
transmit time-relevant water quality data to a computer onboard the unit. Using

wireless communication, the RUSS unit can both receive programming and

transmit data to a land-base station. 

The RUSS unit consists of a mobile underwater monitoring sensor tethered to a

module that floats on the water surface. The flotation module contains batteries;

solar panels; telemetry equipment; and a Remote Programming, Data

Acquisition, and Retrieval (RePDAR) unit. A diagram of the RUSS unit is presented on page 19. This diagram, which shows the flotation module, tethered profiler, and three-line unit anchoring system, was taken from the RUSS System

Manual. For more information about Apprise Technologies and the RUSS unit,

visit http://www.apprisetech.com.

RePDAR Unit. The RePDAR unit allows for remote water quality monitoring

sensor operation, data storage, and data transmission. Each RePDAR unit contains a central processing unit (CPU), power supply charging controls, and

telemetry modules enclosed in a watertight resin case. The RePDAR unit enables

the user to:

■ Collect, process, and store data at user-specified intervals.

■ Transmit data to the land-base station via wireless communication

systems, including cellular, radio, satellite, or 900 MHz.

■ Program the RUSS Unit from the land-base station.

■ Operate the RUSS Unit in the field with a portable computer.

■ Call the land-base station or an emergency telephone number when a

water quality monitoring sensor parameter exceeds a user-specified

range.

1 8 CHAPTER 3

The Lake Access Project: A Success Story

Prior to initiation of the Lake Access Project, a feasibility study was conducted to identify methods for improving Halsteds Bay's water quality. The study

concluded that a $5.5 million project focusing on watershed restoration

and improvement was necessary to accomplish this task. (This restoration

project was not implemented.) Since that study, the Lake Access Project has

shown that rapid weather-related mixing events cause the release of

approximately 10 times more phosphorus to the epilimnion than runoff

events from the surrounding watershed. The sediments are providing a

reservoir of phosphorus from historical pollution that will take decades to

flush out.

The Lake Access Project has provided valuable information—watershed

management alone will not improve the water quality of Twin Cities

Metropolitan Area lakes in all cases. With a greater understanding of the

characteristics and causes of phosphorus concentrations in these lakes, the

Lake Access Project team can apply appropriate lake management and

water treatment strategies to improve water quality, and apply them with a

much higher potential for success.
Flotation module. The flotation module is a yellow, three-armed, floating buoy.

Profiler. The RUSS unit profiler is controlled by the RePDAR unit. The profiler

carries the water quality monitoring sensor to multiple depths within the water

column beneath the flotation module. A special profiler cable transmits power

and buoyancy-control protocols from the RePDAR unit to the profiler and transmits data from the water quality monitoring sensor to the RePDAR unit.

An illustration of the profiler is presented on page 20.

Field controller. The field controller is used during the field service mode of operation. With the field controller, you can manually move the profiler and connect

a portable computer to the water quality monitoring sensor and the RePDAR

unit without removing the electronics hatch cover. The field controller consists of

a small patch box with a receptacle for the profiler cable and a connector plug for

the electronics hatch cover.

Software. The RUSS unit can be operated with two Apprise Technologies

software programs:

■ RUSS-Base, which allows you to operate the RUSS unit remotely using

a computer at your land-base station. (See Chapter 4 for information

about using RUSS-Base software.)

■ CONSOLE, which allows you to operate the RUSS unit using a

portable computer in the field.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 1 9

Flotation Module

Tethered Profiler

Three-Line Anchoring System

Diagram of RUSS unit, showing the flotation module, tethered profiler, and

three-line anchoring system. (Taken from the RUSS System Manual, available

from Apprise Technologies at http://www.apprisetech.com.)
3.6 Siting Monitors

You should select monitoring locations that best fulfill the objectives of your

remote time-relevant water quality monitoring project; however, you will need to

consider several factors when making your final siting decisions. Consider the

checklist of questions on page 21 when choosing your location:

Siting the Lake Access Project Monitoring Locations

The Lake Access Project team selected three locations for siting RUSS units:

■ Halsteds Bay in Lake Minnetonka, which receives runoff from a large

watershed of both agricultural and urban residential land use. Because

of nutrient loading from the runoff, the water quality in Halsteds Bay

is poor. Halsteds Bay is subject to rapid weather-related mixing during

the summer because of its relatively shallow depth (about 9-10 meters). 

■ West Upper Lake in Lake Minnetonka, which is much deeper than

Halsteds Bay and has much better water quality. This basin receives

runoff only from the area immediately adjacent to its shoreline. Because

it is deeper than Halsteds Bay and has lower algal growth, West Upper

Lake does not experience the same types of rapid weather-related mixing events.

2 0 CHAPTER 3

Main Rods

Dry Cylinder

Wet Cylinder Purge Valve

Ballast Rod

Ballast Weight

Top Plate

Screw Clamp

Wet Cylinder

Bottom Plate

RUSS unit profiler. (Taken from the RUSS System Manual, available from

Apprise Technologies at http://www.apprisetech.com.)
■ Lake Independence, which lies within the metropolitan region but

receives primarily agricultural runoff. The water quality conditions in

Lake Independence are intermediate to the conditions in Halsteds Bay

and West Upper Lake.

The map below shows the locations of these three monitoring stations.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 2 1

Monitoring Site-Selection Checklist

! Are the time-relevant data you collect at these locations likely to fulfill

your project's objectives? Specifically, what questions will you be able

to answer with your data, and how will the answers assist you with fulfilling your objectives?

! Will people in your community support equipment installation and

remote time-relevant monitoring at your locations? 

! Will monitoring equipment at your locations pose a potential danger

to the people in your community? For example, are your monitoring

locations near heavily trafficked areas of the water body?

! Will monitoring equipment be safe at your locations? In other words,

will equipment be especially susceptible to vandalism, tampering, or

damage?

! What local, state, or federal regulations will you need to consider when

choosing your locations?

! Is flexibility important to your project? Would you like the option to

move your monitoring equipment to different locations, or would you

like to monitor at several locations concurrently?

! Do you foresee any site-specific problems with installing, operating,

and maintaining your monitoring equipment at these locations? Do

these locations pose any safety hazards to your personnel? 

! Can you adequately survey and assess your locations? What equipment-specific considerations will you need to make? 
The Lake Access Team selected these three locations for the following reasons:

■ The team can study data spanning the range of water quality conditions typically seen in Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) lakes. 

■ MCWD conducts manual monitoring of the runoff to Halsteds Bay.

The combination of these data, historical watershed-based land use and

cultural data, and the Lake Access time-relevant water quality data from

Halsteds Bay allows MCWD to study the link between land use patterns and bay water quality.

■ Data from Halsteds Bay allow the Lake Access team to study the rapid

weather-related mixing events that transport phosphorus from the lake

bottom to the lake's upper layer.

■ By comparing data from Halsteds Bay and West Upper Lake, the Lake

Access team is able to determine how differences in lake basin shape

and depth can produce dramatic differences in lake water quality,

which in turn affect watershed and lake management decisions. 

Before making final siting decisions, the Lake Access Project team met with community members to ensure their approval of proposed monitoring locations. The

team decided against one proposed location because community members had

concerns that monitoring equipment might interfere with lake recreational

opportunities or adversely affect the lake's appearance.

The team also met with local agencies to ensure that the proposed monitoring

locations complied with local regulations. To comply with boater safety regulations, the Lake Access team could not locate RUSS units in main lake traffic areas.

As a result, the locations are closer to shore than the project team would have preferred. The Lake Access Project team was required to obtain navigational buoy

permits from the county-level sheriff's office before installing the RUSS units.

The team also considered siting requirements specific to the RUSS units. The

RUSS System Manual provides guidance on properly siting these units. Before

installation, the manual recommends a site characterization survey consisting of

the following:

■ Maximum depth measurement. You will need to make these measurements when installing the RUSS unit profiler. The manual recommends several depth measurements within a 6-meter radius of the

deployment location to account for local depth variations. If the water

body you are monitoring fluctuates in depth, you must update the

maximum depth in the profiler program. The profiler will sustain damage from repeated contact with the bottom of the water body.

■ Depth contour assessment. Depth contour measurements will assist you

with deploying the RUSS unit anchoring system. The manual recommends depth measurements in concentric circles surrounding the

deployment location to generate a rough contour map of the anchoring

site.

2 2 CHAPTER 3
■ Bottom type assessment. You might need to assess the material at the

bottom of the water body to ensure proper anchoring of the RUSS

unit. Different types of anchor designs are available for different bottom types.

■ Signal strength assessment for the data telemetry device. You will need

to ensure that cellular signal strength is reliable or radio telemetry is

possible at the location.

■ Temporary site marking. You should mark the assessed location to

ensure that the RUSS unit is deployed in the proper location.

3.7 Installing RUSS Units

This section summarizes some of the basic RUSS unit installation procedures.

These procedures were taken from the RUSS System Manual, available from

Apprise Technologies at http://www.apprisetech.com. You will need to consult

this manual for detailed step-by-step installation guidance.

Unpacking and inspecting the RUSS unit

The first step to installing a RUSS unit is unpacking and inspecting the unit. You

should follow these procedures when receiving the unit:

1. Remove the packing material surrounding the flotation module. Take

care when removing the packing material, as some items might have

shifted during shipment.

2. Remove the solar panels and solar panel blank (if included) from each

arm of the flotation module.

3. Remove the electronics hatch cover to access the dry compartment

inside one arm of the flotation module, and remove all items located in

the compartment.

4. Using the enclosed packing slip, perform an inventory of all items. If

you are missing any items, contact Apprise Technologies. 

5. Conduct a thorough visual inspection of all items. If you observe any

damage, contact Apprise Technologies and the carrier.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 2 3

The Lake Access Project: Looking Ahead

Hennepin Parks would like to conduct future remote time-relevant monitoring with a RUSS unit in a shallow area of Lake Minnetonka where boating

occurs. Lake Minnetonka is one of the most heavily used lakes for boating

in the United States. Hennepin Parks would use the time-relevant data to

study the magnitude at which boat traffic stirs up bottom sediments and the

impact these events have on the lake's water quality. If data indicate that

boat traffic adversely affects lake water quality, Hennepin Parks would

advocate no-wake zones in near-shore areas to maintain ecosystem health.
Preparing and assembling the RUSS units

You will need to conduct a series of preparation and assembly activities on land,

on shore, and at the RUSS unit deployment location. Complete the following

activities on land:

■ Ensure your battery(ies) is charged.

■ Assemble and connect the arms of the flotation module.

■ Install the light and antenna.

■ Attach the barrier float anchoring cables.

■ Secure an appropriately sized line for towing the unit to the deployment site.

■ Calibrate your water quality monitoring sensor according to manufacturer's instructions.

■ Install the Apprise Technologies RUSS-Base software program on your

land-base station computer.

■ Install the Apprise Technologies CONSOLE software program on your

field portable computer.

Once you have completed the on-land assembly of the RUSS unit, you will need

to transport it to a shore-side location suitable for working on the unit. Complete

the following activities on shore:

■ Position your battery(ies) and the RePDAR unit within the dry compartment.

■ Position and connect the two solar panels.

■ Assemble the electrical system.

■ Connect the RePDAR unit to the electrical system.

■ Connect the profiler.

■ Place the unit in the field service mode of operation and perform electrical testing. For more information on the field service mode of operation, see section 3.8.

When you have completed your electrical tests, you should disconnect the profiler and field controller and install your remaining solar panel or solar panel blank

on the arm with the dry compartment. You are now ready to tow the RUSS unit

to your monitoring location. When you tow the unit, take the water quality monitoring sensor, the profiler (with its ballast weights), and the field controller with

you in the boat.

Anchoring the RUSS unit

When you reach the deployment location, you will anchor your RUSS unit. Your

anchoring system must meet the following requirements:

2 4 CHAPTER 3
■ The system must maintain the flotation module in a fixed location and

prevent excessive drifting.

■ Anchoring lines must maintain proper tension in all water conditions.

■ Anchoring lines should not enter the water column below the flotation

module (i.e., the working area of the profiler).

Apprise Technologies recommends a three-line anchoring system to provide

dynamic control of the flotation module while maintaining proper orientation at

the deployment location. A diagram of the recommended anchoring system's

components is presented below.

Each anchoring line of the recommended system contains the following

components:

■ Barrier float anchoring cable—A 5-foot stainless steel cable of 3/16-

inch diameter or greater connecting the flotation module to the barrier

float.

■ Barrier float—A small flotation buoy connecting the barrier float

anchoring cable and the variable buoyancy anchoring cable. The three

barrier float buoys (one on each line) can be essential for locating the

RUSS unit during rough wave conditions.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 2 5

Variable Buoyancy Anchoring Cable

Flotation Module

Area of Operation

of the

Profiler

Terminus

Anchor

Terminus Anchoring Cable

Variable Buoyancy Anchor

Barrier Float Anchor Cable

Diagram of the recommended anchoring system components (only one of the three lines is illustrated).

(Taken from the RUSS System Manual, available from Apprise Technologies at http://www.apprisetech.com.)
■ Variable buoyancy anchoring cable—A cable connecting the barrier

float to the variable buoyancy anchor.

■ Variable buoyancy anchor—Located between the barrier float and the

terminus anchor. The variable buoyancy anchor provides tension in

both the variable buoyancy anchoring cable and the terminus anchoring cable.

■ Terminus anchoring cable—A cable connecting the variable buoyancy

anchor to the terminus anchor.

■ Terminus anchor—A device used to fix the end of the terminus anchoring cable to the bottom of the water body. The type of terminus anchor

you use depends on the type of material at the bottom of the water

body. As part of the survey and assessment of the monitoring location

you conduct before installation and deployment, you determine this

type of material and select a suitable anchor.

Deploying the profiler

When your RUSS unit is anchored, you will connect your water quality monitoring sensor to the profiler and deploy the profiler by following these general

steps:

1. Measure the length of profiler cable to match the maximum depth of

the deployment site plus two meters. As part of your survey and assessment of the monitoring location before installation and deployment,

you will have determined the maximum depth. If the water body fluctuates in depth, you must update the maximum depth in the profiler

program. The profiler will sustain damage from repeated contact with

the bottom of the water body.

2 6 CHAPTER 3

Anchoring the Lake Access Project RUSS Units

The Lake Access Project team experienced difficulty with its RUSS unit

anchoring system during the first year the units were deployed. The system

allowed the RUSS units to drift, and the anchoring lines tangled with one

another and with the profiler unit. In addition, the terminus anchors were

too heavy to move by hand, so field personnel had to use a barge and

crane to move and retrieve them. As a solution, the team installed a threeline anchoring system.

The Lake Access Project team is pleased with the current recommended

three-line anchoring system. RUSS unit drifting has been minimized. The

anchor lines remain tense and have not tangled with one another or interfered with the profiler operation. In addition, the terminus anchors are sized

so team members can move them by hand. The Lake Access Project team

has also replaced the steel anchoring cables with suitably sized rope

because personnel have cut their hands on the steel cables while moving

the anchors.
2. Connect the profiler cable to the profiler and the electrical system.

3. Fill the profiler's wet cylinder with water and place ballast weights on

the ballasting rods to achieve zero profiler buoyancy and vertical suspension.

4. Place the unit in the field service mode of operation and test the profiler movement. For more information on the field service mode of operation, see section 3.8.

Once your profiler testing is complete, your RUSS unit is ready for operation!

3.8 Operating RUSS Units

Although RUSS units are designed for remote operation from a land-base station,

you can also operate them in the field. (See Chapter 4, section 4.2, for more information about communicating with your RUSS unit from the land-base station.)

This section summarizes the basic procedures for operating your RUSS unit in

field service mode. These procedures were taken from the RUSS System Manual,

available from Apprise Technologies at http://www.apprisetech.com. You 

will need to consult this manual for detailed step-by-step field service operation

guidance. 

Field service operation

The RUSS unit's field service mode of operation allows you to monitor the unit

during deployment and in emergency situations. You will need the following

equipment to operate your RUSS unit in field service mode:

■ The key to the RUSS unit's electronics hatch cover

■ The field controller

■ A portable computer running Apprise Technologies CONSOLE

software

■ A null-modem computer cable

Follow these steps to enter the field service mode of operation:

1. Connect the field controller to the RePDAR unit.

2. With the null-modem cable, connect your portable computer to the

field controller.

3. Set the field controller rotary switches to enable communication

between the RePDAR unit and your portable computer, and to enable

automatic movement of the profiler.

4. Turn the electronics hatch cover key to SERVICE to provide power to

the RePDAR unit.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 2 7
Your portable computer, with the CONSOLE software running, will act as your

window to the RePDAR unit. Shortly after you provide power to the RePDAR

unit, it will initialize. You will notice a 10-second pause after the initialization.

You have two options during this pause:

Option 1. If you need to perform an emergency download of data in the

RePDAR unit's memory, you can press M during the pause.

(You will not need a password for this emergency download,

but you will need to send the binary data file to Apprise

Technologies or an authorized service site to have the file converted to standard format.)

Option 2. You can press L to log in during the pause. If you do not provide a password, you will be able to perform only deployment

and hardware setup functions. If you enter the Level 1 password, you will have access to stored data. If you enter the

Level 2 password, you will be able to make changes to the

profiler and telemetry setup. If you do not log in during the

pause, the software will prompt you for the appropriate password when you try to access any protected information.

After the 10-second pause, the RePDAR unit will enter the Main Setup menu. In

this menu, you can access, review, and enter the following information:

■ Current time and date

■ Profiler schedule and depth

■ Water quality monitoring sensor type

■ RS-232 baud rate

■ Modem baud rate and initialization strings

■ RUSS unit call sign and location

■ Data access and programming passwords

Under the main menu's Data Access option, press A to see a screen display of the

stored data. As you view this display, the CONSOLE software will automatically

capture these data to a file identified by the RUSS unit's call sign.

Under the main menu's Proceed to Hardware Init option, you can initialize the

RUSS unit hardware according to the configuration you selected. When the initialization is complete, you will see a brief status report for each RUSS unit subsystem (e.g., the profiler, the water quality monitoring sensor, the modem) on

your portable computer screen. The status report screen will allow you to do the

following:

■ View the programmed configuration, including the time, date, and the

RUSS unit's call sign and location.

■ View the battery voltage.

2 8 CHAPTER 3
■ View the results of the RePDAR unit's attempts to establish a link with

the water quality monitoring sensor.

■ Test profiler operation by pressing (P)ark, (S)tart profile, or (H)alt.

■ View modem information and test commands.

■ Test the modem link quality by calling a preprogrammed telephone

number. You will be able to view a modem status message of the call's

progress.

Setting up the water quality monitoring sensor

In addition to properly calibrating your water quality monitoring sensor according to manufacturer's instructions, you will need to take the following steps to

ensure your equipment operates properly:

■ In the RUSS unit field mode of operation, confirm the programmed

water quality monitoring sensor type and proper units of measurement

and ensure that sensor operation is enabled.

■ You should set the interval between sampling to a minimum of 3 seconds to ensure reliable profiler operation.

■ Water quality monitoring sensors usually have two distinct modes of

operation: the menu system is used for calibration and setup, and the

data string mode is used during monitoring. You will need to make

sure your sensor is in the proper operation mode.

Lake Access Project RUSS unit operation

The Lake Access Project team programs its RUSS units to collect sample profiles

at 1-meter intervals four times daily. Profiles begin at the lake surface at 12:00

p.m., 6:00 p.m., 12:00 a.m., and 6:00 a.m. Data are typically transferred to the

land-base station each morning.

Apprise Technologies has altered the internal program for the Lake Access Project

RUSS units to allow for a 5-minute delay between profiler movement and sample collection. This delay allows the YSI multiprobe water quality sensor to equilibrate to the different water temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions at each

depth. Once the sensor has equilibrated, parameter measurement takes about 3

minutes.

When the sampling profile is complete, the profiler parks at a depth programmed

by the Lake Access Project team. Parking depth is selected to place the sensor in

the area of lowest light without placing it in the anoxic water layer.

3.9 Maintaining RUSS Units

You will likely focus most of your scheduled equipment maintenance on cleaning

and calibrating your water quality monitoring sensors to meet your project's

QA/QC protocols. The required effort and frequency for this maintenance will

depend on the types of sensors you use and the water quality conditions at your

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 2 9
monitoring locations. In addition to water quality monitoring sensor cleaning

and calibration, you might need to perform scheduled maintenance on your

RUSS unit. Required maintenance will depend on factors specific to your project, your community, and your monitoring locations.

Lake Access Project Maintenance Activities

Lake Access Project maintenance activities include cleaning and calibrating the

YSI multiprobe water quality sensors, maintaining a RUSS-unit bird deterrent

system, removing the RUSS units during lake freezing and thawing conditions,

reinstalling the units following these conditions, and repairing damaged or vandalized RUSS units.

Monitoring sensor maintenance and calibration

The Lake Access Project team cleans and calibrates the YSI multiprobe water

quality sensors on the three RUSS units every 1 to 4 weeks. The accuracy and precision of data derived from water quality monitoring instruments depend on

sound instrument calibration procedures. (Accuracy is the extent to which measurements represent their corresponding actual values, and precision is a measurement of the variability observed upon duplicate collection or repeated analysis.) 

Sensor cleaning and calibration is a multistep activity that begins with the following steps: 

1. Traveling to the monitoring location.

2. Collecting a manual water quality profile near the unit using a YSI

multiprobe water quality sensor identical to the one used on the RUSS

unit.

3. Placing the RUSS unit in the field service mode of operation and manually moving the profiler to collect a water quality profile.

4. Manually moving the RUSS profiler to the surface.

5. Removing the sensor from the profiler and manually moving the profiler to its parking depth.

6. Transporting the sensor to the laboratory.

At the laboratory, a set of known parameter standards are measured with the sensor. By comparing these sensor measurements with the known standards and by

comparing the two manual water quality measurements taken in the field, the

Lake Access Project team can more accurately estimate the amount of error associated with recent sensor measurements and determine the quality of recently collected data.

Lake Access Project personnel clean, calibrate, and inspect the multiprobe sensors

according to detailed instructions provided by YSI. The sensors are carefully and

thoroughly cleaned to remove algae and other organisms that cause sensor

3 0 CHAPTER 3
biofouling. The pH, conductivity, and turbidity meters are calibrated against

known standard solutions. To ensure accurate calibration, the team selected these

standards in ranges at which the parameters are typically detected in the field. The

temperature meter is calibrated against the temperature in the laboratory. The dissolved oxygen meter is calibrated using a YSI calibration cup. The depth probe is

calibrated out of water to a depth of zero.

"Tip. Although cleaning and calibration activities can occur in the field,

Lake Access Project personnel prefer to calibrate the monitoring

sensors within the laboratory's controlled environment. Because of

temperature changes in the field, the sensors can take a long time

to equilibrate—even if they are submerged in a bucket of water.

Overall, the Lake Access Team has found that the entire cleaning

and calibration activity takes longer in the field than in the

laboratory.

Lake Access personnel complete the cleaning and calibration activity by:

1. Traveling to the monitoring location.

2. Placing the unit in the field service mode of operation and manually

moving the profiler to the surface.

3. Connecting the sensor to the profiler, placing the RePDAR unit in the

ON position, and removing the key to the electronics hatch cover.

When the key is removed, the RePDAR unit will move the profiler to

its parking position and resume normal RUSS unit operation.

Lake Access Project personnel are able to complete sensor cleaning and calibration

activities on the three RUSS units on Lake Minnetonka and Lake Independence

in 1 day, unless a sensor component requires repair or replacement.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 3 1

Resolving Calibration Issues

Because of water quality conditions in Lake Minnetonka and Lake Independence, the Lake Access Project

team has had some difficulty maintaining the calibration of the units’ dissolved oxygen meters. During

summer months, the team noticed significant errors in dissolved oxygen measurements. Sometimes the

team had to calibrate the dissolved oxygen meters every 7 to 10 days. 

The Lake Access Project team had typically parked the RUSS unit profilers at 5 meters deep—below the

sunlit layer of the lake—to reduce the rate of algae growth and subsequent biofouling of the sensors. Lake

stratification can make Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) lakes anoxic below 3 meters deep. In the

anoxic area, the level of hydrogen sulfide in the water increases. Lake Access team members began to suspect that the hydrogen sulfide in the anoxic zone was reacting with the potassium chloride in the dissolved

oxygen probe, causing the calibration to rapidly decay. The team raised the profiler parking depth to 3

meters—out of the anoxic zone, but still deep enough to reduce the rate of sensor biofouling during the

summer months. 

During the winter, the Lake Access Project team typically reprograms the profilers to park at 5 meters deep

because, during these months, this level of the lake is dark but remains well oxygenated.
Bird deterrence

Some birds love to land on RUSS units! So many birds landed on the Lake Access

Project units that guano covered the solar panels, preventing adequate battery

charging. Team members sometimes had to clean the solar panels daily. 

To prevent this nuisance and ensure adequate battery charging, the Lake Access

Project team experimented with bird deterrent systems. First, the team placed

coiled wires over the solar panels. Although the wires stopped birds from landing

on the solar panels, they prevented field personnel from working comfortably

with the RUSS units. The team replaced the coiled wires with chicken-wire covers that fit over the solar panels. The chicken wire is easier to handle and keeps

birds off the panels just as well.

Lake freezing and thawing conditions

The Lake Access team temporarily removes its units from the lakes during freezing conditions in the late fall and thawing conditions in the early spring because

the units could be severely damaged if left on the ice during these conditions.

Freezing conditions. Just prior to lake freezing conditions, the team removes the

RUSS units from the lakes. The team retrieves all portions of each unit (including the buoys, anchors, and anchoring lines), brings the profiler to the surface and

detaches it, and tows the unit to shore. The RUSS units are stored intact in a large

shed. When the lakes have frozen over, the project team erects an ice house at each

monitoring location. The team does not use the RUSS unit flotation module during the winter months. The solar panels are mounted on top of the ice shed,

which is oriented to allow for maximum solar exposure and angled to minimize

snow accumulation. The RePDAR unit and batteries are stored inside the ice

shed, and the profiler is deployed through a hole in the ice.

Thawing conditions. Just prior to lake thawing conditions, the Lake Access Project

team removes the icehouses and the RUSS unit components. During winter monitoring, the ice hole cut for the profiler freezes around the cable. Although the ice

does not adversely affect the operation of the profiler, personnel have to chip

through the ice to remove the cable and the profiler. When the lakes have thawed

completely, the project team redeploys the complete RUSS units at the monitoring locations. 

3.10 Other Local Monitoring Efforts

This section provides information about additional water quality monitoring

efforts being conducted in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed and Hennepin Parks

district. Minnesota researchers and natural resource managers are conducting

these projects to learn more about the characteristics of Twin Cities Metropolitan

Area (TCMA) lakes, detect water quality trends and recreational use impairments,

develop lake management strategies and determine their effectiveness, and ensure

the safety and health of lake users. Some of these monitoring methods might help

satisfy your community's water quality monitoring objectives. For example, there

may be times when you are unable to conduct remote time-relevant monitoring

(e.g., due to equipment malfunction; during lake freezing and thawing condi3 2 CHAPTER 3
tions; when remote time-relevant monitoring technology is not available for a

particular location or analytical parameter; or when required resources are insufficient). In these instances, you could use the data collection methods described

in these projects to supplement time-relevant data.

Specific monitoring efforts conducted by Minneapolis community lake management and research organizations include:

■ Monitoring for water quality trends

■ Nutrient budget monitoring

■ Health and safety monitoring

■ Project-specific monitoring

Monitoring for Water Quality Trends

For more than 5 years, MCWD and Hennepin Parks have conducted water quality monitoring on approximately 15 lakes throughout the two districts and on

nearly 20 bays in Lake Minnetonka. By measuring four water quality parameters

(chlorophyll-a, total and soluble reactive phosphorous, and nitrogen), MCWD

and Hennepin Parks personnel can determine how changes in lake nutrient concentrations affect the growth of algae and how the growth of algae affects lake

water quality:

■ Chlorophyll-a measurements show how much algae is present in the

water. 

■ Total and soluble reactive (i.e., dissolved) phosphorus measurements

indicate the amount of phosphorus available for algae growth. Very little phosphorus is needed to dramatically change lake water quality; one

pound of phosphorus entering a lake from the surrounding watershed

can grow 300 to 500 pounds of algae in the lake.

■ The relationship between the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in a

lake can help personnel determine whether phosphorous or nitrogen is

the limiting nutrient for algae growth.

Collectively, MCWD and Hennepin Parks staff use these data to detect water

quality trends. These trends can indicate if impacts such as recreational use or

urbanization are impairing water quality, or if management initiatives such as

public education or stream, lake, and wetland restoration are leading to improved

water quality.

MCWD and Hennepin Parks staff travel to each monitoring location biweekly to

collect water quality samples. Before collecting samples, personnel determine

Secchi disk depth (see the box on page 34) and use a YSI multiprobe water quality sensor to gather time-relevant data on temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen,

electrical conductivity, and depth in a profile of 1-meter intervals from the surface to the bottom of the lake. Personnel use these data in the field to determine

the water depth and locate the lake's thermocline.

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 3 3
Staff collect a 2-meter surface composite sample, a grab sample at the thermocline

depth, and a grab sample one-half meter from the bottom. The table below summarizes the purposes and techniques for collecting these types of samples.

e

Nutrient Budget Monitoring

Each year, MCWD and Hennepin Parks conduct nutrient budget monitoring in

two to three streams that feed Lake Minnetonka. This type of monitoring

includes analyses for the following parameters:

■ Total phosphorus

■ Total nitrogen

■ Total suspended solids

■ Total solids

■ Soluble reactive phosphorus

■ Ammonia 

■ Nitrate

■ Temperature

■ pH

■ Electrical conductivity

3 4 CHAPTER 3

What is a Secchi Disk?

A Secchi disk is a tool used to measure the water's clarity. It is a weighted,

round metal plate about 8 to 12 inches in diameter with an alternating

black-and-white pattern like the one shown below.

Field personnel lower the disk into shaded water (because sunlight can

affect the measurement) until it is no longer visible. Then they raise the disk

until it is barely visible. The average of these two depths is the Secchi disk

depth, which provides a measure of the water's clarity or transparency.

(For more information on Secchi disks, see the Lake Access Web site at

http://www.lakeaccess.org/russ/index.html.
By measuring these parameters, MCWD and Hennepin Parks can characterize

total annual nutrient loading from the monitored stream into a lake.

Total phosphorus and total nitrogen measurements indicate the amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen—in particulate and dissolved forms—that enter the lake

from the inflow stream.

Measurements of total solids and total suspended solids help MCWD and

Hennepin Parks determine the amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen that exist in

particulate form. Best management practices (BMPs) such as sediment detention

ponds or constructed wetlands are typically designed to remove nutrients in particulate form. 

The soluble reactive phosphorus measurement indicates the amount of phosphorus dissolved in the water. The nitrate and ammonia measurements describe the

major forms of nitrogen available to algae that are present in the water. These

measurements are important because they indicate how much phosphorus and

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 3 5

Sample Type Purpose Collection Technique

Two-meter

surface

composite

This type of sample represents the

strata of biological activity (e.g.,

algae growth) in the lake's upper

layer, where sunlight penetrates.

MCWD and Hennepin Parks collect 2-

meter surface columns because sunlight typically penetrates the upper 2

meters of TCMA lakes. This is also the

standard surface water sampling protocol used by the Minnesota Pollution

Control Agency.

Samples are collected using a PVC pipe 3

inches in diameter and 2 meters long. Field

personnel submerge this pipe vertically to

collect a column of water from the upper 2

meters of the water body. Each composite

sample is brought to the surface, poured

into a composite container, mixed, and

divided into subsamples for laboratory

analyses. 

Thermocline

grab

A lake thermocline typically deepens

during the summer as the upper,

wind-mixed layer of the lake (the

epilimnion) rises in temperature. The

thermocline grab sample indicates

how much phosphorus will be available to algae if storms mix the lake

below the thermocline depth.

Using a rope, personnel lower a special

sampling device (typically a Van Dorn or

Kemmerer water bottle) to the thermocline

depth. The sampling device consists of a

tube with spring-loaded closures on each

end. When the device has reached the thermocline depth, personnel send a weight

(called a messenger) down the rope. When

this weight contacts the sampling device, the

spring-loaded closures seal both ends of the

tube. The grab sample is brought to the

surface and divided into subsamples for laboratory analyses. 

Bottom grab This sample indicates how much

phosphorus is located at the lake bottom (and how much phosphorus

would be available to algae if the

lake were to mix completely).

Field personnel collect the bottom grab by

lowering the same type of sampling device

used for the thermocline grab to a depth of

one-half meter from the bottom. The grab

sample is brought to the surface and divided into subsamples for laboratory analyses.
nitrogen are present in the forms most available for algal growth and most difficult to remove by BMPs.

Temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity measurements further describe

water quality of the inflow stream. (See Section 3.4 for more information about

monitoring for these parameters.)

To conduct nutrient budget monitoring, field personnel install automated flow

meters on lake inflow streams to measure and electronically log flow. Automatic

samplers are linked to the flow meters to collect flow-weighted composite samples. Composite samples are made up of individual volumes collected over time.

At a predetermined stream-flow interval, the flow meter sends a signal to the sampler to collect each volume of the composite sample. At the conclusion of the

composite period (which typically spans a storm event, plus one hour), field personnel retrieve, mix, and divide composite samples into subsamples for analysis at

the Hennepin Parks water quality laboratory. 

Health and Safety Monitoring at Swimming Beaches

Hennepin Parks manages nine swimming beaches. At three of these beaches,

Hennepin Parks uses rubber beach curtains that encompass 1 to 1.5 acres of lake

area for swimmers and restrict water movement between the swimming area and

the lake. These curtains reduce the volume of lake water Hennepin Parks must

manage for swimmers. For example, algae blooms can be quite severe on some

lakes, but Hennepin Parks has several options for managing blooms within beach

curtains. These include pumping fresh water into the swimming area, using fountains to prevent buildup of algae scum on the water surface, and applying aluminum sulfates (alum) to remove phosphorous and algae within the swimming

area. 

During the swimming season, personnel monitor swimming waters to ensure they

are safe for the public. Lifeguards determine the Secchi disk depth of swimming

waters three times daily. By comparing Secchi disk depths in water within the

beach curtain to water outside the curtain, Hennepin Parks can demonstrate that

the beach curtains provide the public a better swimming experience.

Hennepin Parks monitors recreational waters for fecal coliform bacteria weekly.

Samples are analyzed at the Hennepin Parks water quality laboratory. Hennepin

Parks adheres to national and state guidelines to maintain fecal coliform counts

lower than 200 colonies per every 100 mL of water. Studies have shown that the

probability of human health risk is minimal if fecal coliform counts are kept

below this level. When Hennepin Parks personnel detect coliform levels greater

than the guideline level, they immediately analyze a water sample for the bacterium E. coli. This tells personnel what percentage of fecal coliform can actually

pose a health risk to swimmers. Fecal coliform bacteria data are posted weekly the

Web at http://www.hennepinparks.org.

3 6 CHAPTER 3
Project-Specific Water Quality Monitoring

MCWD and Hennepin Parks also conduct water quality monitoring on projectspecific bases. A few examples of these projects are described below. 

Monitoring Sediment Detention Pond Effectiveness. When one district lake's water

quality began to decline, Hennepin Parks monitored the effectiveness of a sediment detention pond designed to remove nutrients from the lake's inflow stream.

Hennepin Parks personnel suspected the sediment detention pond had filled with

too much sediment to remain effective. To confirm this suspicion, personnel used

the nutrient budget monitoring method to measure flow and collect samples at

monitoring locations located upstream and downstream of the sediment detention pond. By comparing the parameters measured at each monitoring location,

Hennepin Parks determined that the sediment detention pond was not effectively removing nutrients from the inflow stream. The pond was dredged of excess

sediment, and Hennepin Parks conducted additional monitoring to ensure that

the dredging increased the pond's effectiveness.

Lawn Fertilizer Runoff Study. Hennepin Parks conducted a series of lawn fertilizer runoff studies. To determine the number of lawns requiring phosphorus fertilizer, Hennepin Parks collected and analyzed soil samples from approximately 200

suburban lawns. Although most suburban home owners use fertilizers with phosphorus, Hennepin Parks found that only about 15 percent of the lawns actually

required the addition of phosphorus for healthy turf. 

WATER QUALITY MONITORING 3 7

Making Lake Waters Safe for Swimmers

Hennepin Parks personnel take immediate action to reduce fecal coliform levels when they exceed the

guideline level for human health and safety. Typically, high fecal coliform levels in Twin Cities Metropolitan

Area lakes can be directly attributed to local goose populations. Each morning, lifeguards patrol the

beaches with strainers to remove goose droppings. If a few geese have become particularly fond of a

swimming beach, lifeguards attempt to chase the geese away. If a large number of geese descend upon

a swimming beach, Hennepin Parks uses a border collie service to herd the geese off the beach.

When fecal coliform sources have been minimized, Hennepin Parks treats the swimming water, if necessary. Personnel have used the following strategies to lower the fecal coliform level in swimming waters:

■ Flushing the swimming area within the beach curtain with city drinking water, which contains a small

amount of chlorine for disinfection.

■ Flushing the swimming area with fresh ground water.

■ Raising sections of the beach curtain at deep swimming sites to pull in lake water to flush the swimming

area. Lake water is pulled from the bottom to minimize the amount of algae and swimmer's itch organisms pulled into the swimming area.

■ Because fecal coliform bacteria are typically associated with solids, using small amounts of aluminum

sulfate to settle any solid material in the swimming area can reduce health risks. 

If every available strategy has been used and fecal coliform levels are still above the guideline for 2 to 3

consecutive days, Hennepin Parks closes the beach until the waters reach safe levels again.
Using sampling devices designed by the U.S. Geological Survey, Hennepin Parks

monitored runoff from about 30 suburban lawns, some of which were fertilized

and some of which were not. Each sampling device consisted of two 5-foot long,

1-inch diameter PVC pipes with slits cut lengthwise. These pipes were placed horizontally on each lawn to form a "V" pointing down the lawn's slope toward its

storm water drainage area. Where the pipes met, personnel attached a cup and

placed an 8-inch long, 6-inch diameter PVC pipe (vertically) into the cup. In this

pipe, personnel placed a sample bottle. During a rainfall event, runoff water

flowed into the slits, through the "V" pipes, and into the sample bottle.

Because most of the monitored lawns were small and because most district rain

events are brief, the samplers typically collected all runoff from each rainfall event.

By comparing the concentrations of phosphorus measured in the runoff from fertilized and unfertilized lawns, personnel determined that much of the phosphorus fertilizer applied to the lawns not needing additional fertilizer runs off. 

Golf Course Runoff Study. To determine the characteristics of runoff that TCMA

lakes typically receive from golf courses, Hennepin Parks conducted runoff studies using the nutrient budget monitoring method. In addition to these parameters, personnel also analyzed samples for any pesticides and fungicides used by the

golf course. 

Hennepin Parks and many community golf courses are cooperating to help

improve the quality of local lakes. During the past several years, district golf

courses have saved money, maintained suitable turf, and improved the quality of

runoff water to TCMA lakes by using the following management strategies:

■ Reducing the use of all fertilizers, especially those containing

phosphorus.

■ Reducing the use of pesticides and fungicides by eliminating preventative treatments. District courses now use these agents to treat only

problem areas.

3 8 CHAPTER 3
WATER QUALITY MONITORING 3 9

Using Monitoring to Help Meet Lake Water Quality Goals

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) conducts a variety of water quality monitoring projects

in Minneapolis lakes. The MPRB undertakes some of this monitoring to measure progress toward meeting

water quality goals set by the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Citizen Committee. In 1993, the Committee

developed water quality goals for Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Cedar Lake, and Lake of the Isles. The

Committee hopes, over the long term, to restore the water quality of these lakes to conditions as close as

possible to those that existed before urbanization. To achieve its goals, the Committee has recommended

reducing in-lake phosphorus concentrations and managing influent pollutant loads to each lake with a

unique scheme of in-lake manipulations and watershed best management practices (BMPs). The MPRB

uses monitoring data to measure changes in water quality and evaluate the effectiveness of the BMPs used.

The MPRB also conducts monitoring in other Minneapolis lakes to measure long-term water quality trends,

establish water quality goals and lake management plans, and compare the water quality trends in these

lakes with trends measured in the Chain of Lakes.

Lake Water Quality Monitoring

The Environmental Operations Section of the MPRB conducts long-term water quality monitoring in

Minneapolis lakes. The MPRB plans to conduct this type of monitoring for about three to five years to ensure

that water quality changes in city lakes are not masked by annual variations in weather patterns. The longterm monitoring program includes analyses for the following parameters:

The MPRB selected these parameters to allow for a detailed characterization of the in-lake processes that

affect water quality. The MPRB's year-round sampling frequency increases during the lake growing season

(May through September), when in-lake conditions are rapidly changing.

Field personnel from the MPRB's Environmental Operations section conduct water quality monitoring at the

deepest point of each lake. These points are determined using bathymetric maps and located using shoreline landmarks and depth sounding equipment. 

At each monitoring location, field personnel use a Hydrolab© sensor to conduct field measurements of dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and temperature at 1-meter intervals through a vertical column of water.

Field crews also collect manual samples for total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, and soluble

reactive phosphorus at predetermined intervals in the water column. Personnel collect zooplankton samples by hauling a net vertically through the water column at a rate of 1 meter per second and washing the

net with distilled water to remove the contents for preservation and analysis. Surface composite samples

for all other parameters are collected in a column of water from the upper two meters of the lake.

Personnel also determine Secchi disk depth and perform a survey of vascular plants during sampling.

(continued on next page)

■ Dissolved oxygen

■ pH

■ Conductivity

■ Temperature

■ Total phosphorus

■ Total dissolved phosphorus

■ Soluble reactive phosphorus

■ Total nitrogen

■ Silica

■ Alkalinity

■ Chloride

■ Hardness

■ Chlorophyll

■ Phytoplankton

■ Zooplankton
4 0 CHAPTER 3

Storm Water Runoff and Best Management Efficiencies Monitoring

The MPRB conducts monitoring of stormwater runoff and best management efficiencies to determine the

actual pollutant removal achieved through the use of structural BMPs (e.g., wetlands, street cleaning, and

grit chambers) and to study long-term pollutant loading trends in Minneapolis lakes. These monitoring

data are used to determine if changes in BMPs are required. Monitoring locations are selected based on

the following requirements:

■ The location should be influenced by only one BMP

■ No area of the watershed should drain to a sanitary treatment system

■ The location should not be affected by a major sewer or street construction project

■ The entire watershed should fall within Minneapolis city limits

This type of monitoring includes analyses for the following parameters:

■ Total suspended solids

■ Total phosphorus

■ Dissolved phosphorus

■ Total nitrogen

Field personnel use automated flow meters and samplers to conduct stormwater runoff and best management efficiencies monitoring. Automatic flow meters allow personnel to record continuous flow measurements at each monitoring location. Automatic samplers provide the following three sampling options:

■ Time-weighted composite sampling, where composite samples are made up of individual volumes collected over a predetermined interval of time. 

■ Flow-weighted composite sampling, where the automatic sampler is electronically linked to a flow

meter. At a predetermined flow interval, the flow meter sends a signal to the sampler to collect each volume of the composite sample. 

■ Time- or flow-weighted discrete sampling, where the automatic sampler is retrofitted to collect 12 samples in individual bottles at a predetermined time or flow interval.

Because the monitoring equipment cannot be operated in below-freezing conditions, the MPRB installs the

equipment as early as possible in the spring and removes the equipment as late as possible in the fall to

prolong monitoring time and avoid freezing conditions.
4. COLLECTING, TRANSFERRING, 

AND MANAGING TIME-RELEVANT 

WATER QUALITY DATA

T

o effectively assess the water quality of a lake or river, it is necessary to collect

representative field samples over a time span that takes into account as many

influences on the water body as possible. However, conducting a comprehensive manual sampling program that covers different times of the day, as well

as different seasons and seasonal events, presents distinct challenges. As a result,

many water quality monitoring programs, such as the Lake Access Project, rely on

automated systems in which remote water sampling units collect data at programmed intervals and then transmit the data to a land-based station for storage,

retrieval, and analysis.

Using the Lake Access Project as a model, this chapter provides you and your

community with "how-to" instructions on how to operate and maintain such

data collection systems. If you are responsible for or interested in implementing

this system, you should carefully read the technical information presented in the

sections on setting up and using RUSS-Base software for data collection and

transfer, and managing the data at the base station (Sections 4.2 through 4.5).

Readers interested in an overview of the system should focus primarily on the

introductory information in Section 4.1 below. 

4.1 System Overview

A data collection, transfer, and management system can benefit your community

in two ways: It enables you to automate the collection of water quality samples,

and it enables you to control the resulting data flexibly and easily. By using the

system's software, you can program your remote in-water sampling units (in this

case, RUSS units) to collect water quality data at specified intervals. Then you can

call the sampling units as needed for data transmission or program your system to

call for transmissions of data at specified times. Once the data arrive, the information can be formatted and stored or otherwise prepared for export to another

database, or it can be analyzed using geographical information system (GIS) or

data visualization software.

The data collection, transfer, and management system used in the Lake Access

project consists of two main parts (see the figure on the following page):

■ Remote Underwater Sampling Station (RUSS) units, which are deployed

in the water and programmed to collect water quality data in the water

column at specified depths and intervals.

■ A land-based station, which is basically a computer equipped with two

main parts:

■ RUSS-Base software. You use this software to create profile schedules

of sampling parameters and to communicate with the RUSS units to

transmit schedules and receive sampling data.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 4 1
■ A database management system. You use this system to format, quality

check, and store collected data.

The RUSS units and the base station computer are equipped with communications hardware featuring either a modem/cell phone or modem/radio transceiver.

This equipment allows the RUSS units and computer to "talk" to each other over

long distances. Because of this communication ability, each RUSS unit becomes

part of a remote data acquisition system controlled from the land-base station. At

the base station, an operator runs the RUSS-Base software to connect to the

RUSS units for data collection and transfer.

The system's flexibility enables you to establish sampling and data transfer protocols based on your specific monitoring needs. For example, you might program

your RUSS units to sample every 4 hours, 7 days a week, to monitor general

trends. You might also want to conduct sampling specific to certain events, such

as storms or heavy rainfalls, during which you might monitor water quality at a

single depth on an hourly basis.

The system can collect and store data for future use, or it can retrieve and transmit collected data in near-real time. Each RUSS unit stores collected data in its

on-board computer (RePDAR), making the data available for download on

demand by the base station. The RUSS unit can hold up to 3 weeks of collected

data (assuming average sampling intervals) in its on-board computer. The unit

also can serve as a temporary archive by retaining a copy of all transmitted data

files. Once the unit runs out of space, it will overwrite data as necessary, beginning with the oldest files.

A single base station can control an array of RUSS units, and an individual RUSS

unit can transmit data to more than one base station.

The remainder of this chapter provides information on how to program a data

collection and transfer system and how to manage the collected data, using the

system used by the Lake Access project as an example.

4 2 CHAPTER 4

# Remote 

 sampling

 stations

# Schedule profiles for 

 data collection

# Transfer data

# Perform QA/QC

# Convert data

# Manage data

# Archive data

# Model data

# Analyze data

# Display data

Level One Level Two

Base Station

RUSS-Base System 

Software

Base Station

Data Management 

System

End User 

for Data 

Visualization

RUSS

Units

Land-Base Station
4.2 Getting Your Equipment and Software in Place

In addition to deploying your RUSS units for data collection and transfer, you

will need to assess whether your base station computer equipment meets minimum technical requirements. Once you have determined that it does, you will be

ready to obtain and install the software needed to communicate with your RUSS

units. Before you receive the software from Apprise Technologies, you will need

to determine which type of telemetry equipment should be used on the RUSS

units.

Minimum Requirements

To use a land-based computer as a base station, you will need:

■ An IBM-compatible PC with a Pentium II processor (300 megahertz

[MHZ])

■ Windows 95, 98, or 2000 or Windows NT

■ 16 megabytes of RAM

■ 10 megabytes of free disk space

■ An industry standard internal or external dial-up modem

Telemetry Equipment

As a next step, you will need to determine what kind of data communication or

telemetry equipment to install on your RUSS units. Telemetry equipment enables

data to be transferred from a remote sampling station (i.e., the RUSS unit) to a

receiving station (i.e., the base station). You can choose between a cellular telephone modem (CTM) and a 900-MHZ transceiver. To make this choice, you

should consider the following factors:

■ The initial expense associated with CTM units is relatively low. (They

generally cost about $1,000 each.) However, CTM unit connection

costs can be somewhat higher than transceiver unit connection costs. 

In contrast, the up-front costs for transceiver units is relatively high

(generally about $3,000 each), but connection costs are likely to be

much lower. In addition, maintenance costs tend to be lower for 

transceivers.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 4 3

How often should data be collected?

The Lake Access team generally collects samples every 4 to 6 hours to

observe daily changes in water quality parameters (see Chapter 3, section

1). The RUSS units collect samples at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, 6:00 p.m.

and 12:00 midnight, and the data are transmitted to the land-based station at 7:30 a.m. the following morning. The team also collects intermittent

samples to determine the effect of storm events on lake stratification and

nutrient mixing.
■ Establishing a connection between a CTM unit and RUSS units can be

problematic at times if local circuits are overloaded or if tower-switching issues arise. 

Even when a connection is established, the signal strength might not be strong

enough to allow data transmission. A signal strength of less than 50 MHZ is usually too weak, while a signal strength between 50 and 60 MHZ is marginal. 

"Tip. To test the connection between a CTM unit and a RUSS unit, you

can call the test line maintained by Apprise Technologies, which is

usually pre-programmed into the CTM. (Before you dial, be sure to

switch the unit to the proper pre-programmed number by using the

key pad.) On certain CTMs, you can call the test line by pressing

"C" on the key pad. The status of the call will be displayed in the

phone's message window, as follows:

■ "No service" indicates insufficient signal strength

■ "System busy" indicates overloaded local cell capacity

■ "No carrier" or "busy" or "dropped call" indicates call

interruption

■ "Connect" indicates successful connection

(Note: Apprise Technologies does not guarantee the

accessibility of its test line.)

■ Transceiver unit communications can be affected by radio interference

on the transmission channel. The channel's path also can be inadequate

to maintain the connection. In such cases, it might be possible to

switch to a different channel. Using a dedicated or leased line can help

ensure the reliability of data transmission.

■ Depending on the distance between the land-based station and a RUSS

unit, you may need to deploy a sequence of transceivers. Transceivers can

transmit and receive over a distance of no more than 5 miles. The figure

below shows different transceiver deployment configurations based on the

distance between the land-based station and the RUSS unit.

4 4 CHAPTER 4

5 miles 10 miles 5 miles

Base Station

Transceiver

RUSS Unit 

with Transceiver

Base Station

RUSS Unit 

with Transceiver
Installing Level 1 Base Station Software

Once you have determined that your computer meets minimum technical requirements and you have selected and set up your telemetry system, you are ready to

obtain and install RUSS-Base, the level 1 base station software. RUSS-Base enables

you to create profile schedules with sampling parameters, transmit the schedules to

your RUSS units, and receive transmissions of sampling data. Additional software

(discussed below) allows you to run RUSS-Base automatically.

RUSS-Base Software

RUSS-Base, a DOS-based software program available from Apprise Technologies,

is provided as part of a RUSS unit's data collection and transfer system.

To install RUSS-Base:

1. Copy R-Base.exe from the disk or CD-ROM to a directory on your

computer.

2. Double click on the executable file. This will load the program onto

your computer and create an icon to access RUSS-Base from your desktop. It will also create two directories on your hard drive. One directory, C:\RUSS, contains the RUSS-Base program. The other directory,

C:\RUSSdata, is the default directory in which downloaded data from

the RUSS unit will be automatically placed. 

3. Verify that the RUSS-Base program is working by double clicking on

the desktop icon or navigating to the C:\RUSS directory and double

clicking on R-Base.exe.

Note that Apprise Technology provides customers with update notifications by

telephone or e-mail and delivers the actual updates via e-mail, disk, or CD-ROM.

We suggest that you implement these updates as you receive them.

Additional Software

ClockerPro and Clocker are personal/network program schedulers for use on the

Windows platform. They are designed to schedule programs (or reminders)—

such as the upload and download of data from RUSS units—to run at specified

times. Registration for a single copy of these schedules costs $24.95.

To obtain and install ClockerPro or Clocker:

1. Download ClockerPro and Clocker from

http://www.winnovation.com/clocker.htm.

2. Click on the file clkpr311.zip (for ClockerPro) or clk2403.zip (for

Clocker) and save it to a temporary directory on your computer (such

as C:\tmp).

3. Navigate to the location of clkpr311.zip or clk2403.zip.

4. Run setup.exe and follow the instructions provided. For instructions on

using ClockerPro or Clocker, select Help from the software's main screen.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 4 5
Anticipating Support Needs

As with any computer system, you will need to ensure the availability of technical support to attend to software, hardware, and security needs. A staff person

who is familiar with providing general computer support should be able to maintain your system. You should enlist the services of a technical support person

before you deploy the system so that guidance is available when you need it. 

4.3 Programming Your System for Scheduled 

Transfers of Data 

Now that the components of your system are in place, you are ready to program

the system components for data collection and transfer using RUSS-Base software

and Clocker/ClockerPro. The RUSS-Base software application is relatively easy to

use, particularly if you have some experience with DOS programs and telemetry

equipment. This section focuses primarily on:

■ Using RUSS-Base to program your RUSS units for sample collection.

■ Programming your land-base station to automatically call the RUSS

units for scheduled data feeds.

The first time you perform these functions, you will need to be attentive to a variety of details. Once you have established the appropriate protocol, however,

implementing these functions should be quick and easy.

The figure below provides an overview of the data collection and transfer process.

4 6 CHAPTER 4

RUSS Unit Base Station

Base Station Initiated

Collect Data at

Specified Times

and Depths

Incoming Data

Database

(archived)

End User Outgoing Data

Send Collection Profile

Base Station Initiated

Transfer Data Store Data for

Download

R-Base Data

Collection

and Transfer

Data Conversion

QA/QC
The following instructions provide an orientation to the system using a combination of screen shots and descriptive information.

Getting Familiar with the RUSS-Base Startup Screen

With RUSS-Base installed on your land-based computer, you can launch the program by double clicking on either the desktop icon or the R-base.exe file in the

C:/RUSS directory. This will open the program to the startup screen, which serves

as the gateway to program functions. 

The startup screen orients you to the overall format of screens throughout the

program. The screen content is organized into four main areas, as shown in the

screen below and described in the legend that follows.

Using the main menu on the startup screen (Section 3 in the screen shown above),

you will select and use a variety of RUSS-Base program functions. For reference,

these include:

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 4 7

Legend

Section 1: Displays the header, date, time, and error messages

Section 2: Presents information on navigating the program (highlighted in green)

Section 3: Presents the main menu of functions

Section 4: Displays component-specific information (e.g., water quality sample values)
Before you proceed, we suggest that you view the startup screen and locate these

functions so you will be ready to select them as directed in the section below.

Setting Up Your Base Station

You are now ready to use RUSS-Base to configure your base station to communicate with your RUSS units. In doing so, you will initialize your modem and

dial-up specifications and create profile schedules for water quality sampling performed by individual RUSS units. (You will create a configuration file for each

RUSS unit in your system.)

To start, select Setup from the main menu or press Alt-S on your keyboard. The

Setup screen (reproduced below) will appear on your computer screen.

4 8 CHAPTER 4

Function Short Cut Key Screen Name Description

Setup Alt-S RUSS-Base Setup Enter base station call sign, time zone, parameters of your modem, and data 

collection information

Real-time data Alt-R RUSS-Base Setup Enter "real-time data" parameters

Poll for data since Alt-P RUSS-Base Setup Enter "poll for data since" parameters

Call sign Alt-C RUSS Unit Setup Enter the call sign

Edit info Alt-E RUSS Unit Setup Enter information for each RUSS unit including call sign, location, modem 

connection, password, and data folder

Choose another Alt-C RUSS Unit List Select one or more RUSS units from a list of RUSS units

Dial Alt-D Dialing Status Dial the RUSS unit for profile upload and data download

Display dialing status

Exit Alt-X Exit RUSS-Base
On the Setup screen, enter the information requested for various parameters,

explained in the table below:

"Tip. Before sending the profile information to a RUSS unit, you must first

enter an authorized programming password in RUSS-Base. The

RUSS unit operator will have previously programmed this password

into the RUSS unit, and you will enter this same programming password into RUSS-Base. The RUSS unit will reject the profile unless this

programming password has been entered in RUSS-Base.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 4 9

Parameter Description

Base station call sign Enter name of the base station computer. This function will track which computer is calling a RUSS unit.

Time zone Enter in Standard UNIX format: EST5EDT for Eastern time, CST6CDT for Central time, MST7MDT for Mountain time, and 

PST8PDT for Pacific time.

Modem CDM# Enter modem CDM#. The default value will work with most modems. 

Baud rate Enter the proper baud rate for your modem: 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, or 38400. The default value will work with 

most modems.

Init string Enter the initialization string for your modem. The default value will work with most modems.

Dial prefix If necessary, enter a dial prefix. For example, your organization might require you to dial "9" to reach an outside line.

Dial suffix If necessary, enter a dial suffix. For example, your organization might require you to enter a project charge code.

Last poll on This date and time tells you the last time your base station called data from a particular RUSS unit. It also keeps track of the 

last data point downloaded from the RUSS unit, so only new data will be downloaded.

Profile from... This sets the depth and time at which the RUSS unit will collect data. The screen shot on page 48 shows the following profile:

Profile from 1 Step 1 to 8 every 05:00:00 since 11-01-99 00:00:00

This means that data will be collected from 1 to 8 meters at 1-meter intervals. The RUSS unit will collect data every

5 minutes from November 1, 1999, starting at midnight. 

Note: The more frequently the data are collected, the more battery power is used by the RUSS unit. To conserve battery 

voltage, you might want to limit sampling frequency.

Collect real time data... This sets the time when real-time data will be downloaded from the RUSS unit to the base station. The screen shot on 

page 48 shows the following parameters:

Collect Real Time data every 10 seconds for 1 minute and hang up.

In this example, real-time data will be sent by the RUSS unit every 10 seconds for 1 minute. This process provides the base 

station operator with a sample of real-time data measurements and the ability to QA/QC the data.

Poll for data since This sets the time when both stored and real-time data will be downloaded from the RUSS unit to the base station. 

The screen shot on page 48 shows the following parameters:

Poll for data since 05-07-2000 18:14:58

Data will be downloaded from May 7, 2000 at 6:14 p.m. (and 58 seconds) to the present time.

Set minimum... This sets the minimum and maximum depths of the profiler in the lake or river. It also sets the parking depth at which

maximum... the profiler will remain when inactive. The screen shot on page 48 shows the following parameters:

and parking depth Set minimum 0.5 maximum 8 and parking 4 depth

In this case, the profiler will not ascend above 0.5 meters and will not descend below 8 meters. When inactive, it will hold at

4 meters. The minimum and maximum depths are a fail safe method for preventing potential accidents. For example, 

suppose you accidentally programmed the profiler to collect data from 1 to 1000 meters. If you had entered 10 meters as 

the maximum depth that the profiler can descend to, the system will catch this error and the profiler will remain inactive. 
Setting Up Your RUSS Unit

Now that you have set up a configuration file, you need to provide additional

information for each deployed RUSS unit. To enter this information, access the

RUSS unit setup screen shown below, by selecting Edit Info, or by hitting Alt-E. 

Using this RUSS unit Setup screen, enter information about the various RUSS

unit parameters:

You have now set up your system with profile schedules and RUSS unit information—so that you can control your RUSS unit data collection activities. You are

now ready to direct your RUSS units to collect data according to the profile

schedules and to transfer back the collected data.

5 0 CHAPTER 4

Parameter Description

Call sign Name of the RUSS unit.

Location Location of the RUSS unit.

Phone number The phone number previously programmed in the RUSS unit cellular phone or transceiver. The base station phone 

number is not required if your system is not configured for calls initiated by remote stations.

Redial attempts The maximum number of "Redial attempts." This value specifies how many times the base station will try to redial the 

programmed phone number until a connection is established.

Reconnect attempts The maximum number of "Reconnect attempts." If the RUSS unit answers but connection is broken before all stored data 

are downloaded, the base station will hang up and call the unit again.

Password This password allows a caller to establish a remote connection with the RUSS unit and download real-time and 

stored data. (Level 1 access priority.)

Data folder The name of the folder that the RUSS data will be downloaded to on the base station computer. You can also use the 

default directory C:\RUSSdata originally created when you installed RUSS-Base.

Cellular modem schedule The time when the cellular telemetry is turned on and off. This is to promote power conservation.
Uploading the Profile Schedule and Downloading Data

To direct your RUSS units to collect data, you must upload your sampling profile schedules to your RUSS units. To do this, use the unit list screen (shown

below) to select a unit for profile upload. Access the unit list screen by selecting

Choose another or Alt-C on your keyboard. After selecting a unit from the list, call

the unit for profile upload. 

To call the unit, select dial (Alt-D), which initiates the call and accesses the screen

shown below.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 5 1
If the connection established is too weak for transmission, RUSS-Base will disconnect and redial. If the modem initialization fails, terminate the connection

attempt by pressing the ESC key and check to see if another program is using the

modem. 

"Tip. Using ClockerPro or Clocker software, you can automatically

schedule RUSS-Base to call RUSS units in a predetermined order at

different times. These software programs are personal/network

program schedulers for Windows designed to schedule programs

(or reminders)—such as the upload and download of data from the

RUSS unit(s)—to run at specified times. Use the instructions provided with these programs to run the desired schedules.

Once a connection is established, the RUSS unit will first validate the programming password if you are loading a new profile schedule. If the programming

password is valid, the RUSS unit will report back the time of the next scheduled

sample collection and data transmission, as well as profile parameters.

After the unit receives the new profile, its on-board computer will run a validation routine on the profile, checking for logic errors or any conflicts with existing

programs. If any questionable data elements are found, the system will prompt

you to review and resolve the issue. Once any issues concerning the profile are

addressed, the unit will store the profile parameters and implement sampling

based on the profile's schedule information. You can then proceed in a similar

fashion through the unit list screen to upload profiles to other units in your system.

When collecting a water quality sample, the RUSS unit deploys a device called a

Profiler to a specified depth in the water column below the unit. Before data are

collected, the sensors will stabilize at the correct depth, which can take 3 to 5 minutes. Collected information is then transmitted to the unit's on-board computer

via an underwater cable. The computer has the capacity to store up to 3 weeks of

collected data (assuming average sampling intervals).

The collected monitoring information is then automatically transmitted from the

RUSS units to the base station at intervals specified in unit-specific profile schedules. After this transmission, you can access the data as needed for analysis.

Even when the system is set up to automatically transmit collected data, you can

implement manual downloads using the unit list screen to connect with specific

RUSS units (as discussed above). To avoid downloading duplicate data, RUSSBase tracks the last data point for data transmitted from each unit. In addition,

you can download near real-time data from a unit at the same time the unit is

transmitting data from a scheduled sampling. As information is transmitted, it

will display on screen (as shown in the screen shot on page 53). An "End of data"

message will be displayed when the transmission is complete. 

5 2 CHAPTER 4
4.4 Managing Data at the Base Station

This section provides you with background information on managing data at the

base station. It describes the base station's data functions, including data formatting, QA/QC, management, retrieval, and storage. 

Data Format

As data are automatically transferred from the RUSS units, the data files are

automatically downloaded into the C:\RUSS directory on your base station hard

drive. The raw data are formatted as a simple string of comma-delimited ASCII

text.

The data format and file name will be slightly different depending on whether

you are downloading real-time data or stored data. The following table displays

near real-time data obtained from the EMPT2 Russ unit in Halsteds Bay. The file

is called EMPT2506.RTD. EMPT2 is the unit call sign, 2506 is the date, and the

extension RTD indicates real-time data.

The following table displays stored data obtained from the EMPT2 Russ unit in

Halsteds Bay. The file is called EMPT2725.DAT where the extension DAT refers

to stored data.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 5 3

Date Time Depth Temp°C pH Cond DOppm DOsat Turb ORP Batt

05-06-2000 07:31:19 4.40 15.0 7.8 410.0 7.05 70.0 53.4 48.6 13.0

05-06-2000 07:31:28 4.40 15.0 7.8 410.0 7.08 70.3 51.9 31.4 12.9

05-06-2000 07:31:37 4.40 15.0 7.8 410.0 7.09 70.4 67.3 44.0 12.8

05-06-2000 07:31:49 4.40 15.0 7.8 410.0 7.11 70.6 54.2 48.9 12.8

05-06-2000 07:31:58 4.40 15.0 .8 410.0 7.11 70.6 52.6 48.4 12.8

05-06-2000 07:32:07 4.40 15.0 7.8 410.0 7.11 70.6 45.4 48.9 12.8
Checking for Data Quality

After your data have been delivered, you will want to make sure that they meet

acceptable quality criteria. The Lake Access team uses both automated and manual data quality checks to ensure accurate and representative measurements of

water quality parameters. At all stages of data management, the information is

subjected to previously established and documented quality assurance protocols.

Performing quality checks on Lake Access data can take from a few days to weeks

or months, depending on the amount of data streaming into the project's base

5 4 CHAPTER 4

Date Time Depth Temp°C pH Cond DOppm DOsat Turb ORP

7/25/00 0:02:13 1.17 24 8.4 382 8.23 97.8 31.2 11.9

7/25/00 0:03:40 1.89 24 8.4 382 8.49 100.9 38.2 9.7

7/25/00 0:05:07 2.83 23.9 8.4 383 8.37 99.4 32.8 11.9

7/25/00 0:06:22 3.86 23.8 8.4 384 7.92 93.8 50.8 13.8

7/25/00 0:08:13 4.97 23.5 8.2 388 6.17 72.7 20.8 20

7/25/00 0:09:40 5.89 22.6 7.6 396 0.83 9.6 27.8 36.8

7/25/00 0:11:31 6.81 22.1 7.4 409 0.11 1.2 23.3 48.2

7/25/00 0:13:34 7.85 20.5 7.2 457 0.11 1.2 57.1 57

7/25/00 6:02:16 1.16 23.8 8.4 383 7.6 90 41.4 13.5

7/25/00 6:03:55 1.92 23.8 8.4 382 8.29 98.2 113.3 8.8

7/25/00 6:05:07 2.88 23.8 8.4 382 8.19 97 96.1 13

7/25/00 6:06:34 3.9 23.7 8.3 384 7.4 87.4 56.5 14.7

7/25/00 6:08:37 4.88 23.5 8.1 387 6.45 75.9 55.5 19.6

7/25/00 6:09:52 5.84 22.9 7.7 393 2.36 27.5 38.2 30

7/25/00 6:11:55 6.86 22.1 7.4 409 0.13 1.5 47.2 43.6

7/25/00 6:13:46 7.84 21 7.3 444 0.11 1.2 64.4 52.6

7/25/00 12:02:40 1.14 23.9 8.4 382 8.01 95 233.5 11.3

7/25/00 12:08:15 2.18 23.8 8.4 382 7.96 94.2 108.3 11.2

7/25/00 12:10:51 2.85 23.7 8.4 383 7.76 91.8 108.3 8.5

7/25/00 12:12:18 3.91 23.5 8.3 384 7.06 83.1 97 16.1

7/25/00 12:13:57 4.82 23.3 8.1 386 6.13 71.9 103.9 21.8

7/25/00 12:15:36 5.89 22.8 7.7 394 2.52 29.3 93.5 36.3

7/25/00 12:17:51 6.9 21.8 7.3 423 0.12 1.4 120.4 46

7/25/00 12:19:18 7.83 20.8 7.2 450 0.12 1.3 111 54.1

7/25/00 18:06:42 0.99 24.5 8.6 380 9.71 116.4 92.4 2.6

7/25/00 18:08:33 1.96 24.5 8.6 380 9.85 118.1 112.4 3.8

7/25/00 18:10:12 2.86 24.4 8.5 381 9.58 114.7 109.3 6.2

7/25/00 18:11:51 3.81 23.7 8.3 386 7.15 84.5 90.9 13.7

7/25/00 18:13:30 4.8 23.3 8 388 5.79 68 113.9 24.4

7/25/00 18:14:57 5.81 22.8 7.5 395 2.81 32.7 96.8 40.9

7/25/00 18:17:00 6.83 21.7 7.3 423 0.15 1.7 123.7 49.6

7/25/00 18:18:51 7.95 20.8 7.2 449 0.12 1.4 113.3 52.3
station. The Lake Access team's data quality checks focus on subtle trend differences, data that are out of range, data with unusual rates of change, outliers, data

gaps, and the data's consistency with weather patterns and season. An overview of

these checks is provided below. For more detailed information, refer to the Lake

Access Quality Assurance Protocols document, which is available on the Lake

Access Web site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/QAQC.html. 

The Lake Access team performs QA/QC on the data using the methods outlined

below:

■ The team compares manually collected samples with RUSS unit data

prior to recalibrating the RUSS unit. This check provides assurance that

the previous period's data are accurate. If the data pass for the previous

period, they are considered acceptable. If the data do not pass, team

members examine the results in the context of their understanding of

the individual lake's limnology and other data (e.g., nutrients, chlorophyll, trends). They then decide to either delete the data from the database and/or save the information in a different place. The team is especially careful not to delete anomalous data that might reveal actual

dynamic changes in lake water quality.

■ The team generally performs routine, biweekly maintenance and

calibration of the sensors. At the same time, the team also conducts

manual sampling with an independent instrument. The following table

provides information on quality assurance criteria for the RUSS unit

sensors.

See Chapter 3, Section 3.9 for detailed information on calibration and

quality assurance of the RUSS sensors.

■ The team has developed sophisticated data visualization programs that

allow quick review of the data as they are transmitted from RUSS units.

These programs enable the team to identify problems almost immediately. Using the data visualization tools described in Chapter 5, the

team can visually inspect the graphical displays to ensure that the data

flow in categorical increments and accurately reflect changes in water

quality. The team also can visually check for data gaps and outliers. An

example of questionable data might be a reading that is inconsistent

with the lake's depth. Additionally, the Profile Plotter and Color

Mapper tools described in Chapter 5 contain calibration flags that

allow the user to keep track of calibration dates as the data stream is

being viewed.

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 5 5

Sensor Relative Percent Difference (RPD) Delta

Temperature < 5 percent < 0.2°C

Dissolved Oxygen < 10 percent < 0.5 mgO2/L

EC (25° C) < 10 percent < 5 uS/cm

pH < 10 percent < 0.2 units

Turbidity < 10 percent < 5 NTUs
■ Once the data are transferred to the base station, they are run through

an importer program. This program converts the data to a standard format and also checks for errors. (The importer program is described in

more detail in the following subsection on converting and managing

data.)

The Lake Access team uses data from manual sampling to fill in data gaps and

address anomalous data. If the team determines that the anomalies are large and

cannot be resolved, or if large amounts of data are missing, the data will not be

used or released to the public. If the team determines that the data meet QA/QC

requirements, the data are considered valid and reportable. 

Converting and Managing the Data

After you collect data from the RUSS units, you must convert it to the correct

format for input into your data management system and visualization tools

(described in Chapter 5). The Lake Access team uses an importer program to convert the RUSS unit data to a standard format. This program reads data files that

have been created or changed since the last time the program was run. It then converts the data to the format required by the visualization tools and checks the data

for integrity.

The importer first tests the RUSS unit's name, site name, and column descriptions to ensure they correspond to the anticipated parameters for that unit. If they

do not correspond, the importer generates an error and no further action is taken

with the data file. For example, an error will be generated if a data file from

Halsteds Bay was accidentally placed in the Lake Independence directory.

The importer then reads each individual data line and converts it to a reading that

presents measurements taken at the same depth at the same time. A set of readings is combined to form a "profile" in the database. The importer also flags and

rejects data that fall outside a specified range. The following table shows the correlation between water quality parameters and unacceptable data ranges.

After the importer has read the data, it stores the information in an object-oriented storage format. In this format, each line of text represents an object. The

conversion method you employ will depend on the type of system you use for

data storage or visualization. However, the Lake Access importer program is recommended for ease of use, compatibility with RUSS unit data, and for its ability

5 6 CHAPTER 4

Parameter Unacceptable data range

Temperature < -1 or > 35° Celsius

pH < 5 or > 10

EC at 25° C < 1 or > 600 uS/cm

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) < -1 or > 20 mgO2/L

DO percent Saturation < -5 or > 200 percent

Turbidity* < -5 or > 1000 NTU

*Turbidity values between -5 and 0 are set to equal 0.
to conduct quality checks. For additional information on the importer program,

please read the Lake Access Quality Assurance Protocols document on the Lake

Access Web site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/QAQC.html.

Retrieving the Data

As you set up your system, you can develop your own protocols for retrieving

data. To retrieve its data, the Lake Access team directly links its data visualization

tools (DVTs) described in the next chapter to its object-oriented database. If you

decide to store your data instead in MS Access or another database management

system, you can develop simple queries to access data. If you decide to store the

data in an Oracle database, you might want to develop a user-friendly interface to

retrieve the data. For example, you could make use of drop-down lists to select

time periods, check boxes to choose parameters, radio buttons to select output file

format, or graphical versus text displays. 

Storing and Archiving the Data

It is recommended that you store and archive all sample records, raw data, quality control data, and results. A variety of media are available for archiving data

(e.g., CD-ROMs, Zip disks, floppy diskettes, and hard copy). The server storing

the data should also be backed up daily to prevent data loss.

4.5 Troubleshooting Q&A

This section contains information about common troubleshooting issues.

Q: Is technical support available for hardware and software installation?

A: Apprise Technologies will work with each client to ensure that the RUSS units

and associated software are properly installed. Also, the company can tailor

system setup to individual customers. Additionally, Apprise technologies

offers telephone and onsite support. Apprise also offers onsite training on topics such as assembling and disassembling RUSS units, deploying the units,

installing and operating RUSS-Base software, and system troubleshooting.

Q: Is technical support available for operating the data collection, transfer,

and management systems?

A: Apprise Technologies offers telephone and on-site support for its systems.

Many communities take advantage of on-site training, which includes sessions focused on data collection, transfer, and management.

Q: What should I do when the data will not download?

A: If you are unable to download data, your communications protocol or RUSS

unit battery power might have failed. As a first step, make sure that your

RUSS unit has enough battery power to transfer the data. Review the data file

you downloaded previously, because this file will contain information about

the battery voltage. 

Voltage should be in the range of 12.5 to 14.5 Volts during daytime hours.

Lower voltages indicate that the RUSS unit solar panel is not recharging the

TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 5 7
battery due to excessive power drain, loose cables, or a shadowed or damaged

panel. A RUSS unit will be fully functional with battery power as low as 11.5

Volts. The more frequently the data are collected, the more battery power is

used by the RUSS unit. To conserve battery voltage, you might want to consider limiting sampling frequency.

Q: What should I do when I cannot log in or connect to the RUSS unit from

the base station?

A: If you are unable to connect to the RUSS unit, first check that your password

entry is correct. For example, be sure not to include leading or trailing spaces.

If you cannot determine the cause of the failure, place a test call to Apprise

Technology's computer (see Section 4.3) to test the communications system

and ensure that it is working properly.

Q: Can I automatically collect data without being present at the base station?

A: Using ClockerPro or Clocker software, you can automatically schedule

RUSS-Base to call RUSS units in a predetermined order at different times

without anyone being present. (See Section 4.3 for additional information

about Clocker and ClockerPro software.)

Q: How can I adjust the time interval that the profiler maintains at each

sampling depth? 

A: If you would like to adjust the time interval, contact Apprise Technologies

and they will program a new time interval for you. Apprise Technologies originally programs the RUSS-Base software to allow for between 3 to 5 minutes

at each sampling depth. For example, if your profiler is programmed to collect measurements every meter for 20 meters, it will remain at each meter

depth for between 3 and 5 minutes. This interval allows sufficient time for the

profiler to stabilize at the given depth. Intervals greater than 6 minutes can

drain the RUSS unit battery power too quickly.

5 8 CHAPTER 4
5. DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT 

WATER QUALITY DATA

N

ow that your water quality monitoring network is in place and you have collected the resulting data, you can turn to the next step in providing your

community with time-relevant water quality information: using data visualization tools to graphically depict this information. By using the types of data

visualization tools described in this chapter, you can create graphic representations

of water quality data that can be used on Web sites, in reports and educational

materials, and in other outreach and communication initiatives. 

Section 5.1 provides an overview of data visualization. Section 5.2 contains an

introduction to selected data visualization tools used by the Lake Access Team. If

you are interested in a basic introduction to data visualization, you might only

want to read the initial section. If you are responsible for choosing and using data

visualization software to model and analyze data, you should also consult Section

5.2.

5.1 What is Data Visualization?

Data visualization is the process of graphically depicting data in ways that are

meaningful to you. When data are visualized effectively, the resulting graphical

depictions can reveal patterns, trends, and distributions that might otherwise not

be apparent from raw data alone. This enables you to "see" and "understand" the

data much more easily and meaningfully. The results of your efforts can then be

communicated to a broader audience, such as residents in your community.

Data visualization can be accomplished with a variety of software tools, ranging

from standard spreadsheet and statistical software to more advanced analytical

tools such as:

■ Two- and three-dimensional graphic plotters

■ Animation techniques

■ Geographic Information Systems

■ Simulation modeling

■ Geostatistical techniques

By applying these tools to water quality data, you can help your community's residents gain a better understanding of factors affecting water quality in area lakes

and streams. Once you begin using data visualization tools, you will immediately

be impressed with their ability to model and analyze your data for a variety of purposes, from making resource management decisions to supporting public outreach and education efforts. For example, you can use data visualization tools to:

■ Explore links between land use patterns within watersheds and the type

and magnitude of nonpoint pollutant sources affecting local streams

and lakes. 

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 5 9
■ Calculate acreage of the various land uses within your watershed, and

use this information, in conjunction with models, to predict sediment

and phosphorous loadings to lakes from inflow streams and nonpoint

sources.

■ Create daily, monthly, and annual lake water quality profiles.

As explained in Chapter 3 of this handbook, the Lake Access team is using data

collected by Remote Underwater Sampling Station (RUSS) units and manual

sampling to determine the impact of pollutant loadings on Lake Minnetonka and

Lake Independence. The raw data collected from the RUSS units provide information about current water quality conditions and short- and long-term water

quality trends. The Lake Access team then uses a number of data visualization

tools to analyze and convey information about water quality data. The Lake

Access team is using data visualization and interpretation techniques to analyze

water quality data and provide information to support resource management and

land use planning decisions within the watershed.

A variety of commercially available data visualization tools exist that allow you to

graphically represent real-time data, manipulate variables, compare temporal

trends, and even depict changes over time. Section 5.2 focuses on the following

data visualization tools listed in the table below.

6 0 CHAPTER 5

Tool Group Tools Primary Uses

Geographic Information Several, including ArcInfo; ArcView; 

Systems GeoMedia; and MapInfo Professional 

• Explore lake data as it varies with

depth and over time

• Create animated water quality 

profiles

• Feed real-time data to Internet site

• Investigate correlations between

water quality variables and trends

• Display raw data 

• Investigate correlations between

water quality variables and trends

• Create summary graphs of data

• Integrate and model spatial data

(e.g., water quality and land use)

• Develop Internet mapping 

applications

DVT Data Visualization Lake Access Live: Near Real-Time 

Tools Display of Numeric Data; Profile Plotter; 

Color Mapper; Depth versus Time (DxT) 

Profiler

Spreadsheet Programs Microsoft Excel; Lotus 123
5.2 Data Visualization Software

This section provides information about the three data visualization software

groups described in Section 5.1:

■ DVT data visualization tools

■ Spreadsheet programs

■ Geographic Information Systems

After reviewing this section, you should have a good idea when and why you

might want to use these tools and what you need to do to obtain, install, and use

them.

DVT Data Visualization Tools

DVT data visualization tools are user-friendly, interactive programs that the Lake

Access team uses to depict and manipulate water quality profiles collected by

RUSS units and from manual sampling. The four tools listed below were developed originally for the team's Water on the Web project and are designed to work

with data sets generated by RUSS technology, but they could also be adapted to

work with other data sets from other water quality monitoring systems your community chooses to put in place. These tools are:

■ Lake Access Live: Near Real-Time Display of Numeric Data

■ Profile plotter

■ Color mapper

■ Depth versus Time (DxT) Profiler

These tools provide the ability to:

■ Feed real-time data to the Web for data sharing.

■ Compare water quality profiles over time and depth.

■ Create animations of profiles to illustrate how water quality parameters

change daily, monthly, and annually.

You can obtain the DVT tools by contacting Apprise Technologies at 218-720-

4341. They are available individually, or as a package called the DVToolkit. The

tools are easy to install and are appropriate for a wide variety of platforms, including Windows 95/98/NT, Unix/Linux, and Macintosh. You can run these applications directly from your computer or over the Web.

For additional information on these tools, consult the Lake Access Web site at

http://www.lakeaccess.org and the article Interactive Technologies for Collecting

and Visualizing Water Quality Data, co-authored by the Water on the Web team

and Apprise Technology. This article is published in the journal of the Urban and

Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and is available on the Web

at http://www.urisa.org/Journal/accepted/host/interactive_technologies_

for_collecting_and_visualizing_water_quality_data.htm (Host et al., 2000).

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 6 1
The subsections below present brief overviews of each DVT tool, focusing mainly on what each is used for (i.e., when/how you might use each tool). This will

help you decide if you want to obtain and employ these tools.

Lake Access Live: Near Real-Time Display of Numeric Data 

This is a simple program that can be used to provide near real-time data feeds,

such as oxygen level and temperature, to Web sites for public access and data sharing. The program automatically retrieves water quality data from your database,

embeds the data in a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) image, and posts the

image to a Web site. The screen below, taken from the Lake Access Web site,

shows how this program is used to display near real-time data.

Profile Plotter

The Profile Plotter program enables users to create static and animated line plots

of the profiles of lakes and other water bodies revealing how water quality variables change over time and depth. Animated profiles help users observe how lake

profiles change daily, monthly, and annually. Users can choose from a number of

different variables to plot. For example, the screen at the top of page 63 shows

how users can select from a variety of water quality parameters (i.e., temperature,

pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity) to plot and animate.

This particular graph displays temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen concentrations at various depths in Lake Independence at 6:00 a.m. on June 12, 2000, in

the form of a lake profile line plot. By plotting temperature as a function of depth,

you can show how the thermocline location varies with time, and you can illustrate events such as spring and winter turnover.

Color Mapper

The Color Mapper is similar to the Profile Plotter, except that it enables you to

map two water quality variables simultaneously. A user interested in understanding the correlation between two variables might want to use this tool.

Using Color Mapper, you can map one parameter as color contours and then

overlay another variable over the color contours in the form of a line plot. For

example, in the graph shown below, the background depicts temperature using

color contour, and a superimposed line plot shows oxygen concentrations. This

display shows that oxygen is depleted below the thermocline.

6 2 CHAPTER 5
The temperature data shown in the screen above was originally collected by the

RUSS units as point data. To display the data as color contours, the Color Mapper

estimates temperatures in areas where there are no measurements (i.e., in the areas

between point samples). This process of estimating measurements—in this case,

temperature—is called interpolation.

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 6 3

Profile Plotter

Color Mapper
Once the data have been interpolated, the Color Mapper automatically draws

color contours representing a range of temperatures. These ranges and colors are

chosen based on predetermined break points keyed to changes in temperature. In

this case, the red colors represent warmer temperatures and the blue colors represent cooler temperatures.

Depth Versus Time (DxT) Profiler

This program graphically depicts how the lake data collected by RUSS units

change over time. The DxT Profiler allows users to display and analyze data in

two or three dimensions. As shown in the display below, this program allows you

to select the time period for which you want to display data; select the parameter

you wish to analyze or illustrate; add grid lines; show the actual data points; and

interpolate data by depth and time. You can also output the graphs in GIF format to post to Web sites or incorporate into reports.

The screen above shows the changes in oxygen concentrations over time in

Halsteds Bay, which is highly eutrophic. The color contours used to display oxygen are based on biological breakpoints that are important to fisheries management. The green colors represent acceptable oxygen levels for fish populations.

The change from dark green to brown (at approximately 5 mg/L oxygen) shows

the point at which oxygen levels are too low to support cold-water fish populations. The map's colors change from blue to black (at approximately 1 mg/L oxygen) to indicate the break point at which oxygen concentrations are too low to

support any fish populations. 

6 4 CHAPTER 5
Spreadsheet Programs

Simple spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and Lotus 123 can also be

used to visually characterize lake data. These programs can be used to create

graphs and tabular summaries of various water quality parameters plotted over

time or versus depth. The resulting graphs and tables can be used to help analyze

surface trends, heat and oxygen budgets, water chemistry, and morphometry.

Because these software programs are readily available and easy to use, they can be

used effectively in the classroom to introduce students to the basics of modeling

and interpreting data. Both Microsoft Excel and Lotus 123 can be purchased at

most stores that sell computer equipment and software, and they are easy to

install. Both run on a variety of operating systems, including Windows 3.1, 95,

98, 2000, and NT.

For example, the screen below shows how the Lake Access Team uses Microsoft

Excel to illustrate the surface trends of lake parameters using RUSS unit data. The

screen presents a time course plot that shows the average pH values in Lake

Independence's surface layer (the upper 3 meters of the water column), for the

period beginning April 6, 1998, and ending April 6, 2000. The vertical bars

straddling each data point represent the range of values measured for that particular day.

Note: The pH data shown in the graph above are still undergoing several rounds of quality

assessment by the Lake Access team. As a result, some of these data might be subsequently

modified.

You can also create other types of graphics using spreadsheet programs. For example in the screen shown below, the Lake Access team has used Microsoft Excel to

show the Secchi depth data for Lake Independence over a 7-month period. (See

page 34 for a detailed explanation of Secchi depth data.)

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 6 5
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

GIS is a software and hardware system that helps scientists and other technicians

capture, store, model, display, and analyze spatial or geographic information. 

This technology offers powerful tools for analyzing and visualizing spatial patterns and trends in environmental data. (The U.S. Geological 

Society's (USGS's) Web site contains a user-friendly introduction to GIS at

http://info.er.usgs.gov/research/gis/title.html.

GIS includes a varied range of technologies. To choose, obtain, and use them, you

will need to understand the various technologies available and which might be

appropriate for your needs and situation. By using GIS technology, you can produce a wide range of graphical outputs, including maps, drawings, animations,

and other cartographic products. To create these outputs, you can use GIS to perform a range of powerful functions, including:

■ Interactive visualization and manipulation of spatial data

■ Integration of spatial analysis and environmental modeling

■ Integration of GIS and remote sensing

■ Simulations modeling

■ Creation of two and three-dimensional models

■ Internet mapping

To choose, obtain, and use GIS software, you will need to understand the various

technologies available and which might be appropriate for your needs and situation. For more information on specific GIS software packages, you can consult

manufacturers' Web sites, including:

■ ESRI (http://www.esri.com), whose suite of tools includes ArcInfo,

ArcView, and ArcIMS internet mapping software

6 6 CHAPTER 5
■ Intergraph (http://www.intergraph.com/gis/), whose software includes

GeoMedia and GeoMedia Web Map

■ MapInfo (http://www.mapinfo.com/), whose products include

MapInfo and MapInfo Xtreme (an Internet mapping software) 

Although GIS is more complex and expensive than other data visualization tools

described in this chapter, it also provides more power and flexibility—both in

terms of the data you can use and what you can do with the data. You can use GIS

technologies from data originating from a variety of sources, including satellite

imagery, surveys, hardcopy maps, and environmental readings on variables such

as water depth or chemistry. Key data layers in the Lake Access project include

RUSS data, manual sampling data, land use data, transportation data, watershed

boundaries, elevation, and hydrography. Having these data, you can use GIS to

illustrate how land use changes affect water quality. You might also want to use

GIS to model the relationships between watershed characteristics and lake water

quality. By using GIS, you can combine different types of data layers to predict

how quickly sediments or contaminants might move through a stream system.

The following graphic was created by the Lake Access team using ArcInfo software to display land use in the Lake Independence and Lake Minnetonka watersheds. The map is color coded to distinguish the land uses surrounding the lake

(e.g., agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, forest, and wetland).

Maps of this type can help inform the public and local officials about connections

between local water conditions and current land uses in their communities. 

GIS Features on the Lake Access Web site. The Lake Access team has developed a

user-friendly and engaging map-based product for the land use page of its Web

site at http://www.lakeaccess.org/landuse.html. This Web-based capability is a

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 6 7
powerful way to distribute GIS data, allowing thousands of interested parties to

simultaneously display and access data. Maps are displayed on the 

Web site using the ARCVIEW Internet Map Server (IMS) developed 

by ESRI. Users can zoom in and out of maps and perform queries to gather 

information about different map elements. Site visitors can generate maps, query

data, and retrieve information by simply clicking on the map feature. 

IMS allows the user to turn different kinds of map layers (e.g., roads, land use,

water bodies) on or off to create their own customized maps. For more 

information on using IMS, visit the ESRI Web site at 

http://www.esri.com/software/arcview/mapcafe/index.html.

The screen below shows the IMS display for land use in the Lake Independence

watershed. The screen has three primary sections:

■ A toolbar for performing various map operations

■ An interactive legend that allows different layers to be turned on or off

■ A map viewing frame that shows the map itself

The status bar at the bottom of the screen provides information about map coordinates, a map scale, a link to a help site, and information on the status of current

operations. 

6 8 CHAPTER 5
The Lake Access Project also creates other GIS products, including two-dimensional representations of various lake parameters. For example, depth (i.e.

bathymetry) is shown in the graphic above.

GIS and other data visualization tools offer the ability to better support and communicate observations, conclusions, and recommendations to resource managers,

the public, students, and regulators. These audiences can then use displays and

analyses to help make day-to-day decisions that can affect the quality of their lakes

and streams.

DEPICTING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 6 9
6. COMMUNICATING 

TIME-RELEVANT WATER 

QUALITY INFORMATION

A

s your community develops its time-relevant water quality monitoring and

reporting systems, you will want to think about the best ways to communicate the information these systems will yield. This chapter of the handbook

is designed to help you do so:

■ It outlines the steps involved in developing an outreach plan.

■ It profiles the outreach initiatives implemented by the Lake Access

Team. 

■ It also provides guidelines for effectively communicating information

and includes resources for water quality monitoring and promoting

awareness, which you can incorporate into your own communication

and outreach materials. 

6.1 Creating an Outreach Plan for Time-Relevant

Water Quality Reporting

Outreach will be most effective if you plan it carefully, considering such issues as:

Who do you want to reach? What information do you want to disseminate? What

are the most effective mechanisms to reach people? Developing a plan ensures that

you have considered all important elements of an outreach project before you

begin. The plan itself provides a blueprint for action. 

An outreach plan does not have to be lengthy or complicated. You can develop a

plan simply by documenting your answers to each of the questions discussed

below. This will provide you with a solid foundation for launching an outreach

effort. 

Your outreach plan will be most effective if you involve a variety of people in its

development. Where possible, consider involving: 

■ A communications specialist or someone who has experience developing and implementing an outreach plan.

■ Technical experts in the subject matter (both scientific and policy).

■ Someone who represents the target audience (i.e., the people or groups

you want to reach). 

■ Key individuals who will be involved in implementing the outreach

plan.

As you develop your outreach plan, consider whether you would like to invite any

organizations to partner with you in planning or implementing the outreach

effort. Potential partners might include shoreline and lakeshore property owner

associations, local businesses, environmental organizations, schools, boating associations, local health departments, local planning and zoning authorities, and

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 7 1
other local or state agencies. Partners can participate in planning, product development and review, and distribution. Partnerships can be valuable mechanisms

for leveraging resources while enhancing the quality, credibility, and success of

outreach efforts. 

Developing an outreach plan is a creative and iterative process involving a number of interrelated steps, as described below. As you move through each of these

steps, you might want to revisit and refine the decisions you made in earlier steps

until you have an integrated, comprehensive, and achievable plan. 

Whom Are You Trying To Reach?

Identifying Your Audience(s)

The first step in developing an outreach plan is to clearly identify the target

audience or audiences for your outreach effort. As illustrated in the sample goals

above, outreach goals often define their target audiences. You might want to refine

and add to your goals after you have specifically considered which audiences you

want to reach. 

Target audiences for a water quality outreach program might include, for example, the general public, local decision makers and land management agencies,

educators and students (high school and college), special interest groups (e.g.,

homeowner associations, fishing and boating organizations, gardening clubs, and

lawn maintenance/landscape professionals). Some audiences, such as educators

and special interest groups, might serve as conduits to help disseminate information to other audiences you have identified, such as the general public. 

Consider whether you should divide the public into two or more audience categories. For example: Will you be providing different information to certain

groups, such as citizens and businesses? Does a significant portion of the public

you are trying to reach have a different cultural or linguistic background from

other members? If so, it likely will be most effective to consider these groups as

separate audience categories. 

Profiling Your Audience(s)

Outreach will be most effective if the type, content, and distribution of outreach

products are specifically tailored to the characteristics of target audiences. Once

you have identified your audiences, the next step is to develop a profile of their

situations, interests, and concerns. This profile will help you identify the most

effective ways of reaching the audience. For each target audience, consider: 

■ What is their current level of knowledge about water quality? 

■ What do you want them to know about water quality? What actions

would you like them to take regarding water quality?

■ What information is likely to be of greatest interest to the audience?

What information will they likely want to know once they develop

some awareness of water quality issues?

7 2 CHAPTER 6
■ How much time are they likely to give to receiving and assimilating the

information?

■ How does this group generally receive information? 

■ What professional, recreational, and domestic activities does this group

typically engage in that might provide avenues for distributing outreach

products? Are there any organizations or centers that represent or serve

the audience and might be avenues for disseminating your outreach

products?

Profiling an audience essentially involves putting yourself "in your audience's

shoes." Ways to do this include consulting with individuals or organizations who

represent or are members of the audience, consulting with colleagues who have

successfully developed other outreach products for the audience, and using your

imagination.

What Are Your Outreach Goals?

Defining your outreach goals is the next step in developing an outreach plan.

Outreach goals should be clear, simple, action-oriented statements about what

you hope to accomplish through outreach (For example, a goal might be to

encourage the public to improve its shoreline management practices.) Once you

have established your goals, every other element of the plan should relate to those

goals.

What Do You Want To Communicate?

The next step in planning is to think about what you want to communicate. In

particular at this stage, think about the key points, or "messages," you want to

communicate. Messages are the "bottom line" information you want your audience to walk away with, even if they forget the details. 

A message is usually phrased as a brief (often one-sentence) statement. For 

example:

■ The Lake Access Web site allows you to track daily changes on Lake

Minnetonka and Lake Independence.

■ You can improve water quality in area lakes by reducing the amount of

fertilizer you apply to your lawn.

Outreach products will often have multiple related messages. Consider what messages you want to send to each target audience group. You might have different

messages for different audiences. 

What Outreach Products Will You Develop?

The next step in developing an outreach plan is to consider what types of outreach

products will be most effective for reaching each target audience. There are many

different types of outreach: print, audiovisual, electronic, events and novelty

items. The table below provides some examples. 

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 7 3
The audience profile information you assembled earlier will be helpful in selecting appropriate products. A communications professional can provide valuable

guidance in choosing the most appropriate products to meet your goals within

your resource and time constraints. Questions to consider when selecting products include:

■ How much information does your audience really need to have? How

much does your audience need to know now? The simplest, most effective, most straightforward product generally is most effective.

■ Is the product likely to appeal to the target audience? How much time

will it take to interact with the product? Is the audience likely to make

that time?

■ How easy and cost-effective will the product be to distribute or, in the

case of an event, organize?

■ How many people is this product likely to reach? For an event, how

many people are likely to attend?

■ What time frame is needed to develop and distribute the product?

■ How much will it cost to develop the product? Do you have access to

the talent and resources needed for development?

■ What other related products are already available? Can you build on

existing products?

■ When will the material be out of date? (You probably will want to

spend fewer resources on products with shorter lifetimes.)

■ Would it be effective to have distinct phases of products over time? For

example, a first phase of products designed to raise awareness, followed

7 4 CHAPTER 6

Outreach Products

Print Brochures Editorials

Educational curricula Fact sheets

Newsletters Newspaper and magazine articles

Posters Press releases

Question-and-answer sheets Utility bill inserts or stuffers

Audiovisual Cable television programs Public service announcements (radio)

Exhibits and kiosks Videos

Electronic E-mail messages Subscriber list servers

Web pages

Events Briefings Community days

Fairs and festivals Media interviews

One-on-one meetings Press conferences

Public meetings Speeches

Novelty Items Banners Bumper stickers

Buttons Coloring books

Floating key chains for boaters Frisbee discs

Magnets Mouse pads
at a later date by a second phase of products to encourage changes in

behavior.

■ How newsworthy is the information? Information with inherent news

value is more likely to be rapidly and widely disseminated by the

media.

How Will Your Products Reach Your Audience?

Effective distribution is essential to the success of an outreach strategy. There are

many avenues for distribution. The table below lists some examples.

You need to consider how each product will be distributed and determine who will

be responsible for distribution. For some products, your organization might manage distribution. For others, you might rely on intermediaries (such as the media or

educators) or organizational partners who are willing to participate in the outreach

effort. Consult with an experienced communications professional to obtain

information about the resources and time required for the various distribution

options. Some points to consider in selecting distribution channels include:

■ How does the audience typically receive information?

■ What distribution mechanisms has your organization used in the past

for this audience? Were these mechanisms effective?

■ Can you identify any partner organizations that might be willing to

assist in the distribution?

■ Can the media play a role in distribution?

■ Will the mechanism you are considering really reach the intended audience? For example, the Internet can be an effective distribution mechanism, but certain groups might have limited access to it.

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 7 5

Examples of Distribution Avenues

Your mailing list

Partners' mailing list 

Phone/Fax

E-mail

Internet

Journals or newsletters of partner organizations

TV

Radio

Print media

Hotline that distributes products upon request

Meetings, events, or locations (e.g., libraries, schools, marinas, public beaches, tackle shops, and sailing clubs) 

where products are made available
■ How many people is the product likely to reach through the distribution mechanism you are considering?

■ Are sufficient resources available to fund and implement distribution

via the mechanisms of interest?

What Follow-up Mechanisms Will You Establish?

Successful outreach might generate requests for further information or concern

about issues you have made the audience aware of. Consider whether and how

you will handle this interest. The following questions can help you develop this

part of your strategy:

■ What types of reactions or concerns are audience members likely to

have in response to the outreach information?

■ Who will handle requests for additional information?

■ Do you want to indicate on the outreach product where people can go

for further information (e.g., provide a contact name, number, or

address, or establish a hotline)?

What Is the Schedule for Implementation?

Once you have decided on your goals, audiences, messages, products, and distribution channels, you will need to develop an implementation schedule. For each

product, consider how much time will be needed for development and distribution. Be sure to factor in sufficient time for product review. Wherever possible,

build in time for testing and evaluation by members or representatives of the target audience in focus groups or individual sessions so that you can get feedback

on whether you have effectively targeted your material for your audience. Section

6.3 contains suggestions for presenting technical information to the public. It also

provides information about online resources that can provide easy to understand

background information that you can use in developing your own outreach

projects.

6.2 Elements of the Lake Access Project's 

Outreach Program

The Lake Access team uses a variety of mechanisms to communicate time-relevant water quality information—as well as information about the project itself—

to the affected public in Hennepin County and the nearby area. The team uses

the project Web site as the primary vehicle for communicating time-relevant

information to the public. Their outreach strategy includes a variety of mechanisms—among them, a brochure, kiosks, and teacher training—to provide the

public with information about the Lake Access project. Elements of the project's

communication program are highlighted below.

Bringing together experts. As a first step, project coordinators brought

together a group of naturalists, museum officials, teachers, and other experts to

discuss ways to implement the Lake Access Project's outreach efforts. The group

identified target audiences, discussed the key points and messages that they felt

7 6 CHAPTER 6
needed to be communicated, the types of outreach products they thought should

be developed, and what mechanisms should be used to distribute the information.

Designing attractive, user-friendly brochures. The team developed an

attractive 2-page, 4-color brochure, entitled Seeing Below the Surface, which features basic, easy-to-follow information about the Lake Access project. The target

audience is the general public. A reproduction of the brochure is contained in

Appendix B.

Survey. Before moving further ahead with project outreach, the Lake Access

team needed to know how much general knowledge the public had about water

quality and land use issues in the Hennepin County area. To do so, they conducted a survey intended to help the team target its outreach efforts and tailor

products to be most useful to lake users and community residents. The survey

included a cover page that provided easy-to-understand information about the

Lake Access project, and it contained questions about lake use, level of concern

about lake water quality, interest in learning more about local lakes, and preferred

mechanisms for receiving Lake Access project information. Appendix C contains

the entire survey text.

Hennepin County Taxpayer Services provided the team with 450 randomly

selected addresses throughout the county. The team sent surveys to these addresses, along with a cover letter, the project brochure, and a postcard that residents

returned if they wanted to participate in a focus group. They sent the surveys out

again to those who did not initially respond, and in the end, approximately 40

percent of recipients completed the surveys. The survey results revealed a general

concern and curiosity about the lake, as well as interest in many aspects of water

quality.

Web site. The Lake Access Web site, http://www.lakeaccess.org, is the

Project's centerpiece for conveying time-relevant water quality data to the public.

The site is organized to present information to four target audiences: swimmers,

boaters, anglers, and land owners. Users can retrieve water quality data in various

forms, as well as background information on water quality. The site's design

includes a rolling banner that presents time-relevant information from the three

RUSS unit sites in Lake Minnetonka and Lake Independence. The Web site

includes an interactive GIS mapping capability (described in Chapter 5, Section

5.2) as well as other user-friendly features, such as a "Frequently Asked

Questions" page and a "What's New" page. 

In addition, one of the project's partners, Water on the Web (WOW),

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu, has created an interactive educational Web site with

National Science Foundation funding. The site provides teachers with online

lessons on water quality issues and provides high school and college students with

study guides on various water quality subjects.

Kiosks. The Lake Minnetonka Regional Parks Visitor's Center, the Eastman

Nature Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Great Lakes

Aquarium in Duluth have installed touch-screen computer kiosks that feature the

same information as the Lake Access project Web site. Kiosk users can access

time-relevant water quality data from the three Lake Access Project RUSS units.

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 7 7
Kiosks provide a mechanism for people without ready access to the Internet to

view the time-relevant data generated by the project.

Training teachers. The project team trained a group of local school teachers on

the RUSS unit and the project through a number of workshops, including a twoweek summer workshop held at the lake.

Piggybacking on existing events. The team found it simple and efficient to

promote the project in conjunction with pre-existing events. The team has found

that one of the most effective ways to reach a large number of people is to promote the project at local summer festivals, which attract large crowds.

7 8 CHAPTER 6

Developing the Lake Access Web Site

Experience Gained and Lessons Learned

The Lake Access Web site, http://www.lakeaccess.org, is the principal vehicle the Lake Access team uses

to disseminate the time-relevant water quality data gathered by the RUSS units. The site's development was

initiated through a partnership with Water on the Web, and for the most part, the same people were

involved in developing both sites. So by the time the Lake Access Project Web site was designed, many team

members had learned valuable lessons from their work on the Water on the Web site

(http://wow.nrri.umn.edu).

Team members started from scratch when they developed the Water on the Web site. Using Microsoft

FrontPage (a website development and management software tool), they designed and built the site's first

release and maintained it for 18 months. Eventually, the team decided to hire a graphic designer to help

"spruce up" some of the site's design features. Nine months later, they launched a completely redesigned

and rebuilt Water on the Web site. With many individuals working simultaneously to rebuild the structure

and content of the site, the team learned that they needed to frequently back up the site to another computer to avoid accidentally overwriting one another's content.

The team followed a very similar process to create the Lake Access Web site. They started with an initial

"shell" that has emerged into the full structure and content of the current site. The project team feels that

the best features of the site are the time-relevant data it conveys, the solid information base it provides,

including the limnological primer, and the data visualization tools it features. (These are described in detail

in Chapter 4.) Now that the Web site is fully up and running, the Lake Access Project team plans to add

"focused" studies to the site. In other words, the team plans to take portions of time-relevant and manually collected water quality data and, using data visualization tools, explain what lake activity the data are

illustrating and what they mean in the context of lake management. The team hopes that these focused

studies will help community members become more aware of the factors that affect lake water quality.

The Lake Access Project team recommends having a graphic designer on hand, if your project's resources

allow, from the onset of your Web site design and construction process. Using any number of Web-based

applications, an experienced Web designer can help you design, develop, and maintain a Web site that

most effectively communicates your time-relevant data and the associated messages you want to convey.
6.3 Resources for Presenting Water Quality 

Information to the Public

As you begin to implement your outreach plan and develop the products selected in the plan, you will want to make sure that these products present your messages and information as clearly and accurately as possible. You also might want

to review the available resources on the Internet to help you develop your outreach products, or serve as additional resource materials (e.g., fact sheets).

How Do You Present Technical Information to the Public?

Environmental topics are often technical in nature, and water quality is no exception. Nevertheless, this information can be conveyed in simple, clear terms to

nonspecialists, such as the public. Principles of effective writing for the public

include avoiding jargon, translating technical terms into everyday language the

public can easily understand, using the active voice, keeping sentences short, and

using headings and other format devices to provide a very clear, well-organized

structure. You can refer to the following Web sites for more ideas about how to

write clearly and effectively for a general audience: 

■ The National Partnership for Reinventing Government has developed a

guidance document, Writing User-Friendly Documents, that can be

found on the Web at http://www.plainlanguage.gov/.

■ The Web site of the American Bar Association

(http://www.abanet.org/lpm/writing/styl.html) has links to important

online style manuals, dictionaries, and grammar primers.

As you develop communication materials for a specific audience, remember to

consider what the audience members are already likely to know, what you want

them to know, and what they are likely to understand. Then tailor your information accordingly. Provide only information that will be valuable and interesting to

the target audience. For example, environmentalists in your community might be

interested in why dissolved oxygen levels are important to aquatic life. However,

it's not likely that school children will be engaged by this level of detail.

When developing outreach products, be sure to consider any special needs of the

target audience. For example, if your community has a substantial number of people who speak little or no English, you will need to prepare communication materials in their native language. 

The rest of this section contains information about online resources that can provide easy to understand background information that you can use in developing

your own outreach projects. Some of the Web sites listed contain products, such

as downloadable fact sheets, that you can use to support your education and outreach efforts.

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 7 9
Federal Resources

EPA's Surf Your Watershed

http://www.epa.gov/surf3/

EPA provides this service to locate, use, and share environmental information on

watersheds. One section of this site, "Locate Your Watershed," allows the user to

enter the names of rivers, schools, or their zip code to learn more about the water

resources in their local watershed. Users can also access the Index of Watershed

Indicators (IWI) from this site. The IWI is a compilation of information on the

"health" of aquatic resources in the U.S. The index uses a variety of indicators that

point to whether rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and coastal areas are "well" or

"ailing."

EPA's Office of Water Volunteer Lake Monitoring: A Methods Manual

http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/lake/

EPA developed this manual to present specific information on volunteer lake

water quality monitoring methods. It is intended both for the organizers of the

volunteer lake monitoring program and for the volunteer who will actually be

sampling lake conditions. Its emphasis is on identifying appropriate parameters to

monitor and setting forth specific steps for each selected monitoring method. The

manual includes quality assurance/quality control procedures to help ensure that

the data collected by volunteers are useful to States and other agencies. 

EPA's Non Point Source Pointers

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/facts/

This Web site features a series of fact sheets on nonpoint source pollution. The

series covers topics including: programs and opportunities for public involvement

in nonpoint source control, managing urban runoff, and managing nonpoint pollution from various sources (e.g., agriculture, boating, households).

EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office

http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/about.html

EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office Web site includes information about

topics such as human health, monitoring, pollution prevention, 

and visualizing the lakes. One section of this site

(http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/gl2000/lamps/index.html) includes the

Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) for each of the Great Lakes. A LaMP is an

action plan to assess, restore, protect and monitor the ecosystem health of a Great

Lake. It is used to coordinate the work of all the government, tribal, and non-government partners working to improve the Lake ecosystem. The program uses a

public consultation process to ensure that the LaMP is addressing the public's

concerns. LaMPs could be used as models to assist interested parties in developing similar plans for their lakes

8 0 CHAPTER 6
U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/quailty/frame/wqam/

Go to this site and click on "Guidance Documents." The resources there include

a simple tool to estimate water body sensitivity to nutrients, a procedure to evaluate the conditions of a stream based on visual characteristics, plus information

on how to design a monitoring system to observe changes in water quality associated with agricultural nonpoint source controls.

Education Resources

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers)

http://www.montana.edu/wwwwet/

The goal of Project WET is to facilitate and promote awareness, appreciation,

knowledge, and stewardship of water resources by developing and disseminating

classroom-ready teaching aids and establishing state and internationally sponsored

Project WET programs. This site includes a list of all the State Project WET

Program Coordinators to help you locate a contact in your area.

Water Science for Schools

http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu/index.html

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS's) Water Science for School Web site offers

information on many aspects of water quality, along with pictures, data, maps,

and an interactive forum where students can give opinions and test their water

knowledge. 

Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN)

http://www.earthforce.org/green/

The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) helps young

people protect the rivers, streams, and other vital water resources in their communities. This program merges hands-on, scientific learning with civic action.

GREEN is working with EcoNet to compile pointers on water-related resources

on the Internet. This site (http://www.igc.apc.org/green/resources.html)

includes a comprehensive list of water quality projects across the country and

around the world.

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA 8 1
Adopt-A-Watershed

http://www.adopt-a-watershed.org/about.htm

Adopt-A-Watershed is a K-12 school-community learning experience. Adopt-AWatershed uses a local watershed as a living laboratory in which students engage

in hands-on activities. The goal is to make science applicable and relevant to students' lives.

National Institutes for Water Resources

http://wrri.nmsu.edu/niwr/niwr.html

The National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is a network of 54 research

institutes throughout the U.S. They conduct basic and applied research to solve

water problems unique to their area and establish cooperative programs with local

governments, state agencies, and industry.

Other Organizations

North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) Guide to 

Local Resources

http://www.nalms.org/resources

This is a one-stop resource for local lake-related resources. NALMS's mission is

to forge partnerships among citizens, scientists, and professionals to foster the

management and protection of lakes and reservoirs. NALMS's Guide to Local

Resources contains links to state and provincial agencies, local offices of federal

agencies, extension programs, water resources research centers, NALMS chapters,

regional directors, and a membership directory.

The Watershed Management Council

http://watershed.org/wmc/aboutwmc.html

The Watershed Management Council is a nonprofit organization whose members

represent a broad range of watershed management interests and disciplines.

Membership includes professionals, students, teachers, and individuals whose

interest is in promoting proper watershed management.

Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)

http://www.great-lakes.net

The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) is a partnership that provides online information about the bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region of North

America. GLIN provides data about the region's environment, including issues

related to water quality, diversion of water out of the Great Lakes basin, and the

introduction of nonindigenous species and airborne toxins into the basin.

8 2 CHAPTER 6
APPENDIX A

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

A

Algae: Simple single-celled, colonial, or multi-celled aquatic plants. Aquatic

algae are (mostly) microscopic plants that contain chlorophyll and grow by photosynthesis. They absorb nutrients from the water or sediments, add oxygen to the

water, and are usually the major source of organic matter at the base of the food

web in lakes. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Algal blooms: Referring to excessive growths of algae caused by excessive 

nutrient loading. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Aluminum sulfate: A compound, Al2(SO4)

3, used in water purification and

sanitation that adsorbs phosphate and small silt and algal particles that settle to

the lake bottom.

Anoxia: Condition of being without dissolved oxygen (O2). (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Anoxic: Completely lacking in oxygen. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

B 

Baud: A unit of speed in data transmission equal to one bit per second.

Best Management Practices (BMPs): Methods that have been determined

to be the most effective, practical means of preventing or reducing pollution from

non-point sources.

Biofouling: The deterioration of instrumentation when it becomes covered with

organisms. For example, biofouling of the RUSS unit sensors occurs when algae,

bacteria, and/or fungi grow on the sensor while it is submerged in water beneath

the RUSS unit.

C 

Chlorophyll: Green pigment in plants that transforms light energy into chemical energy in photosynthesis. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Clarity: Transparency, or light penetration. Clarity is routinely estimated by the

depth at which you can no longer see a Secchi disk. The Secchi disk is a weighted metal plate 8 inches in diameter with alternating quadrants painted black and

white. The disc is lowered into water until it disappears from view. It is then raised

GLOSSARY OF TERMS A-1
until just visible. An average of the two depths, taken from the shaded side of the

boat, is recorded as the Secchi depth. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Clocker/ClockerPro: Software designed to schedule programs (or reminders)

to run at specified times (e.g., the upload and download of data from the RUSS

units).

Color Mapper: A data visualization tool that enables the user to map one

parameter as color contours and then overlay another variable over the color contours in the form of a line plot.

CONSOLE: Software that enables operation of a RUSS unit using a portable

computer in the field.

CTM: Cellular telephone modem. Can be used to transfer data from the RUSS

unit to the land-base station. 

D 

Depth versus Time (DxT) Profiler: A data visualization program that allows

users to display and analyze data in two or three dimensions. 

Dimictic: A type of lake that has two mixing periods, typically in spring and fall.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Dissolved oxygen (DO): The concentration of oxygen dissolved in water, usually expressed in milligrams per liter, parts per million, or percent of saturation (at

the field temperature). Adequate concentrations of dissolved oxygen are necessary

to sustain the life of fish and other aquatic organisms and prevent offensive odors.

DO levels are considered the most important and commonly employed measurement of water quality and indicator of a water body's ability to support desirable

aquatic life. Levels above 5 milligrams per liter (mg O2/L) are considered optimal

and most fish cannot survive for prolonged periods at levels below 3 mg O2/L.

Levels below 1 mg O2/L are often referred to as hypoxic and when O2 is totally

absent anoxic (often called anaerobic which technically means without air).

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Dissolved oxygen profile: A graph of the amount of dissolved oxygen per unit

depth, where the depth is on the z (vertical) axis and dissolved oxygen is on 

the x (horizontal) axis. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

DVT data visualization tools: A suite of four interactive data visualization

programs used by the Lake Access team to depict and manipulate water quality

profiles collected by RUSS units and from manual sampling, specifically, Lake

Access Live: Near Real-Time Display of Numeric Data; Profile Plotter; Color

Mapper; and Depth versus Time (DxT) Profiler.

A-2 APPENDIX A
E 

E. coli: A bacteria (Escherichia coli) normally found in the gastrointestinal tract

and existing as hundreds of strains, some of which can cause diarrheal disease. E.

coli can be a water-borne pathogen.

Electrical conductivity: A measure of the water's ability to conduct an electrical current based on its ion content. It is a good estimator of the amount of total

dissolved salts or total dissolved ions in water. The electrical conductivity in a lake

is influenced by many factors, including the watershed's geology, the watershed's

size in relation to lake's size, wastewater from point sources, runoff from nonpoint

sources, minor atmospheric inputs, evaporation rates, and some types of bacterial metabolism. Lake Access Project values are standardized to values that would

be measured at 25° C to correct for the effect of temperature. (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Epilimnion: The upper, wind-mixed layer of a thermally stratified lake. This

water is turbulently mixed throughout at least some portion of the day, and

because of its exposure, can freely exchange dissolved gases (such as O2 and CO2)

with the atmosphere. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Eutrophic lake: A very biologically productive type of lake due to relatively

high rates of nutrient input that cause high rates of algal and plant growth.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Eutrophication: The process by which lakes and streams are enriched by nutrients (usually phosphorus and nitrogen) which leads to excessive plant growth.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

F 

G 

Geographic Information System (GIS): A computer software and hardware

system that helps scientists and other technicians capture, store, model, display,

and analyze spatial or geographic information.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): A common format for image files,

especially suitable for images containing large areas of the same color.

Guano: A substance composed mostly of the dung of sea birds.

H 

Hypolimnion: The bottom, and most dense layer of a stratified lake. It is typically the coldest layer in the summer and warmest in the winter. It is isolated from

wind mixing and typically too dark for much plant photosynthesis to occur.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA A-3
I 

Inflow: Water flowing into a lake. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

J 

K 

L

Lake Access Live: Near Real-Time Display of Numeric Data: A data

visualization program used to provide near real-time data feeds, such as oxygen

level and temperature, to Web sites.

Lake profile: A graph of a lake variable per depth, where the depth is on the zaxis (vertical axis) and the variable is on the x-axis (horizontal axis). Depth is the

independent variable and the x-axis is the dependent variable. (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Limnology: The study of the life and phenomena of fresh water systems, especially lakes and ponds; freshwater ecology; a limnologist is to lakes as an oceanographer is to oceans.

M 

Metalimnion: The middle or transitional zone between the well mixed epilimnion and the colder hypolimnion layers in a stratified lake. This layer contains

the thermocline, but is loosely defined depending on the shape of the temperature profile. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Modem: A device that converts data from one form into another (e.g., to a form

useable in telephonic transmission).

Morphometry: Relating to the shape of a lake basin; includes parameters needed to describe the shape of the lake such as volume, surface area, mean depth,

maximum depth, maximum length and width, shoreline length, shoreline development, depth versus volume, and surface area curves. (Adapted from Water on

the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

A-4 APPENDIX A
N 

Nonpoint source: Diffuse source of pollutant(s); not discharged from a pipe;

associated with agricultural or urban runoff, contaminated groundwater flow,

atmospheric deposition, or on-site septic systems. (Adapted from Water on the

Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Nutrient loading: The discharge of nutrients from the watershed into a receiving water body (lake, stream, wetland). Expressed usually as mass per unit area per

unit time (kg/ha/yr or lbs/acre/year). (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.) 

O 

Organic: Substances that contain carbon atoms and carbon-carbon bonds.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Outflow: Water flowing out of a lake. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Outliers: Data points that lie outside of the normal range of data. (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

P 

Parameter: Whatever it is you measure—a particular physical, chemical, or biological property that is being measured. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

pH scale: A scale used to determine the alkaline or acidic nature of a substance.

The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1 being the most acidic and 14 the most basic.

Pure water is neutral with a pH of 7. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Phosphorus: Key nutrient influencing plant growth in lakes. Soluble reactive

phosphorus (PO4

-3) is the amount of phosphorus in solution that is available to

plants. Total phosphorus includes the amount of phosphorus in solution (reactive) and in particulate form. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants convert carbon dioxide

(CO2) dissolved in water to sugars and oxygen using sunlight for energy.

Photosynthesis is essential in producing a lake's food base and is an important

source of oxygen for many lakes. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

ppb: Parts-per-billion; equivalent to a microgram per liter (ug/l). (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

ppm: Parts-per-million; equivalent to a milligram per liter (mg/l). (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA A-5
Profile: A vertical, depth by depth characterization of a water column, usually at

the deepest part of a lake. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Profile Plotter: A data visualization tool that enables users to create static and

animated line plots of the profiles of lakes and other water bodies.

Profiler: A component of the RUSS unit that carries the water quality monitoring sensor to multiple depths within the water column beneath the RUSS Unit

flotation module. The profiler is controlled by the RePDAR unit. 

Q 

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). QA/QC procedures are

used to ensure that data are accurate, precise, and consistent. QA/QC involves

following established rules in the field and in the laboratory to ensure that samples are representative of the water you are monitoring, free from contamination,

and analyzed following standard procedures. 

R

RUSS-Base: Software that enables the user to remotely operate the RUSS unit

using a computer at the land-base station. RUSS-Base creates profile schedules of

sampling parameters and communicates with the RUSS unit via telemetry equipment to transmit schedules and receive sampling data.

Remote Underwater Sampling Station (RUSSTM): Monitoring equipment

used to remotely collect time-relevant water quality data. The RUSS unit, manufactured by Apprise Technologies, Inc., consists of a mobile underwater monitoring sensor tethered to a a buoy and featuring an onboard computer, batteries,

solar panels, telemetry equipment, and other optional monitoring equipment.

RePDAR (Remote Programming, Data Acquisition, and Retrieval) unit.

A component of the RUSS unit that allows for remote water quality monitoring

sensor operation, data storage, and data transmission. Each RePDAR unit contains a central processing unit (CPU), power supply charging controls, and

telemetry modules.

S

Secchi disk: A disk, typically 8 inches in diameter, divided into 4 equal quadrants of alternating black and white colors. (Some states use totally white Secchis.)

It is lowered into a section of shaded water until it can no longer be seen and then

lifted back up until it can be seen once again. Averaging the two depths gives a

measure of the water's clarity. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

A-6 APPENDIX A
Sedimentation: The process of settling inorganic and organic matter on the

lake bottom. This matter may have been produced within the lake or washed in

from the watershed. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Solubility: The ability of a substance to dissolve into another. (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Spring turnover: Period of complete or nearly complete vertical mixing in the

spring after ice-out and prior to thermal stratification. (Adapted from Water on

the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Stormwater discharge: Precipitation and snowmelt runoff from roadways,

parking lots, and roof drains that collects in gutters and drains; a major source of

nonpoint source pollution to water bodies. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Stratification: An effect where a substance or material is broken into distinct

horizontal layers due to different characteristics such as density or temperature.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Stratified: Separated into distinct layers. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Swimmer's itch: An itching inflammation of the skin caused by parasitic larval

forms of certain schistosomes that penetrate into the skin, occurring after swimming in infested water.

Substrate: Attachment surface or bottom material in which organisms can

attach or live within; such as rock substrate or sand or muck substrate, or woody

debris. (Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Suspended solids: (SS or Total SS [TSS]). Very small particles that remain distributed throughout the water column due to turbulent mixing exceeding gravitational sinking. (Adapted from Water on the Web at

http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

T

Telemetry: The science of automatic measurement and transmission of data by

wire, radio, or other methods from remote sources.

Temperature profile: A graph of the temperature per depth; where the depth

is on the z-axis (vertical axis) and temperature is on the x-axis (horizontal axis).

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Thermal stratification: Existence of a turbulently mixed layer of warm water

(epilimnion) overlying a colder mass of relatively stagnant water (hypolimnion) in

a water body due to cold water being denser than warm water coupled with the

damping effect of water depth on the intensity of wind mixing. (Adapted from

Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

COMMUNICATING TIME-RELEVANT WATER QUALITY DATA A-7
Thermocline: The depth at which the temperature gradient is steepest during

the summer; usually this gradient must be at least 1°C per meter of depth.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Topography: Configuration of physical surface of land; includes relief imprints

and locations of all man-made and natural features. (Adapted from Water on the

Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Total dissolved solids (TDS): The amount of dissolved substances, such as

salts or minerals, in water remaining after evaporating the water and weighing the

residue. (Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Turbidity: The degree to which light is blocked because water is muddy or

cloudy. (Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Turnover: Fall cooling and spring warming of surface water act to make density

uniform throughout the water column. This allows wind and wave action to mix

the entire lake. Mixing allows bottom waters to contact the atmosphere, raising

the water's oxygen content. However, warming may occur too rapidly in the

spring for mixing to be effective, especially in small sheltered kettle lakes.

(Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

U 

V 

W 

Water column: A conceptual column of water from lake surface to bottom sediments. (Adapted from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

Watershed: All land and water areas that drain toward a river or lake. (Adapted

from Water on the Web at http://wow.nrri.umn.edu/wow.)

X

Y

YSI multiprobe water quality sensor: The component of the RUSS unit,

manufactured by Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI), that is raised and lowered to

collect a water quality profile in specified intervals from the lake surface to the

lake bottom.

Z

A-8 APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B

LAKE ACCESS BROCHURE

LAKE ACCESS BROCHURE B-1

LAKE ACCESS BROCHURE B-3

Lake Data Comes Alive in Minnesota !

Thanks to technological advances, all of us, not

just scientists, can see below the surface!

Lake Access allows you to:

• Track daily changes on Lake Minnetonka and 

Lake Independence.

• Study how choices we make on the shoreline

and in the water affect the health of our 

lakes.

• Witness the way storms and seasonal changes 

mix lake water and impact fish and fishing.

• Gauge how our lakes have changed over time.

Lake Access was made possible by a two-year grant from

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EMPACT

(Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and

Community Tracking) initiative. Lake Access partners

include: Hennepin Parks, the Natural Resources Research

Institute, UM-Duluth Department of Education, University

of Minnesota Sea Grant, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed

District, Minnesota Science Museum, and Apprise

Technologies, Inc.

Lake Access cooperators welcome your comments and suggestions.

For more information contact: George Host, (218) 720-4264,

Natural Resources Research Institute, ghost@sage.nrri.umn.edu.

w w w. n r r i . u m n . e d u /e m p a c t

Seeing

Below the

Surface
B-4 APPENDIX B

Seeing Below the Surface

Remote Underwater Sampling System (RUSS)

units are the yellow platforms anchored in Lakes

Minnetonka and Independence. Beneath the 

platform, an underwater sensor package cycles

between the surface and the lake bottom to 

gather data on turbidity, acidity, conductivity,

dissolved oxygen, and temperature.

Transmitting Daily Data

Every six hours, RUSS units transmit the data

they have gathered to an on-shore base station

over a cellular phone.

Accessing Information

You can access the continual stream of data from

the RUSS units over the World Wide Web site:

www.nrri.umn.edu/empact. Soon, Lake Access

kiosks linked to the RUSS units will be constructed at Lake Minnetonka Regional Parks

Visitor’s Center,Richardson Nature Center, and

other locations around Minneapolis.

Understanding the Data

The Lake Access Web site and kiosks will contain

interactive tools and informational links that 

allow you to interpret easily data through maps,

graphics, and text.

Making a Difference

What you and resource professionals learn from

the RUSS units could change the way we manage our shorelines. Lake Access information may

encourage lakeshore owners to landscape with

more native plants and fewer chemicals. City 

planners may use RUSS information to develop

lake-friendly practices. You may decide how deep

to fish or when to swim based on the day’s data.

LAKE ACCESS
APPENDIX C

LAKE ACCESS SURVEY

LAKE ACCESS SURVEY C-1

LAKE ACCESS SURVEY C-3

west metro lake survey SEEING BELOW THE SURFACE OF LOCAL LAKES

This is a survey to find out your perceptions,

uses and ways you get information about your

local lakes. Please help us find the best way to

reach you with the facts you need to enjoy your

favorite West Metro lakes.

Do you know what is happening in your favorite lake?

We would like to tell you, but we don’t know the best

way to reach you and your neighbors. Please help us

by filling out the enclosed, 7-minute survey about your

use of West Metro lakes, your perceptions about their

“health,” and the best ways to reach you with new

information.

The goal of Lake Access is to provide you with timely,

accurate and understandable information about your

local lakes. We want to supply you with the facts you

need to make informed, day-to-day decisions about

your West Metro lakes.

Partners in this project include Minnesota Sea Grant,

Hennepin Parks, Natural Resources Research Institute,

University of Minnesota Duluth Department of

Education, Apprise Technologies Inc.,and the Minnehaha

Creek Watershed District. The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency funds Lake Access through their

Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and

Community Tracking Initiative.

We randomly selected your name as part of a small

group of people to complete this confidential survey.

We value your answers, time and privacy.

This is your chance to make Lake Access easily

available, understandable and useful to you and

your neighbors in the West Metro.

See the enclosed brochure and browse our Web site

at: http://www.nrri.umn.edu/empact.

Thank you in advance for your time and effort in

completing this survey.

return survey by november 22

WEST METRO RESIDENT:

WHAT IS LAKE ACCESS?

WHO ARE WE?

WHY YOU?

WHY FILL IT OUT?

FOR MORE INFORMATION
C-4 APPENDIX C

Lake water quality 

High

Medium

Low

Proper care of shoreline property

High 

Medium

Low

6

7

A B

Approximately how many days per year do you use lakes in 

the West Metro area? (see map)

0

1–5

6–10

11–20

>21

Please check the ONE West Metro lake you currently use most.

In your opinion, which THREE items have the greatest impact on water quality in the lake you currently use most?

Failing septic systems Damage to aquatic plants and lake bottom by watercraft

Aquatic plant removal Introduction of exotic species invasions (Eurasian water milfoil)

Shoreland plant removal Agricultural fertilizers and chemicals

Lawn fertilizers and chemicals Municipal waste water discharges

Urban, road or parking lot runoff Fuel leakage from motorized watercraft

Livestock manure Soil erosion from building or road construction sites

OTHER

Please check your impression below for the West Metro lake you currently use most.

Please mark your opinion below for the West Metro lake you currently use most.

How concerned are you about the quality of lakes and shoreland areas in the West Metro area? 

Very concerned

Somewhat concerned

Not concerned

Please estimate your level of general knowledge about the following subjects.

IF YOU DO NOT VISIT WEST METRO LAKES, PLEASE GO TO QUESTION 6.

survey

1

2

Auburn

Bryant

Christmas

Cleary

Eagle

Fish

Forest

Independence

Hyland

OTHER

Langdon

Libbs

Little Long

Long

Medicine

Minnetonka

Minnewashta

Parley

Rebecca

Sarah

Schutz

Spurzem

Steiger

Stone

Virginia

Waconia

Weaver

Zumbra

3

OVERALL BEAUTY/AESTHETIC VALUE

OVERALL HEALTH OF LAKE

QUALITY OF FISHING

EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR DON’T KNOW

5

NUMBER OF LAKE USERS

NUMBER OF CABINS/ HOMES

TOO FEW JUST ABOUT RIGHT TOO MANY DON’T KNOW

4

SPECIFY

SPECIFY
LAKE ACCESS SURVEY C-5

Are you interested in learning more about lakes in the West Metro area? 

Yes

No

Please check the item(s) you would like to learn more about West Metro lakes.

Would you use the Internet to learn more about West Metro lakes?

Yes

No

Please check the item(s) below that would make it worth your time to visit our Web site, http://www.nrri.umn.edu/empact.

Live camera coverage of lakeshore conditions

Information about the bacterial contamination of swimming beaches 

Current water temperature

Current dissolved oxygen levels 

Water clarity measurements

Regional weather

Weekly fishing reports

OTHER

I do not have computer access

Would you use an interactive kiosk to learn more about lakes in the West Metro area?

Yes

No

Please check the THREE most convenient locations for you to use a kiosk? 

Beach

Grocery store

Library

Mall

Museum

School

Visitor center

Boat launch 

OTHER

As new facts become available about West Metro lakes, which TWO ways would be most convenient for you to access in-depth news

and information about your lakes?

Classes/workshops

Interactive kiosk

Organizations

Internet

OTHER

Please check TWO ways you would most likely notice a brief announcement about West Metro lakes.

Signs St. Paul Pioneer Press

Public radio Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Commercial radio Other newspapers

Network television Newsletters

Cable television Magazines

Direct mail

8

9

Effects of weather on lakes

Fisheries

Control of algae

Control of aquatic plants

User conflict resolutions

Nutrient levels (nitrogen/phosphorus)

Change in water quality over time

Actions that improve lake water quality

Factors that influence lake water quality

Water conditions for swimming

Shoreland restoration with native plants

Basic understanding of how lakes work

Non-native plant control efforts

Real time lake measurements (oxygen 

profiles, mixing depths, lake temperature)

THE INTERNET IS AN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK THAT CONNECTS COMPUTER NETWORKS AND FACILITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

10

11

AN INTERACTIVE KIOSK IS AN INFORMATION BOOTH WITH A COMPUTER TOUCH SCREEN.

12

13

14

15

OTHER

PLEASE CONTINUE

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY
C-6 APPENDIX C

NO POSTAGE

NECESSARY

IF MAILED

IN THE

UNITED STATES

BUSINESS REPLY MAIL

FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 692 DULUTH, MN

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE

MINNESOTA SEA GRANT PROGRAM

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

2305 E 5 ST RM 208

DULUTH MN 55812–9953

SEQUENCE NUMBER

Do you care for a lawn?

Yes

No

Do you own/lease shoreland property?

Yes 

No

What is your zip code?

What is your gender? Female Male

What is your age group?

<25 

25–45 

45–65

>65

16

Have you ever had your soil tested?

Yes

No

A

B How many times per year do you add fertilizer?

0

1–2

3–4

>5

What do you do with your grass clippings and leaves?

Burn

Compost

Leave on lawn

Place in trash bin

Put in gutter 

OTHER

C

17

IF YES IF YES

What is the name of the lake where

you own or lease shoreland property?

A

B Which best describes your property at the edge of the water?

Concrete, steel or wood retaining wall

Mowed lawn

Natural landscape

Rock/rip-rap added for stabilization

Sand beach

OTHER

If you have a private septic system, how

frequently do you inspect and maintain it?

Once a year

1–3 years

>3 years

Do not know

C

18

19

20

THE NEXT SECTION OF THIS SURVEY WILL HELP US FIND GENERAL PATTERNS.

REMEMBER THAT YOUR ANSWERS ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO COMPLETE THIS SURVEY.

PLEASE TAPE THE SURVEY CLOSED AND DROP IN THE MAIL.

SPECIFY

SPECIFY

SPECIFY
2Printed on paper containing at least 

30% postconsumer recovered fiber.