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Water quality data collected by volunteers can be used to help assess rivers in Wisconsin. The DNR recently put out a call for available water quality data to help develop the 2010 Impaired Waters List, a Clean Water Act requirement which lists waters not meeting one or more water quality standards. Despite the DNR’s request for additional data, people participating in Level 2 of the Citizen Based Stream Monitoring program do not need to send their data in. Volunteer monitors place their data directly into the DNR’s database, so data are automatically made available for purposes just like these.
 The DNR’s screening of waters for the Impaired Waters List process will be based on biological assessment (i.e. macroinvertebrate), and the citizen-collected data will be used as supporting information.
River Alliance of Wisconsin has pushed for the use of citizen-collected data in management decisions, and since 2006, we have helped administer the Citizen Based Stream Monitoring program in partnership with the DNR and UW-Extension. One of the main goals of the program is to collect data useable in management decisions. This field season, about 175 volunteers are collecting information on dissolved oxygen, pH, transparency, and temperature.
For more information on the DNR’s 2010 assessment of surface waters, go to:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/condition/2010_Data.htm
The national non-profit River Network dedicated its May 2009 newsletter to urban rivers and featured the work of the River Alliance and the Root River Council in revitalizing the Root River in Racine. Read the excerpted article written by River Alliance's Helen Sarakinos. To see the full contents of the latest issue of River Network's quarterly newsletter, River Voices, click here.
 Summer is just around the corner, and the River Alliance again is hosting a great slate of river-focused events. We still are offering some of the great paddling and hiking events we have in past years, but in addition, we've added an extended overnight paddle on the Menominee and a trip to Wisconsin's newest Wild River, the Brunsweiler. Why travel to distant locals when you can plan a whole summer's full of "staycations" on Wisconsin's beautiful rivers? Just click here for more information or to register for one (or all?) of these great river trips!
(Note: The Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee event is sold out. See the event page for more information.)
You can also register online at:
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Click on the above map to learn more about dam removal in Wisconsin and here for more information on the River Alliance's Dams Program.
If only we had a penny for every Internet search...now we can!
Shopping at online businesses like Amazon, Target, Orbitz, Netflix and Wine.com benefits Wisconsin’s rivers.
Giveandshop.com is a safe, secure site that connects charities with retailers. After shopping, 50% of the commission goes to support Wisconsin’s flowing waters at NO additional cost to you.
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