Name of presenter Date of presentation

 To help preserve and protect Wisconsin’s over 15,000 lakes and 86,000 miles of rivers.

Educate citizens about the status of our water

Obtain water resource data useful for DNR and local decision-making

Advocate for management and protection of our water

 Characterize a stream or region  Assess long-term water quality trends  More data on streams for state and federal reporting  Assess potential of streams to support trout  Restoration

 Water temperature  Transparency  Macroinvertebrates  Habitat  Dissolved Oxygen  Stream Flow

 Continuous temperature  pH  Dissolved Oxygen  Transparency

 Varies among projects  Projects have included:  E. coli monitoring  Crayfish survey  Treatment plant outfall thermal assessment  Specific conductance and chloride  Phosphorus  Stream flow methods comparison  Other research projects with DNR biologists

Warmer water holds less oxygen than cold water Dissolved Oxygen is necessary for all plants and animals. Lower levels can cause death or distress to animals. Turbid or cloudy water hinders light penetration necessary for plant growth and production of dissolved oxygen. Turbid or cloudy water heats up faster Transparency or Water Clarity can be a useful indicator of runoff from construction sites, industrial discharges & other sources Temperature change affects all aquatic life Source: Gatzke/Shaw

 Temperature  Number of sites  Frequency of collection

 Turbidity can affect: – Sight feeders – Water temperature – Plant growth (therefore oxygen production)

 12, Plant growth hindered  8-20, Brook trout use more energy to find food; decline in distance over which they can detect prey  15-30, Decline in distance over which rainbow trout can detect prey  30-60, Decline in distance over which bluegill can detect prey  25, Salmonid gills irritated, ability to find food declines; perch growth & foraging declines  40, Brook trout growth rates decline, increase in macroinvertrbrates floating freely downstream

n =10,814

 D.O. levels below 2 mg/L generally don’t support aquatic life  D.O. below 4 or 5 mg/L won’t support life for long.  D.O. above 7 mg/L is preferable for trout

 10 samples below 6 in 20 streams in six counties (Adams, Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Price and Wood)  12 samples above 9 in eight streams in seven counties (Adams, Douglas, Eau Claire, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Price)

 A way to rate water quality based on organisms that live in the water.  How Healthy is the Stream?  Excellent, 3.6+  Good,  Fair,  Poor,

 The volume of water moving past a cross- section of stream over a set period of time  Measured in CFS= cubic foot per second  Defines the shape, size, and course of the stream

SiteOverall Median Flow 2008 Median Flow Catlin at A33.2 Eau Claire Mooney Eau Claire up Confl Park Creek1.61.7

 Riparian zone (stream edge)  Vegetation  Stream bank condition  Substrate (stream bottom)  Rocky vs. soft  Water characteristics  Pools, riffles, and runs

 What skills to you need?  Interest in monitoring  Able to walk along stream banks & enter water  Enjoy the outdoors!

 Attend annual training in spring  Field & classroom  Monthly data collection  Enter data online  Share equipment with others  Collect & return temperature loggers in fall

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