Level 2 Citizen Stream Monitoring

Initially piloted in 2006, this program brings citizens to the next step in stream monitoring from the Water Action Volunteers program.  The pilot is sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and the River Alliance of Wisconsin with support from the University of Wisconsin-Extension. At this level, citizens are trained to use Department of Natural Resources’ methods for monitoring streams.  Dissolved oxygen, pH and transparency are monitored monthly between April and October on pre-determined dates.  Continuous temperature monitoring devices, called thermistors (e.g., HOBOs or TidBits) are placed in the stream and record temperature every hour until they are removed from the stream and data are downloaded to a computer.  Meters for monitoring pH and dissolved oxygen must be calibrated by the citizen monitors on each sampling day.  Due to the high cost of equipment for this level of monitoring, citizen groups share equipment, thus providing as much data as possible in a given area.

Participating Groups
In 2006 14 citizens’ groups participated in Level 2 Stream Monitoring; the same number of groups is participating in 2007.  This amounted to just over 100 citizens taking part in the effort.  The majority of these participants had been involved in stream monitoring either through the Water Action Volunteers’ Program or through another citizen-based water monitoring program. They monitored 120 stream sites, working in teams to lighten the workload for each individual.

2006 Pilot Project Report
Level 2 Citizen Stream Monitoring was conducted as a pilot effort in 2006 to assess the financial and staffing costs needed to operate the program, to determine how successful citizens could be at monitoring streams using Department of Natural Resources’ methodologies,  and to determine if sustaining the project long term was a worthwhile and feasible goal. A final report on the pilot effort was developed. View report >> (255 KB pdf).

Additional Resources for Volunteers
How to get your own SWIMS user name and login (299 KB pdf)
Enter the SWIMS Database

 

Monitoring Documents

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