How can I find information on surface water chemistry for Wisconsin waters?

Answer: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center, and STORET (short for STOrage and RETrieval). Both systems contain raw biological, chemical, and physical data on surface and ground water collected by federal, state and local agencies, Indian Tribes, volunteer groups, academics, and others. All 50 States, territories, and jurisdictions of the U.S., along with portions of Canada and Mexico, are represented in these systems. It is used by state environmental agencies, EPA and other federal agencies, universities, private citizens, and many others.

Legacy Data Center

The Legacy Data Center, or LDC, contains historical water quality data dating back to the early part of the 20th century and collected up to the end of 1998. The data the Wisconsin DNR has collected on surface water chemistry for the last 25 years can be found in the Legacy Data Center. You can access the Legacy Data Center on EPA's Web site at: Legacy Data Center [exit DNR].

STORET

STORET contains data collected beginning in 1999, along with older data that has been properly documented and migrated from the LDC. Please note that the Wisconsin DNR is still adding data to STORET. Most of the data from 1999 and 2000 is now found in STORET. Data from 2001 and 2002 is not yet available. You can access STORET on EPA's Web site at: STORET [exit DNR].

To learn more about the LDC and STORET, please access EPA's Web site [exit DNR].

For more information, please contact: STORET@EPA.GOV, (800) 424-9067.

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional information on Wisconsin fishing, (e.g., maps, fish consumption advisories), please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions.