Water Quality
Volunteers, DNR staff, county staff and others collect water clarity, temperature
and dissolved oxygen, as well as other water quality data, on lakes across Wisconsin.
Around 1,000 volunteers are currently active, and the network has been going strong
since 1986. Water clarity is measured with a black and white disk called a "Secchi
Disk".
Satellite images are used to predict water clarity in lakes across the state. This
effort began in 1999 when the University of Wisconsin- Madison Remote Sensing Center
developed a model, using on-the-ground volunteer Secchi data to calibrate the model
for each satellite image. Water clarity information was obtained on over 8,000 lakes
statewide between 1999-2001. The DNR continues to analyze data in this way today.
You can learn more at Lakesat.org [exit DNR].
Fast Facts
- Summer water clarity was the best on Black Oak Lake in Vilas County (36 feet), Stormy
Lake in Vilas County (27 feet) and Maiden Lake in Oconto County (25 feet) in 2011.
- 925 volunteers monitored water quality at over 814 monitoring stations in 2010.
- 65 lakes are monitored each year by DNR staff through the Long-Term Trends Monitoring
effort.
Last Revised:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012