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Water Condition Viewer

Launch Water Condition Viewer


The Water Condition Viewer (WCV) is an interactive mapping tool that focuses on water condition, monitoring, assessment and management data. Data includes Clean Water Act, Monitoring Projects, Healthy Watersheds Assessments, Targeted Watershed Assessments, Wastewater Evaluation, Watershed Planning, County Land and Water Plans, Nine Key Element Plans and more. All datasets from specialized themes are available from this main, general set of layers.

  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [PDF]
    FAQ related to the Surface Water Data Viewer and Water Condition Viewer. This document can also be accessed directly from within the viewer, under the "Additional Resources" tab.

Themes

Monitoring Stations and Projects

The Monitoring Stations and Projects theme shows the locations, stations and tools used in monitoring projects in Wisconsin. This theme also provides the Targeted Watershed Site Selection Tool (TWSST) to support decision making for monitoring study design. The TWSST helps biologists select appropriate sites for monitoring in Targeted Watershed Assessment projects.

More about TWSST

TWSST is a watershed-scale classification system that groups stream reaches according to a variety of stream channel and landscape-level physical characteristics. The physical characteristics in the classification system were selected to incorporate both natural and anthropogenic factors with demonstrated relationships with water quality and aquatic biota. These characteristics include land cover, soils, slope, streamflow volume and water temperature.

The TWSST model can be used to aid in setting up an efficient monitoring design in a watershed where very little known information exists on waterbody condition. The model can also be used on previously collected data to determine the spatial extent on a stream network that a particular monitoring location represents.

The output from the TWSST includes maps of the stream groups, narrative interpretations of each stream group and summary statistics of stream characteristics within groups. These results are available as summary reports for each watershed and as interactive map layers in DNR's WCV. This provides staff and biologists a readily accessible way to visualize landscape changes in targeted watersheds alongside a variety of other data layers relevant to the monitoring site selection process.

Wastewater Evaluation

The Wastewater Evaluation theme displays outfalls, variance permit sites, "variance" water quality standards waters and all other water quality standards. In addition, the state's impaired waters, O/ERW waters and trout waters are shown.

Monitoring, Assessments and Planning

The Monitoring, Assessments and Planning theme highlights projects and layers needed to integrate resource information, condition decisions and specific actions needed to restore aquatic health.

Healthy Watersheds Assessment

The Healthy Watersheds Assessment theme displays the results of Wisconsin's analysis of watershed condition and potential restoration indices, created in conjunction with the EPA. For more information, contact Kristi Minahan.