Project Detail

Citizen Water Level Monitoring - Axhandle Lake - Chippewa County

Purpose

Record low water levels in some areas of Wisconsin affect both the health and recreation of lakes. In some inland lakes, low water levels have stranded nearshore habitat, left piers hundreds of feet from shore and rendered boat landings unusable. To address the growing concern for lake health brought on by drought, changing climate, and groundwater withdrawals, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension have developed a citizen-based, statewide lake-level monitoring effort.

Objective

Citizen volunteers will record lake levels once a week on the same day (e.g. every Monday) at approximately the same time of day under calm conditions. For each monitoring event, a visual reading of the lake level should be recorded on the datasheet and a photograph of the water level on the staff gage should be taken and submitted to the statewide coordinator or uploaded to SWIMS as part of the quality assurance process. Volunteers will enter their field data into the SWIMS database following each survey so that extreme water level changes (> 4/10ft in one week) can be documented as soon as possible. In addition to the water level reading, the bubble levels attached to the staff gage will be checked to verify that the staff gage has not shifted since the previous monitoring activity.

Outcome

Citizen volunteers lake level measurements by visually reading a staff gage, which is scale (made out of enameled steel and marked in feet and tenths) placed in the lake bed to show the elevation of the water surface. The staff gage is calibrated by referencing the numbered height on the gage to the surveyed elevation of the water surface at the time of installation (Harrelson et al., 1994). Volunteers will also enter their lake level data into the Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System (SWIMS) database. Trained professionals will install the staff gage and perform all surveys (following installation, mid-season, and at removal) of the staff gage. They will also be responsible for removing the gage and entering all survey data into SWIMS each year.

Project Type

Citizen Lake Monitoring

Project Sub Type

Water Level Monitoring

Project ID

CLMN-WaterLev-2092500

Year Started

2015

Status

Active

Reports and Documents

Axehandle Lake, Chippewa County

Axhandle Lake is a 86 acre lake located in Chippewa County. It has a maximum depth of 72.5 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from public boat landings. Fish include Panfish, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. The lake's water is moderately clear.

Activities & Recommendations

Monitor Water Level

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension have developed a citizen-based, statewide lake-level monitoring effort.

Watershed

Waters

Purpose

Objective

Outcome

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