Project Detail

Richland Creek at Byers Road

Purpose

The Water Action Volunteers Program (WAV) involves citizen monitors in the collection of stream water quality data that may be used by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and their partner organizations. Program goals include building relationships between DNR staff and citizen monitors while assessing streams in need of additional monitoring, restoration, and/or protection. Ultimately, volunteer participation increases capabilities of the DNR and communities to monitor streams, providing water quality information that may be used to make decisions that affect the management of streams throughout Wisconsin.

Objective

The main goal of the WAV program is to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s streams and the lakes to which they are connected. Objectives of the program are to educate and empower citizens to share their data, to obtain high quality data useful for DNR decision-making, and to encourage data and knowledge sharing. The process of data collection by Wisconsin residents enhances their understanding of water quality parameters, and in many cases, interests them in assisting with more sophisticated projects, including the collection of additional biological, chemical, and physical site data. Ultimately, a goal is that DNR staff trust volunteer data results, and therefore utilize WAV data to assist in making management decisions.

Study Design

Volunteer stream monitors assess water quality parameters identified in the DNR’s Water Resources Monitoring Strategy for Wisconsin. Volunteers may identify their own sampling locations. In some instances, WAV Coordinators, DNR, or county staff may recommend sites based on the need to acquire status or trends information, or other types of monitoring that are priorities. In general, volunteers are asked to monitor from May through October. Advanced volunteers choose primary (P) and secondary (S) sampling dates in advance and note on their data sheets which of those dates they monitored. Volunteers are asked to sample on the primary date unless there are safety concerns about being at the stream site (e.g., tornado, lightning, dangerously high flows) or a personal or family emergency. The goal is to monitor at the same time each month, about 30 days after the last monitoring visit. Volunteers are instructed to enter data into the Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System (SWIMS) database by the end of each month and to immediately report extreme conditions that may be hazardous to aquatic life to their local DNR or County biologist. Parameters measured monthly include: dissolved oxygen (concentration), dissolved oxygen (saturation), streamflow, transparency, temperature (instantaneous and/or continuous measurements), and sometimes pH. In addition, macroinvertebrates (Biotic Index) are assessed twice per year and habitat conditions are assessed once per year. Some volunteers monitor specific conductance, chloride, total phosphorus, E. coli, or other parameters.

Project Type

Citizen Based Stream Monitoring

Project Sub Type

Volunteer Monitoring

Project ID

CBSM-10044917

Year Started

2099

Status

Active

Reports and Documents

202010Richland upstream

202010Richland downstream

202010Richland testsite

202009Richland testsite

202009Richland upstream

202009Richland downstream

202008Richland downstream

202008Richland upstream

202008Richland testsite

202007Richland downstream

202007Richland testsite

202007Richland upstream

202006Richland testsite

202006Richland downstream

202006Richland upstream

202005Richland upstream

202005Richland testsite

202005Richland downstream

202004Richland upstream

202004Richland testsite

202004Richland downstream

201910richland testsite

201910richland upstream

201910richland downstream

201909richland downstream

201909richland testsite

201909richland upstream

201908richland upstream

201908richland downstream

201908richland testsite

201907richland testsite

201907richland downstream

201907richland upstream

201906richland upstream

201906richland testsite

201906richland downstream

201905richland upstream

201905 boydtown downstream

201905 boydtown testsite

201905richland testsite

201905richland algae

201905 richland creek algae growth more abundant than usual

201905richland downstream

201810RichlandUpstream

201810 Richland Upstream after heavy rains

201810RichlandTestsite

201810 Richland Testsite after heavy rains

201810WAVcoordinator

201810 WAV coordinator brings tea after testing at Richland!

201810RichlandDownstream

201810 Richland Downstream after heavy rains

201809RichlandTestSite

201809 View RichlandTestSite

201809RichlandUpstream

201809 View RichlandUpstream

201809RichlandDownstream

201809 View RichlandDownstream

201808RichlandDownsteam

201808 view RichlandDownsteam

201808RichlandUpstream

201808 View RichlandUpstream

201808RichlandTestSite

201808 View RichlandTestSite

201807RichlandDownstream

201807 View RichlandDownstream

201807RichlandUpstream

201807 View RichlandUpstream

201807RichlandTestSite

201807 View RichlandTestSite

201806RichlandUpstream

201806RichlandDownstream

201806RichlandTestingSite

201805RichlandCreekUpstream

201805RichlandCreekTestSite

201805RichlandCreekDownstream

201804RichlandUpstream

201804 View RichlandUpstream

201804RichlandDownstream

201804 View RichlandDownstream

201804RichlandTestSite

201804 View RichlandTestSite

201710 RichlandUpstreamErosion

201710RichlandUpstreamErosion at Byers, erosion and stream meander upstream of test site

201710 RichalndDownstream

201710RichalndDownstream at Byers

201710 RichlandTestsite

201710RichlandTestsite at Byers

201710 RichlandUpstream

201710RichlandUpstream at Byers

201709 RichlandUpstream

201709RichlandUpstream at Byers

201709 RichlandTestsite

201709RichlandTestsite at Byers

201709 RichlandDownstream

201709RichlandDownstream at Byers

201708 RichlandUpstream

201708RichlandUpstream at Byers

201708 RichlandTestsite

201708RichlandTestsite at Byers

201708 RichlandDownstream

201708RichlandDownstream at Byers

201707 Richland Cr at Byers Rd downstream

201707 Richland Cr at Byers Rd upstream

201707 Richland Cr at Byers Rd testing site

201706 Richland Cr at Byers

201706 Richland Cr at Byers testing site

201706 Richland Cr at Byers upatream good

201706 Richland Cr at Byers upstream (this is the correct photo - the other named for this date is May)

201706 Richland Cr at Byers downstream

201706 Richland Creek at Byers Rd upstream

June 2017 Richland Creek at Byers Rd upstream from testing site

201705 Richland Creek at Byers Rd testing site

May 2017 Richland Creek at Byers Rd testing site

201705 Richland Creek at Byers Rd downstream

Richland Creek at Byers Rd looking downstream from testing site

2017 May Richland Creek at Byers Rd

May 2017 Richland Creek at Byers Rd entrance marker. NOTE - photo titled 201706 Richland Creek at Byers Rd upstream should be 201705

Activities & Recommendations

Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring

Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.

Watershed

Knapp Creek

Waters

Richland Creek

Monitoring Data

Purpose

Objective

Study Design

Related Reports