The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the release of the Wisconsin Water Explorer, a web-based tool that can help Wisconsin residents address concerns about the quality of water in their local lakes or rivers.
Answering water quality questions requires sophisticated computer software and extensive datasets. The Wisconsin Water Explorer tool makes scientific data analysis accessible to the public by automating the process of finding and analyzing data. The tool provides insights into current conditions and trends through graphs, maps and automated reports.
The Wisconsin Water Explorer tool also consolidates several water quality tools into one platform. For example, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network volunteers can now access and share automated annual reports summarizing data from their respective lakes.
Paul Skawinski, statewide educator for the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network, appreciates the Wisconsin Water Explorer tool’s ease of use.
“Both volunteers and staff use Wisconsin Water Explorer to quickly generate and download PDF reports and graphs to understand how a lake’s water quality has changed over time. It’s very easy to print these files or share them with other interested people around the lake,” Skawinski said.
The Wisconsin Water Explorer includes an updated version of the Wisconsin Lake Modeling Suite to help non-technicians analyze whether a lake adheres to water quality standards, identify likely sources of pollution and determine the necessary level of improvement for restoration.
The new tool is available on the Wisconsin Water Explorer webpage.
Those interested in participating in water quality monitoring in their area are encouraged to join the DNR’s Citizen Lake Monitoring Network or Water Action Volunteers or to reach out to their local water quality biologist.
For additional information regarding water quality activities at the DNR, visit the Water Quality Bureau’s Surface Water webpage.
