The Waupaca Chain O’ Lakes District (WCOLD) is developing a real time water monitoring program to supplement the WIS DNR CLMN (Citizen Lake Monitoring Network) program.
Both programs target the collection of data that is used to document changes in the health of the lakes and help determine if actions are needed to protect the excellent water quality of the Chain.
There are several potential long terms risks to watch.
University of Wisconsin studies suggest that over the next few decades Wisconsin will become a much warmer state (see here). Warmer weather year round impacts rainfall, amount of ice on the lakes, how long ice is on the lakes, plant (algae) growing season, and much more.
High capacity pumping - 100,000 gallon per day or more (to learn more click here)
Land usage around the Chain.
Today, the Wis DNR has three local citizen volunteers collecting data on three Chain lakes and entering it into the Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System (SWIMS) data base four times per year.
Data are collected on water visibility, temperature profiles, phosphorus levels, and chlorophyll levels. This monitoring has been ongoing for more than a decade, and analyses of these data have resulted in the Wisconsin DNR giving Chain Water an excellent rating.
You can see the results on the Wisconsin Surface Water (WEX) Website here
Starting in 2025, an additional study by local volunteers will use a real time monitoring system to enhance data collection and look into trends that might affect water quality.
Water sensors are being installed at four locations to measure temperature, water depth, inflows and outflow, and rainfall. The data will help the Waupaca Chain Lake District (WCOLD) analyze the relative contribution of rainfall, groundwater springs, and streams flowing into the Chain and water outflow through the Crystal River.
This information is important because the Chain water is renewed on a constant basis from the groundwater springs and runoff from the lake watershed.
Questions the data will help answer include:
Are the sources of water steady, decreasing, or increasing?
If the flow is decreasing, does the lake temperature increase, potentially resulting in more plant growth?
Other lakes in Wisconsin have water-quality problems and this new monitoring program will help determine if the Chain is at risk for the same problems.
The WCOLD water monitoring team leader, Art Hallstrom, P.E., works with his team to install the equipment when the lakes are free of ice and in late fall they collect it before the lakes freeze.
HOBO sensors gather data on water temperature, water level, barometric pressure, and precipitation every half an hour, and this information will be accessible on the WCOLD and Waupaca Chain Association (WCOLA) websites. The sensors are expected to be placed at the Crystal River, Beasley Creek, Edmonds Creek, and Indian Crossing Bridge locations.
This is the HOBO Transmitter. Connects to water sensor
This is a communications hub on its support tube
Below is an example of HOBO sensor output. With data like this, folks going down the Crystal River could easily check the river temperature and water flow before starting the trip.
The WCOLD’s real-time monitoring program is an exciting proactive step toward preserving the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes' water quality.
Written by: ART HALLSTROM P.E.
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Waupaca Chain O'Lakes Association
Stewardship and Resources Committee
Chair(s): Julie Mazzoleni, Fawn Johnson