Wl Network Wdnr Lakes Team Feb4 2010

The Need for a Statewide Lake Water-Level Monitoring Network

Paul F. Juckem, Dale M. Robertson,and William J. Rose

Lakes Partnership Team Meetings.Feb. 3-4, 2010Westin, WI

Clear Lake, Rock County, November 26, 2008

Shell Lake

Fish Lake

Anvil Lake

Historical Water Levels

Historical Water Levels

Are the fluctuations natural or anthropogenic?

Anvil Lake

Shell Lake

Fish Lake

3 billion gallon diversion

Historical Water Levels

Are the fluctuations natural or anthropogenic?

Anvil Lake

Shell Lake

Fish Lake

3 billion gallon diversion

How has lake water quality responded to fluctuations?

What are the best management options (diversion, alum, septic pumping)?

Statewide Lake Water-Level Monitoring Network:

Objectives:• Establish a long-term lake-level monitoring network to

evaluate trends/cycles in various regions of the state. Emphasis will be on relatively natural seepage lakes, which are most responsive and can give indications of regional changes in climate and hydrology.

• Establish baseline conditions for environmental studies and comparison with short-term results.

• Provide information to increase the understanding of different lake hydrologic systems and how they respond to climatic drivers.

• Provide a framework and protocols for facilitating lake water level monitoring by citizen volunteers through the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN) program.

Requirements of a proper monitoring station:

Coordination and Consistency:• Water levels must be read in a consistent manor

throughout the year.• Levels must be run from the gauge to an immovable

datum, so levels remain consistent from year to year.• Reference points must be established in case the datum

is destroyed.• A history must be maintained of how a new datum

relates to a prior datum.

Challenges to Water Level Monitoring:

• Anticipating annual trends….

Challenges to Water Level Monitoring:

• Keeping track of a datum….

Challenges to Water Level Monitoring:

• Keeping track of a datum….

Challenges to Water Level Monitoring:

• Keeping track of a datum….

Which Water Level is Correct?W

ater

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Anvil Lake Datum History:

Which Water Level is Correct?W

ater

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Statewide Lake Water-Level Monitoring Network:

Next steps:• Choose a core set of lakes:

– Historical data– Natural hydrologic drivers– Representative distribution across the state

Shell

Anvil

DevilsFish

Lake TypeSeepage LakeDrainage LakeAltered (diversion, augmentation)

Lakes with early water level records in the USGS databaseLong

Beaver Pine

Bear

Emily

Cedar

De Neveu

Fish

Ripley

Long

LittleGreen

Morgan

Pickerel

Pine Wheeler

Silver

Turtle

Amnicon

Big

Bone

Browns

Connors

EagleKoshkonong

North

Mendota &Monona

McKenzie

Rib

Winnebago

Yellow

Boot

Irogami

Anvil

Lake TypeSeepage Lake

Lakes with early water level records in the USGS database

Long

Beaver Pine

Bear

Emily

Cedar

De Neveu

FishLong

LittleGreen

Morgan

Pickerel

Pine Wheeler

Silver

North

Boot

Irogami

Statewide Lake Water-Level Monitoring Network:

• Next steps:• Choose a core set of lakes.• Identify local observers.• Establish datums / verify historical datums.• Install and survey water level gauges.• Develop a protocol for data collection, reporting

and data archiving

Phase Two:• Link these index lakes to Citizen Lake

Monitoring lakes

Water Level Plot

Questions?

Little St.Germain

Whitefish

Shell

SilverKirby

Lac du Flambeau

Delavan

Geneva

Pike

RedCedarLake St. Croix

Muskellunge

McCook

Devils

Clara

Dead PikeLittle RockLac Courte

Oreilles

FishCrystal

Graber

Powers

Green

Whitewater,Rice

Lauderdale

Primary Areas of StudyNutrient Budgets / EutrophicationWater Level / EutrophicationAeration / EutrophicationPesticides / Trace MetalsHydrologyGroundwater

Balsam

Fowler

Wind

Detailed Lake Studies Conducted by the U.S Geological Survey

Cedar

Cedar

MinocquaLTER

Mercer

E. EightmileRound

Tracking a Datum History:The first lake stage

Datum height = 100ft

Staff reading = 0.10ft

Official lake stage = 95.10 ft

Offset = -5.00ft

Tracking a Datum History:The WL & Staff Gauge Move

Datum height = 100ft

Staff reading = 0.24ft

Official lake stage = 94.24ft

Offset = -6.00ft

Tracking a Datum History:The Original Datum is Lost

How to tie the new and historical stages?Need to measure the offset betweenthe old datum and new datum beforethe original datum is lost.