Comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring Program
The northern tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan contains some of the most pristine and healthy surface waters in the world. The high quality of the lakes and rivers reflect the largely natural state of the watersheds to which they pertain. Continuous non-disturbed terrestrial ecosystems, commonplace in Northern Michigan due to expansive areas of protected lands combined with sparse human settlement, are the foundation of the healthy aquatic ecosystems typical of the area. Land-cover statistics (for 2000), as determined by the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program, show that human impact remains low in the region with but 2.5% developed and 9.5% cultivated. However, US Census Bureau statistics reveal a gradual, yet steady population increase. In the last forty years the number of inhabitants in the northern counties of the Lower Peninsula has doubled and is expected to increase at even greater rates. This trend of increasing human populations and resultant landscape development stresses the need for monitoring the precious and valuable aquatic resources of the region.
The Comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring Program was launched by Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in 1987, with subsequent field data collection in 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Initially, physical and chemical data were collected on 10 lakes but the program has progressively expanded and, as of the 2004 field season, includes 54 sample sites on 47 lakes and rivers. Typically, data for nine parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, clarity, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, and chloride) are collected at the surface, middle and bottom of the water column in each water body. This highly-accurate water quality data for lakes and rivers in Northern Michigan, collected consistently for the last 17 years, have been compiled into a single database that can be used by staff to evaluate aquatic ecosystem health, examine trends within or among water bodies, and identify specific problems.
The water quality data is now available to the general public via this interactive web page. The map below displays all water bodies sampled in Northern Michigan by Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. Simply click on a sampling location (represented by star symbols) to view all Watershed Council water quality data archives pertaining to that site. The entire database can be downloaded by clicking on the link above the map. Furthermore, reports
that include data from this program for select lakes in our service area
can be viewed by clicking here. We hope that the information made available via this web page can be used by Watershed Council members, water resource professionals, and other concerned individuals to further our common goal of protecting the water resources in Northern Michigan. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact our Monitoring and Research Coordinator, Kevin Cronk, at extension 109.
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