With more than 92,000 miles of streams and over 12,000 lakes in Minnesota, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Volunteer Water Monitoring Program is gearing up for the 51st season of lake and stream water clarity monitoring across the state.  We at the DNR are excited to support the MPCA in these efforts and hope you will too!

Join today in tracking the health of our waters.

How does it work?

Volunteers conduct a simple water clarity test in a lake or stream at least twice a month during the summer.   

Lake volunteers:

• Can monitor any Minnesota lake.
• Need access to watercraft such as a canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or motorboat.
• Use a Secchi disk attached to a calibrated rope (provided by the MPCA) to measure water clarity. Simply lower the Secchi disk into the lake and record the depth when it disappears.
• Record readings and observations on the physical and recreational conditions of the lake and submit information at the end of the season.
• Monitor twice a month from May through September.

Stream volunteers:

• Monitor any stream or river that flows year-round.
• Collect water samples from a bridge or stream bank.
• Use a Secchi tube (provided by the MPCA) to measure water clarity.
• Record readings and observations on the physical and recreational conditions of the stream and submit information at the end of the season.
• Monitor twice a month from April through September.

Why is this important?

Volunteer-collected data is used to help determine whether lakes and streams are meeting water quality standards designed to protect aquatic life and recreational activities like fishing and swimming. In some cases, the information gathered by volunteers is the only monitoring done on a particular lake or stream, making volunteer-gathered data critical to protecting Minnesota waters.

Interested?

Join more than 1,400 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream — become a volunteer water monitor today!

Natural resource volunteering

For more information on becoming a volunteer water monitor, go to the MPCA webpage.

To see other natural resource volunteer activities available around the state, please refer to the DNR volunteer opportunities webpage.