As you are creating your watershed plan, you will need to find information about the current status of the watershed’s resources. There are many people, agencies and websites that may be valuable to you in this part of the process, as listed below.
If you are looking for a place online to get water-related maps, try the EPA My WATERS Mapper website.
The Wisconsin DNR has a tool designed to help with watershed restoration and protection efforts. The Erosion Vulnerability Assessment for Agricultural Lands (EVAAL) tool assists watershed managers in prioritizing areas within a watershed which may be vulnerable to water erosion (and thus increased nutrient export) and thus may contribute to downstream surface water quality problems. This tool enables watershed managers to prioritize and focus field-scale data collection efforts, thus saving time and money while increasing the probability of locating fields with high sediment and nutrient export for implementation of best management practices (BMPs).
Another tool, developed for EPA and promoted by DNR, is the Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads (STEPL), which calculates nutrient and sediment loads from different land uses and the load reductions that would result from the implementation of various best management practices (BMPs). A training webinar was held in 2014 for DNR and county Land and Water Conservation Department staff.
Potential data to include in your Watershed Profile and where to find it.
Data Category |
Components |
Source |
WATERSHED |
General |
NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessments County Land and Water Resource Management Plans (scroll to bottom of page and then enter county name. Once on county page, you may have to explore to find the link to their plan) |
Streams |
||
Lakes |
||
Flooding |
||
Stormwater Management |
EPA National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits |
|
Drainage |
DNR Surface Water Data Viewer, Watershed |
|
Dams |
DNR Surface Water Data Viewer | |
WATER QUALITY |
Raw Data |
DNR SWIMS Data (you’ll need to apply for a login/password to access this site) |
Impairments |
DNR Impaired Waters | |
Groundwater |
||
Mapping |
DNR Surface Water Data Viewer | |
BIOLOGICAL |
Fish and Biotic Indicators |
DNR Citizen Based Monitoring in SWIMS (you’ll need to apply for a login/password to access this site) |
PHYSICAL TRAITS |
Geology |
WGNHS Geology |
Soils |
||
Topography |
DNR Surface Water Data Viewer | |
Groundwater |
USGS Groundwater Comprehensive Plan UW Stevens Point Center for Watershed Science & Education Well Water Quality Viewer |
|
Weather Records |
||
Wetlands |
DNR Surface Water Data Viewer | |
Wildlife |
DNR Wildlife | |
Habitat |
DNR Habitat | |
Shoreline Conditions |
Google Maps Aerial Photos | |