Mississippi River Water Quality - WDNR

Water quality is a key to the overall health of the web of life in the Mississippi River. Although pollution from cities and towns has been drastically reduced and certain toxic chemicals have been banned from use, water quality issues still remain. Human activities along the Mississippi River and in its watershed continue to impact the balance of many nutrients and water quality characteristics. Sediment is filling in the main pools and backwaters, and toxic chemicals continue to be introduced into our environment. These chemicals can eventually appear in the water or the sediment of the river and some accumulate in the food chain. More from Frequently asked Questions(FAQ)-Water Quality.

WDNR - Mississippi River Water Quality Program

Wisconsin conducts water quality monitoring to assess the health of the Mississippi River, determine long term trends, evaluate environmental problems, and to provide water resource information to support management activities, through a combination of both state funded programs and federal sponsored programs. More about the Mississippi River Monitoring Stategy in the Wisconsin DNR Water Quality Monitoring Strategic Plan -Mississippi River Chapter 6-1.

Federal Sponsored Water Quality Programs and Interstate Activities

Wisconsin conducts water quality monitoring on the Mississippi River with state-funded programs and federal funding as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Management Program (EMP) Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) and U.S. EPA’s Great Rivers Ecosystems Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP-GRE). Monitoring conducted with federal support is primarily conducted by the WDNR-Mississippi River Monitoring Station at Onalaska, Wisconsin.

Long Term Resource Monitoring Program

The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) is a component of the Environmental Management Program which is a Federal/State partnership designed to monitor the river’s health as well as restore habitat along the 1200 miles of the commercially navigable portion of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and lower sections of several major tributaries. The LTRMP is a leader in development and implementation of large river monitoring.

The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program is led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers and the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. State-employed personnel at six field stations collect data on water quality, vegetation, and fish. Monitoring results are used to better understand the system, forecast future conditions and provide early warning of potential problems. Additional information on the Mississippi River system is provided by researchers that delve into specific questions about the river’s ecology. Together, research and monitoring document habitat changes over time and aid in the development and evaluation of management alternatives including the success of the habitat projects. More from Long Term Resource Monitoring Program[exit DNR].

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program for Great Rivers (EMAP-GRE)

The WDNR-Mississippi River Monitoring Station is participating in a research program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assess the ecological condition of the “Great Rivers” in the Midwest including the Upper Mississippi River system, Ohio River, Missouri River from Montana to Missouri, and Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Cairo, Illinois. Scientists will use this information to develop assessment tools for evaluating the health of these rivers. Future assessments will show whether conditions are getting better or worse. More from Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP)[exit DNR].

Mississippi River Water Quality Reports and Links

• Wisconsin Water Quality Report to Congress 2006 - Mississippi River pg 67-71.
• Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee-Water Quality Technical Section[exit DNR]
• Upper Mississippi River Water Quality Assessment Report distributed March 2002, with Data supplement up to 2005 [exit DNR].
• Wisconsin DNR Water Quality Monitoring Strategic Plan - Mississippi River Chapter 6-1.
• LTRMP Water Quality Assessment[exit DNR]
• USGS- Contaminants in the Mississippi River[exit DNR]
• The Surface Water mapping application provides water resources, monitoring and water quality assessment data. View and analyze watershed-related data (lakes and streams, monitoring stations, impaired waters, and Outstanding/Exceptional Resource Waters.