Water Assessment Tracking and Electronic Reporting System (WATERS)

Welcome to the Water Assessment, Tracking and Electronic Reporting System (WATERS), the state's future repository for the items listed below. Development of WATERS began in 2001 with a grant from the USEPA. Today work continues as we complete entering data from paper files and quality controlling the datasets in the system. For each dataset below, you can click on the link to read about the status of data migrated into WATERS.

• Water Division Objectives, Goals, Performance Measures, and Success Stories
• Clean Water Act Use Designations and Classifications (NR102, NR104)
• Outstanding and Exceptional Resource Waters Designations (NR102)
• Impaired Waters Listing Information ('303(d) waters'), including:
  • Impaired Water Category, Status, Priority;
  • Pollutants, Impairments, Date Listed
  • Data Documentation Sheets
• Clean Water Act assessment data, including decisions regarding a waterbody meeting its attainable use or whether or not the waterbody is considered "impaired"
  • Basin Plan Waterbody and Watershed Narratives;
  • Surface Water Inventory Waterbody Descriptions;
• Fisheries Trout Classifications (Administrative Code, NR 1.02(7))
• Watershed Planning

For more information or to obtain access, please contact:

WATERS File Manager
Water Division
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
608-266-7768

Additional Notes:

Waterbodies for data entry are prioritized based on whether or not they are on the 303(d) list. Waters on the 303d impaired waters list will be entered and quality assured first. Waterbodies not currently on the 303(d) list will then be entered. During data entry, all data affecting the size of a given assessment unit will be entered, including: designated use data, impaired waters listings, and trout waters data.

Watershed table data (current use, attainable use, and supporting attainable use) was originally migrated into the WADRS system in 2002. Designated use data from code, officially approved impaired waters list data, and Fishery Program trout water data where available will replace watershed table current use, attainable use, and designated use data.

During 2006-08 new Fish and Aquatic Life assessment protocols are being developed by the Assessment Methodology Team (current use, attainable use and supporting attainable use). When these protocols are implemented in 2008 or beyond all previous watershed table data regarding use designations (classifications), current, attainable and supporting attainable use for waterbodies will be updated.

Last Revised: September 18 2007