Contacts: Alexis Donath, 651-757-2312
St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking volunteers for its Citizen Stream and Citizen Lake Monitoring programs. Volunteers will take to the water this summer to measure the health of Minnesota’s rivers and lakes.
Monitoring the 105,000 miles of rivers and more than 12,000 lakes is a massive undertaking that requires the help of Minnesota citizens who care about water quality. Volunteers in the Citizen Stream and Citizen Lake Monitoring programs play a critical role in collecting long-term water quality data. Collecting this data is the first step in protecting or improving water quality throughout Minnesota.
The MPCA uses the information collected by these volunteers to track water quality trends and make decisions on watershed protection and restoration. Volunteer-collected data is the only information that the MPCA and its partners have for some rivers and lakes in the state.
Minnesotans who regularly visit or live on a lake or river are encouraged to join the MPCA’s citizen monitoring programs. The MPCA provides equipment and training. The monitoring is easy, fun and provides a new way to learn more about the water.
Volunteers are particularly needed in the following counties: Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Big Stone, Cass, Chippewa, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Douglas, Grant, Hennepin, Hubbard, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Koochiching, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Meeker, Morrison, Ottertail, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, St. Louis, Stearns, Traverse, Wabasha, Wadena, Wilkin, Winona, Wright and Yellow Medicine.
More information about the volunteer monitoring programs, along with lists of specific lakes and rivers that need volunteers, is available on the MPCA’s Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/cmp or by calling 1-800-657-3864.
