Flute Reed Volunteer Monitoring
Transparency tube data from the Flute Reed River is being collected as part of the MPCA's
Citizen Stream Monitoring Program (CSMP).
In 2006, a total of 486 CSMP volunteers monitored 793 stream sites across Minnesota.
(Wisconsin has a similar program: Water Action Volunteers.)
The state uses transparency tube data to help determine where streams exceed water quality standards
for “turbidity”- the murkiness of water. When stream turbidity is high,
transparency is low. By establishing a scientific link between these two measures,
transparency can be used as a surrogate for turbidity, allowing the water quality of more streams to be assessed using citizen help.
The report on the right provides an in-depth look at the 2006 results for the Flute Reed, including a map,
summary statistics, and a chart of the data.
Flute Reed River Watershed Monitoring Plan (2008 - 2010)
- 2.5 MB pdf file -
