Project History

The Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program was established in 2003 with a $1.5 million grant from Arjo Wiggins Appleton for a multi-year water monitoring program in and around the Lower Fox River watershed. The program was conceived by a broad-based group of interested academic, government, industry, and community participants, and intends to provide independent, high-quality data that can be used to help make resource restoration decisions in the revitalization of the Lower Fox River watershed.

The first annual teacher workshop was held in July 2003 at UWGB. Participants were trained on the procedures and equipment of the LFRWMP, with practice sessions held at Baird Creek. School-based monitoring sampling events are currently scheduled for 4 times a year. An annual student symposium is held each spring to provide a forum to share data between students, teachers, university researchers, and agency personnel.

Four USGS monitoring stations were established in summer 2003 on Apple Creek at CTH U, on Ashwaubenon Creek at Creamery Road, on Baird Creek at Superior Road, and on Duck Creek at CTH FF. Funding for these stations is currently provided for 3 years worth of operation, beginning in October 2003 and ending September 30, 2006. Partnership with Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District is providing an additional USGS monitoring station on the East River at Monroe Street. These stations record precipitation, gage height, and discharge. As streamflow increases due to runoff events, automated samplers installed at the stations take water samples, which are analyzed by the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District laboratory for total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, and total suspended solids. This data, along with bimonthly low-flow sampling, will enable researchers to model sediment and phosphorus loads delivered to Green Bay.

UW-Milwaukee installed YSI monitoring sondes at each of the 4 USGS monitoring stations to continuously record stage height, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen. These sondes are projected to provide data from 2003 to 2007. Four additional sondes are also available to deploy for targeted research projects.