Since 2001, GLEC has retained four consecutive contracts with the Water Resources Division (WRD) of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Through these contracts, we provide technical assistance with monitoring the quality of Michigan’s surface waters. GLEC has completed hundreds of tasks for EGLE that include the collection of water, sediment, fish tissue, and biological community samples; identification of aquatic organisms including fish, macroinvertebrates, and emergent wetland vegetation; stream and river physical habitat assessments including stream habitat and geomorphology conditions; statistical analysis; modeling; and evaluation of temporal and spatial trends in water quality data.
Annually, GLEC collects field data that supports EGLE’s Water Chemistry Monitoring Program (WCMP). Through surface water quality monitoring of two bays (Grand Traverse Bay and Saginaw Bay), three Great Lakes connecting channels (St. Marys, St. Clair, and Detroit Rivers), and probabilistic sampling in rivers and streams, GLEC contributes to a nearly 30-year status and trends dataset. In the bays and connecting channels, GLEC samples select locations in each system for in-situ parameters such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and conductivity, a variety of nutrients, trace metals, and low-level mercury. During four events per year, we also conduct probabilistic monitoring of third order and smaller streams for nutrients, pesticides, metals, and microplastics.
The majority of WRD water quality monitoring data collected as part of the WCMP can be accessed through the USEPA Water Quality Exchange (WQX). For more information on the WCMP, please see EGLE’s 2025 report: Michigan’s Surface Water Monitoring Strategy 2025.
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