Every living thing needs clean water to survive. Working to keep clean water throughout the watershed is important to all of us. Water quality is tested periodically by the Lower Sugar River Watershed Association Water Action Volunteers (WAV), as well as by other organizations like the Wisconsin DNR.
- Chemical tests can look for issues with pollutants that may be invisible to the naked eye, but affect water quality and life in the watershed.
- Biological tests are done by sampling some of the living things in the water to see if there is a healthy biotic mix of species.
- Visual tests are done to assess sediment load in creeks and places where sediments, like soil particles, can clog up respiration of animals and prevent photosynthesis in plants.
Everyone needs clean water, and by working together we can ensure that it is a resource that is available for future generations. Our actions every day make an impact, good or bad, on the water quality in the watershed. Remember—everyone lives downstream of someone else!