17-0305 – Establishment of a Program to Monitor Water Quality by Private Citizens Under the Direction of the Department.

§ 17-0305. Establishment  of  a  program  to  monitor  water  quality by
           private citizens under the direction of the department.
1. The commissioner shall establish a program which shall be known  as
  the  "citizens  statewide  lake assessment program". The purpose of this
  program is to establish  a  network  of  volunteers  belonging  to  lake
  associations  throughout  the  state  to  monitor the condition of their
  respective lakes under the guidance and  direction  of  the  department.
  The  volunteers,  designated by the commission, will sample the assigned
  lakes on a  weekly  basis  between  May  and  September.  Water  quality
  information  will be obtained by measuring water transparency and taking
  samples  for  water  chemistry.  Samples  shall  be  processed  by   the
  volunteers   and  forwarded  to  a  contract  chemistry  laboratory  for
  analysis.
2. The commissioner shall establish and fill a new permanent  position
  of program coordinator for the monitoring program within the division of
  water.
3. The commissioner shall establish a training program for the purpose
  of  providing  the  volunteers  with  the skills necessary to accomplish
  their monitoring tasks. Quality control checks will be carried out on  a
  regular   basis  by  the  program  coordinator,  and  through  the  lake
  classification and inventory survey.
4. The commissioner will  provide  the  volunteers  with  all  of  the
  equipment and materials necessary to accomplish the monitoring.
5.  Chemistry  parameters shall include, but are not limited to, tests
  for total phosphorus, nitrate, color and chlorophyll. Additional  survey
  data  shall  include, but not be limited to, aquatic vegetation surveys,
  angler surveys and questionnaires/surveys  for  water  users  concerning
  problems, issues and use impairment.
6.  The  program coordinator shall prepare an annual report which will
  include a summary of the information collected on the  monitored  waters
  during the previous season. This information shall be distributed to the
  program participants and other interested parties.