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Learn about Water Quality Monitoring
Learn about Water Quality Monitoring
Water resources in Michigan are everywhere, and monitoring the quality of these resources is vital to ensuring a high quality of life for future generations. Water quality monitoring is fundamental to understanding the environment around us and is an essential component of the Water Resources Division (WRD) mission. Monitoring tells us the what, where, and when of environmental issues. Without water quality monitoring, we wouldn’t know what pollutants are in a water body, where you can eat the fish, and when the beaches are safe for swimming.
EGLE works alongside local partners to monitor the chemical, physical, and biological components of Michigan surface waters, including Great Lakes, rivers, and streams, inland lakes, and wetlands. Understanding the status of our waterways helps EGLE determine where and how to best protect and restore them.
Monitoring programs
Get involved in water quality monitoring
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (or MiCorps) provides opportunities for volunteers to contribute to Michigan's monitoring strategy by providing grants, technical assistance, and training to collect reliable, high-quality data for lakes and streams.
Curious about your local waterway?
How’s My Waterway was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA. Water quality information is displayed on 3 scales in How’s My Waterway; community, state and national.
Explore more!
EGLE displays a lot of the monitoring data we collect in interactive maps. Explore some of the data you are interested in by visiting any of the following: