River Data Collection
A Collaboration with USGS
Monitoring the Watershed to Create a Sustainable Ecosystem & Forecast Environmental Changes
As part of an ongoing partnership with the USGS, the MRF is expanding long-term water quality monitoring efforts on the Madison River. While temperature and discharge are measured at various points along the upper river via the use of sondes, submersible instruments that measure multiple water quality parameters, there is currently no long-term, real-time data on dissolved oxygen (DO) and turbidity, and there are no sondes present on the lower Madison. The MRF will be funding the installation of DO and turbidity loggers at the Ennis Bridge, Cameron, and Varney sondes. In the future, we hope to install additional sondes on the lower river between Warm Springs and Blacks Ford. This real-time data will be available to the general public, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, our conservation partners, and other management agencies and will help us gain a better understanding of the Madison River, with the hope of informing decisions that benefit the health of the river and fishery. The information collected will be available to the public.
What We’ll be Able to Monitor
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
DO is the amount of oxygen present in water. DO is a direct indicator of overall system health, and indicates a water body's ability to support aquatic life. Aquatic species such as fish, macroinvertebrates, and plants, rely on DO to survive. Factors such as temperature, algal blooms, organic matter, aquatic organisms, and water flow and mixing can affect DO.
Turbidity
Turbidity is the cloudiness of water caused by suspended particles, like sediment, algae, or other matter. Measuring turbidity in a system is important because excess turbidity can cause reduced light penetration, ecological productivity, recreational values, and habitat quality, and cause lakes to fill in faster, and can result in degraded habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Particles also provide attachment places for pollutants such as metals and bacteria, so turbidity can be used as an indicator of pollution in a system. Factors such as erosion, runoff, algal growth, construction, agriculture, and stormwater runoff can affect turbidity.
Temperature
Temperature is a crucial water quality parameter because it determines the kinds and types of aquatic life that can thrive in a system, it regulates DO, and influences the rate of chemical and biological reactions. Organisms, such as trout, have preferred temperature regimes, and increased water temperatures increase the rate of chemical and metabolic reactions and decrease the amount of dissolved gases a system can hold. Factors such as solar radiation, air temperature, shade from vegetation, streamflow, source water temperature, depth, and sediment and turbidity can affect temperature.
Discharge
Discharge is the amount of water carried by a body of water per unit in time, commonly measured in cubic feet per second (CFS). Measuring discharge is critical because it directly affects water quality, temperature, microbial activity, nutrient cycling, and the life history of aquatic species such as fish and macroinvertebrates. Factors such as precipitation, slope, available groundwater supply, soil type, vegetation, dam operations, water diversion, urban development, and agriculture can affect discharge.
How to get involved
Interested volunteers
Can join the “Mad Squad”, a group of volunteers who monitor water conditions regularly. For information, contact info@madisonriverfoundation.org.
Donations
Can be made directly to Donations on our website. These funds will be dedicated to this study and the purchase of monitoring sondes. Sondes will be stationed along the river at key intervals to collect vital data. We’re looking for individuals and businesses to sponsor a sonde or donate to this fund.
The information collected will be available to the public.
