Citizen Assisted Lake Monitoring Program (CAMP)

The Citizen Assisted Monitoring Program (CAMP) was initiated by the Metropolitan Council's Water Management Technical Services staff in 1993, to help bridge the water quality data gaps for Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) lakes, provide a more complete and improved water quality database for TCMA lakes, give local decision makers a better idea of the water quality of their local lakes, and assist them with decision making on water quality issues. The MCES goal for CAMP is to provide a means to gather as much water quality information on TCMA lakes as possible, in an economically feasible manner.

CAMP volunteers collect surface water samples that are analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and chlorophyll-a (CLA). In addition, they measure surface water temperature and water transparency, and record user perceptions. Most lakes are visited biweekly from April through October (fourteen sampling dates) and are sampled at the lake's deepest open-water location. Samples are submitted to MCES staff and then forwarded to the MCES laboratory, for analysis.

For further information on the MCES lake monitoring program, please contact Kent Johnson.

kent.johnson@metc.state.mn.us