On June 23^rd, 2021, the US Geological Survey, City of Fitchburg, Town of Dunn, and the Lake Waubesa Conservation Association held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the installation of a USGS monitoring station on Swan Creek. The Capital Area Regional Planning Commission played a key role in facilitating the partnership that made this monitoring station a reality, and the Friends of Waubesa Wetlands were important advocates for the project.

These long-term, continuous monitoring stations are crucial to obtaining the objective water quality and quantity data necessary for making science-based management decisions for our watersheds. The information collected with the Swan Creek monitoring station will be invaluable in protecting the downstream Waubesa Wetlands – one of the region’s highest quality wetlands, recognized as a statewide wetland gem by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association because of their unique ecological and cultural significance. Real-time monitoring data from the station may be viewed at this link.

The UW-Madison Water Resources Management Practicum recommended installation of a long-term monitoring site on Swan Creek as part of their study and report Assessing Land Use Impacts and Promoting Community Engagement in the Waubesa Wetlands Watershed. This study was jointly funded and directed by the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Both agencies also supported the recommendation for a USGS monitoring station on Swan Creek.