Water Quality Portal
Data from the lake monitoring programs can be retrieved from the national Water Quality Portal (WQP). The Water Quality Portal is a collaborative effort between the EPA, USGS and the National Water Monitoring Council with the goal of integrating water quality data from multiple databases. It brings together physical, chemical and biological water quality data from 900 federal, state and local agencies, all, into one location.
More information on this initiative, including a step-by-step guide on how to download data, can be found on the Water Quality Portal’s webpage.
Water Quality Exchange
The Water Quality Exchange, formerly known as STORET, is EPA’s repository for water quality, biological and physical data. Also included in this data warehouse are water quality habitat, metrics and indices. Data from BFBM’s lake monitoring networks are uploaded here and shared on the Water Quality Portal.
Lake Reports
Ambient Lake Monitoring Network Reports
From 2005 through 2009, NJDEP monitored 200 randomly selected lakes for the Ambient Lake Monitoring Network.
The network was designed to provide unbiased, statewide, statistically valid estimates for assessing lake water quality. 40 lakes per year were sampled up to 3 times per year for chemical and physical parameters. Reports for each year are available on the BFBM Publications page.
Historic Lake Reports
BFBM formed an informal partnership with Rutgers University Libraries to digitize historic water quality data with the New Jersey Environmental Digital Library (NJEDL). BFBM warehoused over 200 (229 as of FEB 2021) historic lake reports for the NJEDL. In hardcopy form, the distribution and research of these reports was limited. Digitization of these reports by NJEDL assures simple, effective access that make all resources readily available to anyone interested in any aspect of New Jersey environmental issues.
All historic lake reports are available through the Rutgers Environmental Digital Library. To view a list of lake reports submitted by BFBM, please click here.
