Sustainability Through Biological Monitoring on the Root River

Biological Monitoring on the Root River

During the summer of 2003, Wisconsin Lutheran College performed an initial assessment of the Root River, located in Racine County, Wisconsin. With aid from the SC Johnson Fund Community Involvement Awards for Neighborhood Sustainability, Sustainable Racine, Inc., and the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges, Inc., this evaluation provided the basis for future trend monitoring.

Under the guidance of Wisconsin Lutheran College professor Dr. Robert Anderson, undergraduate students David Bolha and Angela Ortenblad sampled the fish and macroinvertebrate communities at five locales in the Root River. Thorough identification of the collected specimens allowed for the analysis of the Root River and the surrounding watershed. All findings were organized into a comprehensive technical report, available below.

The Root River Watershed currently exhibits a degree of degradation, with water quality ranging from good to very poor. The links below provide a detailed image of each sample location along with a thorough list of the representative species and the water quality rating for each site.