CrowdHydrology

With so many streams to study around Lake Superior, and not enough funds, time or staff to get to every spot, scientists are turning to citizens like you to help report water depths.

Check out which CrowdHydrology sites in Minnesota and Wisconsin are near you!

How it Works

Anyone with a cell phone (no smart phone required) can send in a text message of water depth.

• Read the height of the water from the staff gage (looks like a giant ruler in the water)
• Text the station number and water height to the phone number listed on the gage sign

Scientists, researchers, managers, etc. use these data to understand how streams respond to weather and climate. This information can help scientists and researchers build better scenario models, as well as help managers and planners make better informed decisions.

Contact Tiffany Sprague at the Natural Resources Research Institute for more information.

See the Data

Within 5 - 15 minutes of sending in a text message of water height, the gage data are available to view online. Gage heights are viewed in a graph, and values can be downloaded directly from the website.

Visit the CrowdHydrology website for more information.

 

Gages in the Twin Ports

Currently, there are 15 CrowdHydrology gages in the Twin Ports, located on streams throughout Duluth. You can visit the CrowdHydrology webpage to see data, and the gage location, for each of these sites. If you are interested in learning more about the stream, its watershed, any impairments the stream may have, past and present restoration efforts, and other pertinent water quality data, visit The Streams websection of this website and click on the name of the stream you are interested in to learn more.

Stream	Location	Gage ID	Gage Data	Watershed Information
Brewery Creek	Marshall School	MN1000	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Chester Creek	College of St. Scholastica	MN1001	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Miller Creek	Lake Superior College	MN1002	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Kingsbury Creek	Lake Superior Zoo	MN1003	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Keene Creek	Keene Creek Dog Park	MN1004	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Tischer Creek	Hartley Pond/Park	MN1005	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Chester Creek	Chester Bowl/Park	MN1006	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Knowlton Creek	Spirit Mountain/SHT	MN1007	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Knowlton Creek	Western Waterfront Trail	MN1008	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Miller Creek	Lincoln Park	MN1011	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Keene Creek	Irving Park	MN1012	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Tischer Creek	Congdon Park	MN1013	link (exit)	LSS.org link
W. Tischer Creek	U of Minneosta Duluth	MN1014	link (exit)	LSS.org link
Amity Creek	Lester Park	MN1015	link (exit)	LSS.org link
St. Louis River	Perch Lake	MN1016	link (exit)	LSS.org link

 

Background

CrowdHydrology is hosted by the University of Buffalo, with support from the U.S. Geological Survey. Dr. Christopher Lowry, geologist and founder, started CrowdHydrology in 2011 when he needed to collect water levels on streams across a large area in western New York. With little funds and manpower, he turned to crowdsourcing* to help with his data collection needs. After success with his New York pilot, Dr. Lowry expanded the network, and CrowdHydrology staff gages are now in 10 states across the country. Citizens, townships, cities, agencies, non-profits, groups and organizations can install gages in their local streams and lakes, and include them in the CrowdHydrology network. Always make sure to receive the appropriate rights and permits before placing a staff gage in a stream or lake.

Contact Dr. Chris Lowry for more information on CrowdHydrology.

*Crowdsourcing - obtaining information by enlisting a large number number of people, typically via the internet

Collaborators

This project is made possible by generous funding and staff support from Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources Lake Superior Coastal Program and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Collabotors on this project include: University of Minnesota-Duluth; Natural Resources Research Institute; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program; Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; City of Duluth; Minnesota Sea Grant; Regional Stormwater Protection Team; University of Buffalo (New York); USGS; NOAA; Lake Superior Zoo; Marshall School; College of St. Scholastica; Lake Superior College; and, Hartley Nature Center.