The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with local, State and Federal agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Wisconsin each year. This volume of the annual hydrologic data report of Wisconsin is one of a series of annual reports that document hydrologic data gathered from the U.S. Geological Survey’s surface- and ground-water data-collection networks in each State, Puerto Rico, and the Trust Territories. These data, accumulated during many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the state. To make these data readily available to interested parties outside the Geological Survey, the data are published annually in this report series entitled “Water Resources Data - Wisconsin.” Lake stage and in-lake water-quality data previously published in this series are now published annually in a report series “Water-Quality and Lake-Stage Data for Wisconsin Lakes.”
Water-resources data for Wisconsin for the 2002 water year includes records of streamflow at gaging stations, partial-record stations, and miscellaneous sites; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of surface and ground water; and water levels in observation wells. Records from several stations in bordering states are also included. This report contains discharge records from 169 gaging stations and peak stage and discharge from 85 crest-stage stations; stage for 8 lakes and contents for 24 reservoirs; water-quality data from 41 streams and from 2 lakes; precipitation from 16 sites; and water-level records from 42 observation wells. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program, and are published in this report as miscellaneous measurements. These records of streamflow, ground-water levels, and water quality provide the hydrologic information needed by State, local, and Federal agencies, and the private sector for developing and managing our Nation’s land and water resources.
Summary of Hydrologic Conditions
STREAMFLOW
The statewide average precipitation for the 2002 water year was 36.22 inches, which was 3.59 inches greater than the normal annual precipitation of 32.64 inches for water years 1971-2000. Average precipitation values affecting streamflow conditions ranged from 93 percent in south-central Wisconsin to 127 percent in north-central Wisconsin with a statewide average of 111 percent.
The year started out with close to normal precipitation for all regions of the state from October through December. The only exception to this was the southeast region of the state, which had precipitation over 150 percent of the 1970-2000 normal in October and lower than normal precipitation for November and December. Statewide precipitation in January was only 47 percent of normal but in February, precipitation was 186 percent of normal. The February precipitation was especially high in the northern, west central and central regions of the state. In March the central regions of the state had close to normal precipitation, the southern regions were dry (77 percent of normal) and the northern regions were wet (144 percent of normal). In April, the northern regions of the state were again wetter than normal (184 percent) particularly the north central region, the central regions were moderately wetter than normal (133 percent) and the southern regions were slightly wetter than normal (114 percent). In May, precipitation in the northern part of the state was about normal, slightly below normal (86 percent) in the southern part and about 70 percent of normal in the central and west central regions. All regions of the state had above normal precipitation in June with the central (176 percent) and west central (203 percent) regions well above normal. In July the northern regions of the state had about normal to slightly above normal precipitation while the central and southern portions of the state were slightly dry (west central 85 percent) to very dry (south central 51 percent). August precipitation totals were close to normal for most of the state. In September, the northwest and north central parts of the state were above normal, the east central part of the state was below normal and the rest of the state was close to normal.
Runoff for rivers in the state ranged from 74 percent of the average annual runoff (1964-2002) at the Kewaunee River station in the northeast part of the state to 172 percent of the average annual runoff (1914-1925 and 1937-2002) at the Big Eau Pleine station near Stratford in the central part of the state.
WATER QUALITY
Suspended-sediment yields from four watersheds in southern Wisconsin in water year 2002 ranged from 27 to 201 percent of normal, as indicated by loads measured at relatively long-term monitoring sites on these four watersheds. Sediment yields at Grant River in southwestern Wisconsin and Yahara River at Windsor in south-central Wisconsin were 201 and 27 percent of normal, respectively. One large storm in southwestern Wisconsin on June 4 and 5 accounted for about 74 percent of the total annual load at Grant River. Yields at Jackson Creek Tributary near Elkhorn in southeastern Wisconsin and Green Lake Inlet near Green Lake were each 74 percent of normal. Phosphorus yields in water year 2002 from three watershed in southern Wisconsin, on which there are long-term monitoring sites, ranged from 33 to 68 percent of normal. The phosphorus yield for Yahara River at Windsor was 33 percent of normal, the yield for Jackson Creek Tributary was 59 percent of normal, and the yield for Green Lake Inlet was 68 percent of normal.
GROUND-WATER LEVELS
In general, shallow ground-water levels during the 2002 water year were normal to above normal for most of the wells in the state. Wells in Dane, Dodge, and Fond du Lac Counties had below normal ground-water levels at the beginning of the water year, and these levels remained below normal for the entire water year. The large extent of normal and above-normal ground-water levels can be attributed to near normal rainfall during the 2002 water year and normal rainfall during the previous water year.
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
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