Michigan Lake and River Information Available on MISWIMS

Ever wonder about the quality of your lake, river, or stream? I have too. As a Realtor® specializing in waterfront and residential resale properties, I frequently research information about lakes for clients. How many acres is the lake, how deep is the water, what type of bottom does the lake have, is there good fishing, and what about pollution in the lake. These are some of the things any home buyer should look at before purchasing a Michigan lakefront or waterfront home.

By going to several sources, I am usually able to find information on most lakes in Michigan. On June 12, 2007, The State of Michigan newswire unveiled the Michigan Surface Water Information Management System or MISWIMS which they call "...state-of-the-art Internet mapping application designed to provide the public easy access to water quality (biological, chemical, and physical) data and other information that has been obtained for Michigan's rivers, lakes, and streams...."

Consumers are now able to view a combination of information about any body of water in the State. By combining information from several agencies into one resource the State hopes to make better management decisions about a watershed.

The MISWIMS system takes some practice to find information. There are tabs for:

• Environmental. Monitoring
• Beach/River E.coli
• Fish Contaminant
• USGS Gage Stations
• High Flow
• Low Flow
• Wastewater Discharges
• Non-Point Source (NPS) Grants
• Septage Haulers
• Valley Segments
• Coldwater Streams
• Natural Rivers
• Reports
• Fish Stocking Information
• Fish Species

How do find information using MISWIMS? Excellent question! As I stated earlier the site takes some practice.

In Part II we will practice on one of the larger lakes in Michigan. I'm open to suggestions. If you would like your Michigan lake considered, or have a question simply leave a comment below.

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