Water quality and quantity are increasingly under threat around the world. Stories of water awareness, conservation and recreation have been in the news everywhere, showing up in your neighborhood paper as well as your local and national news stations. Water on the Web offers you reliable sources to start your exploration of water-related topics. If you need ideas for a research paper or a reliable source of water information, take some time to browse these recommendations.
A great place to begin your research is the library’s Water Research Guide. The library has assembled resources for researching a wide range of topics.
Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
GLIN offers an abundance of information about the Great Lakes region’s environment, economy, tourism, education and more. Plus, this well-organized and easy-to-use site provides many links to additional sources of reliable information.
NAL Water Quality Information Center
The National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) Water Quality Information Center Web site emphasizes water quality and agriculture. Examples of water quality information available include bibliographies, announcements of upcoming meetings, a listing of Internet discussion groups covering water issues, water-related databases, and annotated links to other Internet sites providing water quality information.
US EPA Office of Water
The Office of Water web site provides EPA program information, water laws and regulations, links to regional offices, online publications, training information.
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Information about US Fish and Wildlife Service programs, but also has many links to other sites particularly for wetlands and invasive species.
US Geological Society, Water Resources (local: Wisconsin Water Science Center)
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Division is the first place to look for online water data. The National Water Information System (NWIS) contains selected water-resources data for approximately 1.5 million sites across the United States, selected territories and border locations, from 1857 to present. The site also provides water quality, water use, acid rain and more as well as program information, full-text publications, links to state USGS programs and other sources of information.
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, Environmental Management Division
The Environmental Management (EM) Division protects human health and the environment by working in partnership with citizens, communities, businesses and advocacy groups. The division recognizes the interrelationships between air, land and water resources and relies on environmental indicators, feedback from others and self-evaluation to continually improve services.
