Submitting Data to SWIMS
All Water Action Volunteers data is entered into the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System (SWIMS) database. The SWIMS database is used by DNR staff to enter and search for water quality monitoring information for assessing the health of our state’s waters and to guide water protection and restoration decision-making. The database is also linked directly to the DNR’s Surface Water Data Viewer online mapping tool.
Are you an active WAV volunteer? Click the button below to submit your stream data. *Please note: You will not be able to log in until WAV Program Staff create your SWIMS profile.
If you need any assistance with SWIMS, please contact WAV Program Staff directly at wav@extension.wisc.edu.
Getting access to SWIMS
*Important! On May 13, the DNR is transitioning to a new login system to the SWIMS database. This new login system is called MyWisconsin ID (details below). We ask that all new volunteers wait until after the transition to set up their SWIMS accounts.
After attending a stream training, new WAV volunteers should follow the steps below to get access to the SWIMS database to submit their stream data.
Step 1 – Create a MyWisconsin ID
You will use the State of Wisconsin’s new “MyWisconsin ID” system to log into the SWIMS database. Go to the link below and click “Sign up” (small blue link below the login) to create your account. Enter and verify your email address, create a password, and set up two-factor authentication (e.g., a text to your phone).
Need help creating your MyWisconsin ID or resetting your password? Visit the MyWisconsin ID website for step-by-step instructions or contact their help desk.
Step 2 – Email WAV Program Staff to create your SWIMS profile
Before you can log in to SWIMS, WAV staff need to manually create your profile in the database. Send an email to wav@extension.wisc.edu and provide:
- Your full name
- Your email address that you used to set up your MyWisconsin ID
- Your phone number
- The Station ID and Station Name you are monitoring. Work with your local WAV Coordinator and/or WAV Program staff to select your monitoring site.
- The name of the WAV Coordinator or organization you are monitoring with.
Selecting a Monitoring Site
In the SWIMS database, your stream monitoring location is represented by a Station ID. This six to eight digit number is tied to a specific GPS location, so that your data can be pinpointed to the specific site you monitor on your stream.
Before entering data in the SWIMS database, work with your local WAV Coordinator and WAV Program Staff to choose a stream monitoring site and identify your official Station ID number. WAV Program Staff may need to create a new Station ID if your stream site has never been monitored.
Explore the Surface Water Data Viewer mapping tool to see if the Wisconsin DNR already has a Station ID number for your preferred monitoring site. If it does have a Station ID, it doesn’t mean that someone is actively monitoring the site. It just means that at some point, a biologist or a volunteer collected water quality data at the site.
Entering and Editing Your Data
WAV Baseline Monitoring volunteers enter their stream monitoring data each month into SWIMS. Some volunteers participating in special projects monitoring, such as nutrient sampling, will not need to enter their data.
Watch our 9 minute tutorial video to learn how to enter and edit your data in SWIMS.
Prefer to read the steps to take? Check out this SWIMS Guide – The Basics for Volunteers.
Exploring Stream Data
The data in the SWIMS database is linked to other DNR web tools that allow the public to interact with Wisconsin’s water quality data. Stream monitoring data collected by both volunteers and biologists can be accessed from several different tools, including our own WAV Stream Monitoring Data Dashboard.
Additionally, the Wisconsin DNR sends water quality data to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has additional data exploration tools.
Learn more by visiting our Data page!
Questions or need assistance?
Send an email to WAV Program Staff at wav@extension.wisc.edu.