The Secchi Dip-In

The Secchi Dip-In began in 1994 by eminent limnologist Dr. Robert Carlson and colleagues to enable volunteers to submit water clarity measurements to an online database and see how their data compare on a variety of scales- local to national. The program has also been utilized for volunteers to begin monitoring efforts and to increase monitoring efforts within their communities. In the midst of underfunded state volunteer monitoring programs, the Secchi Dip-In has served as a place for volunteers to continue submitting their data. In 2015, Dr. Robert Carlson transferred the operation of the Secchi Dip-In to the North American Lake Management Society and over the past 20 years, the database accumulated more than 41,000 records on more than 7,000 individual waterbodies.