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Water Resource Crossing Survey

The Water Resource Crossing Survey is a tool created to collect the data for the Water Resource Crossing Inventory. It is available on the Survey123 app.

Adding To The Water Resource Crossing Inventory

Prior to completing a water resource crossing inventory using the Water Resource Crossing Survey, it is important to select the property and define property goals.

Considerations include the number and quality of open/closed roads and trails, staff availability for completing survey, local soils and water resource presence. Preliminary reconnaissance should be done to estimate the number of crossings present on the property. The use of LiDAR and other DNR-maintained GIS tools may be used to identify stream and wetland crossings that have not been previously mapped. Streams, wetlands and other water resources can all be surveyed using the Water Resource Crossing Survey.

Stream and wetland crossings should be inventoried in order of road prioritization, crossing resource type and navigability of the forest roads. For example, open roads and dual-use roads may require more maintenance and quick repairs for failed crossings, so these should be prioritized over closed roads or temporary roads.

Supplies

Collect all physical and digital supplies prior to going out in the field. Plan to purchase specialized equipment ahead of field season and create a plan to access the crossings.

Required supplies include:

  • Telescoping survey rod or other ridged measuring device (such as a yardstick)
  • 100-foot tape measure
  • Waders and/or muck boots
  • Device with Survey123 (phone or iPad)

Optional supplies include:

  • Leather gloves
  • Maps
  • Weed whacker/brush hog and proper personal protective equipment
  • Safety glasses/sunglasses
  • Handheld saw
  • Rain jacket
  • Hat
  • Bug net (highly recommended)
  • Sunscreen
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Bug spray
  • Paper and pen
  • Clipboard
  • Bleach or cleaning solution for boots/waders/equipment
  • Personal food and water sufficient for time spent surveying

Instructions

The Water Resource Crossing Survey Instructions Guide interprets all the questions in the survey. It is recommended that users read through the Instructions Guide prior to completing surveys out in the field. 

Surveying Considerations

Consider road ownership before completing surveys. United States Geological Survey Topo Maps are helpful for showing the break between DNR and non-DNR ownership (i.e., township, city or private). 

The best time to complete surveys is during spring through fall. Although it can be difficult to see/find structures during the summer months, the presence of living vegetation is useful in making wetland determinations. During summer months, use a weed whip to clear vegetation impeding photos/survey. Complete surveys for all structures that can be seen or ones found from mapping applications.

It is not advised to skip or pass by infrastructure in the field, unless it is necessary to meet property goals. It is usually more efficient to complete the 5- to 10-minute survey while out rather than pass by and have to come back later. Also, if the goal is to inventory only certain water resource types (i.e., streams), it can be difficult to determine what the crossing type is unless it’s investigated.

If the water is too deep to wade safely, is at flood stage, has extremely uneven or mucky (sticky) bottoms or has other unique safety considerations, use discretion when completing the survey. Prioritize safety over data collection.

If there is uncertainty about any questions, record location data and take good crossing photos at a minimum. Fill out as much information as possible for each crossing. Incomplete data is better than no data.

Any culverts on the landscape should be inventoried, even if there doesn’t appear to be any water resource present. Any water resource that crosses a road should be inventoried, even if there isn’t currently a structure there. Water built up along one side of the road and absent on the other side is a good indication of a spot that should have a crossing. For culverts that appear between condition categories, err on the side of the worse condition.

If working in a remote area, put your device in airplane mode prior to starting a survey. Save surveys in the Outbox and submit them once the device can reliably connect to cell service again.

Questions

Any questions about the Water Resource Crossing Inventory or the Water Resource Crossing Survey should be directed to the DNR Forest Hydrology Team (Nolan Kriegel and Cierra Sirianni).