The City of St. Louis Park participates in a Metropolitan Council sponsored lake monitoring program called the Citizen-Assisted Monitoring Program (CAMP). Through this program, the city can have volunteers monitor the water quality in up to ten bodies of water. Water bodies that qualify for the CAMP program need to be listed on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Public Waters Inventory.

Each volunteer regularly monitors a specific site on a lake from mid-April through mid-October. Volunteers collect a surface water sample, measure water temperature and clarity, observe weather and provide their perception about the lake’s physical and recreational conditions. With help from the city, volunteers provide the data samples to Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES). MCES analyzes the samples, reviews and analyzes data, assesses and reports on current lake conditions, and manages the CAMP program.

Get involved – become a CAMP volunteer

The city depends on volunteers to collect the data for the CAMP program and encourages residents to participate in this fun and important task. One volunteer does all the monitoring for a lake for an entire season.

City staff and the Metropolitan Council provide all sampling equipment and training; volunteers need to supply their own boats.

If you would like to volunteer, contact Erick Francis, water resources manager, at efrancis@stlouisparkmn.gov.