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LakeQuality

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Introduction

LakeQuality (“we,” “our,” or “us”) operates lakequality.org (the “Site”), a publication covering U.S. lake and freshwater quality, drawn from the EPA Water Quality Portal, the Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, and the Wisconsin DNR Surface Water dataset. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information.

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly (such as email addresses for newsletter subscriptions) and information collected automatically when you visit our Site, including:

  • Log data (IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent)
  • Cookies and similar tracking technologies
  • Analytics data via Google Analytics 4

Account Information

Reading lakequality.org never requires an account. If you choose to create one, we store:

  • Your email address — the identifier for your account
  • An account identifier from your sign-in provider (for example, the subject identifier Google returns), used only to recognise you on your next sign-in
  • Your display name, if your sign-in provider supplies one
  • The content you save: the pages you bookmark, any private notes and trip dates you attach to them, your selected region and interests, and your email preferences

Creating an account also subscribes your email address to our updates about U.S. lake and freshwater quality — sent on a regular schedule, not in response to what you read. Every message carries an unsubscribe link, and you can turn updates off at any time in your account settings without deleting the account. We use an email delivery provider to send them, and your address is shared with that provider for that purpose only.

When you sign in with Google, Google confirms your email address to us and nothing more. We never receive your Google password, contacts, or any other Google data, and we do not post anything to your Google account. Google is not told which pages you read here.

Account records are stored by Cloudflare (Workers KV) on our behalf. Your sign-in session is kept in your browser’s local storage — not in a cookie — and signing out removes it.

What We Don’t Collect

Our pages about U.S. lake and freshwater quality are browse-only — no account or sign-in is needed to read them, and saving pages works without one. We do not collect payment information (the Site is free), we never ask for a password, and we do not sell or rent any personal data.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics collects anonymized usage data including pages visited, session duration, and approximate location. You can opt out using Google’s opt-out browser add-on.

Advertising

LakeQuality is supported by display advertising. We use Google AdSense to serve ads. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our Site and/or other sites on the internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalized advertising at aboutads.info. For more information about how Google uses data when you use our Site, see Google’s policy.

Email Newsletter

We use Loops to manage email subscriptions. When you subscribe, your email address is stored by Loops. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email. We do not share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes.

Loops also delivers the update about the pages you have saved, if you turn it on. You can turn that off in your account settings without deleting your account.

Cookies

Our Site uses cookies to analyze traffic (via Google Analytics), to serve advertising (via Google AdSense), and improve your experience. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect site functionality.

We do not use cookies to sign you in. Your session, and anything you save before creating an account, are held in your browser’s local storage on your own device. Clearing site data signs you out and removes anything saved that was never synced to an account.

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

  • Google Analytics (site analytics)
  • Google AdSense (advertising)
  • Loops (email newsletter delivery)
  • Google (sign-in, only if you choose to sign in with Google)
  • Cloudflare (hosting and account storage)
  • Service providers who assist in operating our Site

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under GDPR, CCPA, or other privacy laws to access, correct, or delete your personal data. To exercise these rights, contact us at the email below.

You do not have to wait for us. Anyone with an account can download a copy of everything it holds, or delete the account outright, from the account settings page. Deleting removes your account record, everything you saved, and your entry on our mailing list. It cannot be undone.

California Residents (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, request deletion, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.

Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. You must be at least 13 to create an account. If we learn that an account belongs to a child under 13, we delete it and the information it holds.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date.

Contact Us

Questions about this policy? Contact us at: privacy@lakequality.org.