Pepin County Land Conservation Department

Pepin County Land Conservation Department

P.O. Box 39, 740 7th Ave. W., Durand, WI 54736

Phone (715)672-8665 ext. 5FAX (715)672-8677

2017 Pepin County Stream Monitoring Report

In the early summer of 2011, the Pepin County Land Conservation Department (LCD) started to monitor select streams in Pepin County through the State of Wisconsin’s Water Action Volunteer Program (WAV). Stream monitoring and the WAV Program were pursued to achieve a few goals. Those goals include: establishing background data for the health and quality of the streams; provide an opportunity for landowners along streams to understand the stream quality in their back yards; and to provide an opportunity for youth and adults to learn and have fun in an outdoor classroom.

For 2017, twelve (12) different streams were monitored. Those streams include Arkansaw Creek and Little Arkansaw Creek in Waterville Township; Bogus Creek, Lost Creek and Roaring Creek in Pepin Township; Duscham Creek, Fall Creek, Peat Creek and Schuh Creek in Lima Township; Elk Creek and Little Plum Creek in Frankfort Township; and Harvey Creek in Albany Township. Seventeen (17) different volunteers and individuals participated in the stream monitoring program.

Included in this information packet is a data sheet containing each site’s average monitoring results for the 2017 season. The following information is to help you interpret those results. The interpretation information is referenced in the Water Action Volunteer Program Monitoring Manual. It should be noted that the typical monitoring season is from April to October each year.

Temperature

Stable water temperature is a critical factor in maintaining the health of a stream. Temperatures over 78 ˚F, (25.6 ˚C) for example, are usually fatal to brook trout, which need waters in the range of 55 – 65 ˚F (12.8 – 18.3 ˚C) in order to thrive. Other fish such as bass can survive an upper limit of 86 ˚F (30 ˚C) and carp can live in even warmer waters. As temperature increases, cool water species will gradually be replaced by warm water species. The average water temperatures for the monitored watersheds (˚C):

Temperature Conversion Chart

Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.)

Both aquatic plants and animals depend on dissolved oxygen (D.O.) for survival. D.O. concentrations are influenced by many factors including water temperature, the rate of photosynthesis, the degree of light penetration (turbidity and water depth), the degree of water turbulence or wave action, and the amount of oxygen used by respiration and decay of organic matter. Levels can fluctuate widely throughout the day and year. Trout need water with at least 6 mg/L D.O. Warm water fish like bass and bluegills survive at 5 mg/L D.O. and some organisms like carp and bloodworms can survive on less than 1 mg/L D.O. The oxygen demand of aquatic plants and cold blooded animals also varies with water temperature. A trout uses five times more oxygen while resting at 80 ̊ F (26.7 ˚C) than at 40 ˚F (4.4 ˚C).

Good management practices such as planting or maintaining vegetation near streams helps filter rainwater runoff, maintain cooler water temperatures and protect the stream channel. Natural in-stream structures that maintain or increase turbulence, without increasing erosion, also promote good dissolved oxygen levels.

Dissolved Oxygen levels can vary by stream location, time of day and throughout the season. This can be a result of the amount of oxygen being produced by plants through photosynthesis. Plants continue to grow throughout the season producing more oxygen. The D.O. level is typically measured in the morning hours when the level would be at its lowest for the day. As the day progresses more than likely the oxygen levels would increase. The average D.O. level for the monitored watersheds (mg/L):

While these levels are healthy for trout and other organisms, best management practices should continue to be implemented to prevent large fluctuations in D.O. levels.

Transparency/Turbidity (Water Clarity)

Turbidity is the amount of suspended particles in the water. More free floating particles cause greater turbidity, resulting in less light penetration through the water. This hinders photosynthesis, necessary for healthy aquatic plant growth and production of D.O. The water also becomes warmer because the suspended particles absorb heat, and warmer water holds less D.O.

Sources of turbidity include: erosion from fields and construction sites, urban runoff from rainfall or snow melt, eroding stream banks, and excessive algal growth. All streams have background turbidity/transparency, or a baseline standard for a natural amount of turbidity. Fish and aquatic life that are native to streams have evolved over time to adapt to varying levels of background water clarity. The causes of problems in any stream or river are unusual concentrations of suspended particles and how long the water stays at that level. Time is probably the most influential factor in determining how turbidity affects the aquatic environment. The longer the water remains at unusually high turbidity values, the greater effect it has on fish and other aquatic life. Fish in particular become very stressed in waters that remain highly turbid for a long time. Signs of stress include increased respiration rate, reduced growth and feeding rates, delayed hatching and in severe cases, death. Fish eggs are ten times more sensitive to turbidity than adult fish.

The attached data sheet lists the individual stream results for transparency in centimeter (cm). The higher the result value the more transparent or clear the water. The lower the result value, the less transparent or poorer water clarity (more turbid). A value of 120 cm is considered a clear water column, with very low turbidity.

Stream Flow

Stream flow, or discharge, is the volume of water moving past a cross-section of a stream over a set period of time. It is usually measured in cubic feet per second (cfs). Stream flow is affected by the amount of water within a watershed, increasing with rainstorms or snowmelt, and decreasing during dry periods. Flow is also important because it defines the shape, size and course of the stream. It is integral not only to water quality, but also to habitat.

Food sources, spawning areas and migration paths of fish and other wildlife are all affected and defined by stream flow and velocity. Velocity and flow together determine the kinds of organisms that can live in the stream (some need fast-flowing areas; others need quiet, low-velocity pools). Different kinds of vegetation require different flows and velocities, too.

Biotic Index

From the crayfish burrowing in the streambed to the tiny aquatic insects skirting the water’s surface, streams and rivers swarm with life. The inhabitants of this living place are affected by poor water quality just like humans are affected by an unhealthy environment. However, scientists have found that not all aquatic organisms react the same to poor water quality. Some species are pollutant-tolerant while some are very pollutant-sensitive. From this knowledge, a scale was developed to determine water quality based on the types of life found in the water. For example, streams with primarily pollutant-tolerant organisms generally have poorer water quality than those streams with many pollutant-sensitive animals. This is because poor-quality streams gradually lose pollutant-sensitive animals until only the pollutant-tolerant species are left. A healthy stream will have many different organisms, both pollutant-tolerant and those sensitive to pollution.

Although relatively accurate in assessing stream conditions, the biotic index does have its limitations. The biotic index can indicate a problem, but it cannot specify what that problem might be. For example, manure, sewage, fertilizers, sediment and organic materials all negatively impact water quality. In order to pinpoint these possible pollutant sources, monitoring for other parameters such as habitat assessment, dissolved oxygen and temperature needs to be done. The biotic index is useful for identifying long-term pollution problems, since these organisms carry out a portion or all of their life cycle in streams. Other parameters monitored in the WAV program (except habitat) only indicate the water quality conditions at the time of testing. Continued monitoring at these sites and other sites will help gauge the health of the streams. The implementation of best management practices throughout the watersheds will result in improved biotic indexes over time. You might be surprised at the amount of life found in the streams of Pepin County! A biotic index score of 2.6 to 3.5 would be “Good” stream health. A score of 2.1 to 2.5 is “Fair” and a score of 1.0 to 2.0 would be “Poor” stream health.

Total Phosphorus and Nitrogen

This year we conducted additional monitoring at six (6) of our stream sites. These parameters were total phosphorus and total nitrogen. Phosphorus promotes excessive aquatic plant growth. In more than 80% of Wisconsin’s lakes, phosphorus is the key nutrient affecting the amount of algae and weed growth. Phosphorus originates from a variety of sources, many of which are related to human activities. Major sources include human and animal wastes, soil erosion, detergents, septic systems and runoff from farmland or lawns. Phosphorus and nitrogen are nutrients that are found readily available in our natural environment, but can also be found in elevated levels as a result from excessive erosion, nutrient runoff from fertilizers and manures, and nutrient leaching. Best management practices to reduce these elevated levels are needed throughout the watersheds of Pepin County. Some of these best management practices include: stream buffers, reduced tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management plan implementation.

This year, we conducted total phosphorus and total nitrogen nutrient monitoring at six locations: Duscham Creek, Elk Creek, Harvey Creek, Lost Creek, Little Plum Creek and Roaring Creek. Included in this information packet is a separate data sheet describing the results for total phosphorus and total nitrogen.

The State Standard for acceptable total phosphorus (TP) level in surface water is 0.075 mg/L. In 2013, Bear Creek and Arkansaw Creek were monitored for total phosphorus. Because of the degree of which the phosphorus level was elevated, Bear Creek had been added to the 2014 list of impaired waters by the Department of Natural Resources. The following table shows the average total phosphorus (TP) results by watershed. More detailed results for individual streams is attached to this report.

Total nitrogen (TN) refers to the combination of both organic and inorganic nitrogen (N). While it can be measured directly in the laboratory, it is also commonly approximated by adding TKN (total Kjeldahl nitrogen) and nitrite+nitrate-N concentrations. Because N can transform from one form to another in water, TN is often a parameter considered when estimating potential downstream effects of N to receiving waters such as the Gulf of Mexico.

Currently, Wisconsin does not have a surface water standard for total nitrogen. However, to compare, in Minnesota rivers and streams with TN concentrations less than 1.5 to 2.0 mg/l, organic-N comprises most of the TN. As TN increases above 2 mg/l, nitrate-N becomes an important component to TN. When TN concentrations exceed 3 to 4 mg/l, nitrate-N will usually be higher than the organic-N (Heiskary et al., 2010). Naturally occurring levels of nitrate and total nitrogen vary substantially across the country, and statistical analyses of water quality data suggest that appropriate reference levels range from 0.12 to 2.2 mg/L total N, such that some streams in the lowest category (less than 1 mg/L) may still exceed recommended water quality criteria (U.S. EPA, 2002). The following table shows the average total nitrogen (TN) results by watershed. More detailed results for individual streams is attached to this report.

Further investigation of the total nitrogen results is needed to assess the quality of Pepin County streams. However, the current results may indicate that nitrogen, specifically nitrate is finding its way to our streams in elevated levels.

Funding for the 2017 total phosphorus and total nitrogen monitoring was provided the State of Wisconsin’s Water Action Volunteer Program and by our area Sportsman’s Clubs, including Durand Sportsmen’s Club, Arkansaw Fur, Fish and Game, Pepin Sportsman’s Club. Thank you very much to those clubs!

Conclusion

The WAV Monitoring Program is a great program to continue in Pepin County. This program is available to students, school groups, sportsman clubs, families, individual landowners and anyone else that would like to participate. This program can be a great community effort to get to know the fishable and swimmable streams and to take pride and a sense of ownership for the waters that surround us and contribute to the beauty of Pepin County. The portions of the streams that were monitored showed that Pepin County has quality waters with room for improvement. With continued best management practices, Pepin County’s streams have the potential to be even better. If you would like to participate, or know someone or a group, that would be interested in monitoring on any stream in Pepin County, or you have questions about the monitoring results please contact the Pepin County Land Conservation Department for more details. Or visit, http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/.

Thank you to all the landowners that allowed the monitoring to take place on their property and to the many volunteers that conducted the monthly monitoring. Your efforts and dedication to the program are very valuable and very much appreciated!

Chase Cummings

Pepin County Conservationist