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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2025

The role of street cleaning on the water-quality performance of a stormwater treatment pond in Madison, Wisconsin

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the City of Madison, evaluated how street cleaning frequency influences the pollutant removal efficiency of a stormwater treatment pond in Madison, Wisconsin (2020–24). Paired influent and effluent samples were analyzed for nutrients, sediment, and chloride under a weekly and monthly street cleaning scenario. Results showed that less frequent cleaning (monthly frequency) led to higher pollutant accumulation on streets, increasing influent concentrations of nitrogen and sediment. This, in turn, allowed the pond to achieve higher overall load-reduction percentage compared to weekly cleaning, particularly for total suspended sediment, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Dissolved phosphorus was an exception where removal was significantly greater under weekly cleaning. One explanation could be related to internal phosphorus release from pond sediments under anoxic conditions. Nearly all events showed net export of chloride from the pond, with effluent loads exceeding influent loads for both street cleaning frequencies.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1995

Distribution and transport of polychlorinated biphenyls in Little Lake Butte des Morts, Fox River, Wisconsin, April 1987-October 1988

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in the bottom sediment and water column of Little Lake Butte des Morts were studied by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey. The lake is a 8-kilometer-long impoundment of the Fox River between Lake Winnebago and Appleton, Wisconsin. Discharge of PCB's into the lake by paper mills and waste-treatment plants has resulted in their accumulation in the bottom sediment. The accumulation of PCB's in the sediment was estimated to be 1,100 kilograms in October 1987. The concentrations of PCB's in bottom-sediment core samples were as much as 190 micrograms per gram dry sediment. The congener distribution of the PCB's present in the lake most closely resembles that for the Aroclor 1242 PCB's mixture. Thirty-two water samples were collected at the outlet of the lake to determine concentrations of PCB's. Concentrations of PCB's in the water column varied seasonally and ranged from 3.5 to 137 nanograms per liter. Concentrations of PCB's decrease in the winter and increases in the summer months. Concentrations of PCB's in the water column for particulates generally were 2.5 times that of dissolved PCB's. The suspended-solids concentrations ranged from 3 to 44 milligrams per liter. Correlation analysis was used to identify the physical characteristics and water-quality characteristics having the highest degree of association with PCB's concentration in the water column. The highest correlation coefficients (r) for dissolved PCB's concentration were with water temperature (7=0.88) and particulate organic carbon concentration (7=0.72). The highest correlation coefficients for particulate PCB's concentration were with suspended- particulates concentration (r=0.77) and water temperature (n=0.70). Correlation coefficients for total PCB's (the sum of dissolved and particulate PCB's) concentration were similar to those for particulate PCB's concentration. The mass of PCB's transported from the lake in streamflow during 1987-88 was calculated to be 110 kilograms annually. The PCB's transport rate decreased 50 percent from 1987 to 1988, for the period April through September. Transport of PCB's was greatest during April and May of each year. The average flux rate of PCB's into the water column from the bottom sediment in the lake was estimated to be 1.2 milligrams per square meter per day. The PCB's load seems to increase at river discharges greater than 212 cubic meters per second. This increase in PCB's load might be caused by resuspension of PCB's-contaminated bottom-sediment deposits. There was little variation in PCB's load at flows less than 170 cubic meters per second. The bottom sediments are a continuing source of PCB's to Little Lake Butte des Morts and the lower Fox River.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1972

Floods in Starkweather Creek basin, Madison, Wisconsin

The city of Madison is establishing standards for flood-plain zoning and land-use planning. The evaluation of flood potential is a necessary factor to be considered before such standards are established and put into effect. Purpose and scope. The purposes of this report are to determine the magnitude and water surface elevations of the regional (100-year) flood for both existing and future conditions, to determine their limits of flooding, and to analyze maximum hydraulic capacities of the channel system of Starkweather Creek. The regional flood is defined by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (1968, p. 94) as a flood that occurs on an average of once in 100 years and "which is representative of large floods known to have occurred generally in Wisconsin and reasonably characteristic of what can be expected to occur on a particular stream". The reaches evaluated are (1) Starkweather Creek and West Branch Starkweather Creek, for a distance of 6.0 river miles from the mouth at Lake Monona upstream to the U.S. Highway 51 crossing north of Truax Field; and (2) East Branch Starkweather Creek (2.8 river miles), from its confluence with the West Branch near Milwaukee Street upstream to a point near the Interstate Highway 90-94 crossing.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1981

Comparison of the propane-area tracer method and predictive equations for determination of stream-reaeration coefficients on two small streams in Wisconsin

This study was made to identify the best predictive equations for a stream's reaeration-rate coefficient. Reaeration-rate information is needed in dissolvedoxygen modeling work, but an actual tracer measurement is not always possible. The propane-area gas-tracer method and predictive equations were compared for determination of stream-reaeration coefficients (K.2) for reaches of two small streams in Wisconsin. The study was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The reaeration-rate coefficients actually measured by the propane-area tracer technique were 14.0 per day and 10.5 per day for two reaches of Honey Creek near Monroe, Wisconsin, with 6.98 per day and 0.98 per day measured at separate reaches on Mill Creek near Marshfield, Wisconsin. Of 20 predictive equations evaluated, the top five ranking equations were as follows: Tsivoglou-Neal with 34 percent mean error, Foree with 34.8 percent, Cadwallader with 45.5 percent, Isaacs-Gaudy with 45.8 percent, and Langbein- Durum with 49 percent.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

Watershed Characteristics and Land Management in the Nonpoint-Source Evaluation Monitoring Watersheds in Wisconsin

In 1992, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, began a land-use inventory to identify sources of contaminants and track the land-management changes for eight evaluation monitoring watersheds in Wisconsin. An important component of the land-use inventory has been developing descriptions and preliminary assessments for the eight watersheds. These descriptions establish a baseline for future data analysis. The watershed descriptions include sections on location, reference watersheds, climate, land use, soils and topography, and surface-water resources. The land-management descriptions include sections on objectives, sources of nonpoint contamination and goals of contaminant reduction, and implementation of best-management practices. This information was compiled primarily from the nonpoint-source control plans, county soil surveys, farm conservation plans, Federal and State agency data reports, and data collected through the land-use inventory.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2017

Do observed levels of exploitation from consumption-oriented and trophy-oriented fisheries reduce relative stock densities of Muskellunge below target levels in northern Wisconsin?

Muskellunge anglers desire to catch large fish, and release rates by recreational anglers often approach 100% (Isermann et al. 2011). Muskellunge are also a culturally significant fish for Chippewa tribes and support a subsistence spearing fishery in Wisconsin’s Ceded Territory (Erickson 2007). Although Muskellunge populations within the state’s Ceded Territory are exposed to both angling and spearing fishery exploitation, Faust and Hansen (2016) suggested that under certain conditions (e.g., high minimum length limits (MLL) and low spearing exploitation) Muskellunge fisheries with disparate motivations could coexist (i.e., sufficient numbers of large individuals remained despite harvest from consumptive fishery), but noted that larger declines in trophy Muskellunge abundance were predicted at lower MLLs (e.g., 102-cm). Fisheries managers with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) wished to further understand how specific relative stock densities (RSD), used by the WDNR to define and monitor trophy Muskellunge fisheries, are reduced at exploitation rates commonly experienced by populations in northern Wisconsin. Similarly, understanding how trophy Muskellunge abundance may have declined under the previous statewide MLL (i.e., 86-cm) at these levels of exploitation was also desired. Thus, our objectives were to 1) determine if observed levels of angling and spearing exploitation reduced predicted RSD indices below thresholds used by the WDNR to define trophy Muskellunge fisheries for three typical Muskellunge growth potentials in northern Wisconsin across a variety of MLLs; and 2) quantify how numbers of trophy Muskellunge declined under an 86-cm MLL at observed levels of exploitation.

Book chapter↗
USGS1979

Streamflow Estimates in Selected Wisconsin Streams

The Wisconsin Department of natural Resources needs streamflow information in lake basins where lake-rehabilitation programs are implemented but where long-term stream-gaging stations are not justified. The U.S. Geological Survey provided streamflow estimates for 24 streams in Wisconsin. The estimates were made by the use of (1) midmonthly measurements, (2) basin characteristics, and (3) drainage-area-discharge relations. The midmonthly measurement technique probably provides the best estimtes of streamflow in streams that may be affected by storage in lakes. However, it is costly, requires 1 year of measurements, and results cannot be obtained until streamflow data from gaging stations in the area have been processed. The basin-characteristics technique is quicker and provides good estimates, but defining the basin parameters is difficult. The drainage-area-discharge technique also provides good streamflow estimates, and it is quick, convenient, and inexpensive. However , the streamflow estimates obtained from drainage-area-discharge relations may be biased because the technique is based on gaging-station records for large steams that do not have the variability of smaller streams and that typically do not reflect the influence of lake storage.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Comparison of aquatic macroinvertebrate samples collected using different field methods

Government agencies, academic institutions, and volunteer monitoring groups in the State of Wisconsin collect aquatic macroinvertebrate data to assess water quality. Sampling methods differ among agencies, reflecting the differences in the sampling objectives of each agency. Lack of infor- mation about data comparability impedes data shar- ing among agencies, which can result in duplicated sampling efforts or the underutilization of avail- able information. To address these concerns, com- parisons were made of macroinvertebrate samples collected from wadeable streams in Wisconsin by personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey- National Water Quality Assessment Program (USGS-NAWQA), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service (USDA-FS), and volunteers from the Water Action Volunteer-Water Quality Monitoring Program (WAV). This project was part of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM) Wisconsin Water Resources Coordination Project. The numbers, types, and environmental tolerances of the organ- isms collected were analyzed to determine if the four different field methods that were used by the different agencies and volunteer groups provide comparable results. Additionally, this study com- pared the results of samples taken from different locations and habitats within the same streams.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2016

Shifting currents: Progress, setbacks, and shifts in policy and practice

The Wisconsin Academy’s initial Waters of Wisconsin project (WOW I) facilitated a statewide conversation between 2000 and 2003 around one main question: How can we ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems and clean, abundant water supplies for tomorrow’s Wisconsin? Robust participation in this conversation underscored the important role citizens have in the stewardship of our waters, and we found enthusiastic support for farsighted policies—based on sound science—to manage our water legacy. Overall, we found that Wisconsinites cherish water and see our waters as essential to our way of life in Wisconsin. Nationally, our state ranks 25th in land area but has the fourth-highest area covered by water. Wisconsin is 20th in population but is second only to Florida in the number of fishing licenses sold each year. Clean water supports billions of dollars’ worth of economic activity through tourism, agriculture, and industry. From the Northwoods cabin to the Port of Milwaukee to the Wisconsin Dells, water shapes our state’s identity. Our tradition of safeguarding Wisconsin’s waters is grounded in values such as responsibility to family and future generations, respect for land and wildlife, protecting public health and safety, and caring for water as a common good, as articulated in the state’s Public Trust Doctrine (see page 9). These deeply held values have also shaped a conservation ethic, and its legacy has served many generations who depend upon and enjoy the waters of the state. Through WOW I, we identified the need to overcome the institutional and disciplinary separation of science, policy, and management protocols through a more integrated approach to water management. WOW also affirmed that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other public agencies play a critical role in sound scientific application, citizen participation, and the practical implementation of policy while balancing public and private interests toward the goal of a clean water future. More than a decade has passed since our first statewide WOW conversation and the report that captured recommendations from its participants: Waters of Wisconsin: The Future of Our Aquatic Ecosystems and Resources. Drawing from a diverse and growing set of stakeholders from across the state, the Wisconsin Academy initiated a new conversation in 2012 (known as WOW II) to assess progress in regard to our 2003 recommendations. We also sought to review the status of waters in Wisconsin today. The result of this renewed conversation is Shifting Currents: Progress, Setbacks, and Shifts in Policy and Practice. The new report assesses progress in brief, and explores in greater depth the continuing and emerging challenges to water quality, supply, and aquatic ecosystems in Wisconsin. In this report, we first review the context and frameworks for public decision-making about water and then examine some of the root causes—or “drivers”—and ecological stressors that underlie many of the symptoms we see in the form of pollution or ecosystem degradation in Wisconsin. This is followed by a summary of current water issues, many of which had been identified in the 2003 report and remain relevant today. We examine progress since 2003 but also setbacks, and discuss issues that we are likely to continue to face in the coming decades, including controlling agricultural runoff, mitigating climate change and grappling with its effects on the state’s waters, protecting groundwater from bacterial contamination and other pollutants, and preventing groundwater depletion. We also attempt to anticipate issues on the horizon. We offer a deeper look at some particular challenges, such as phosphorus pollution and groundwater contamination. We then consider the current decision-making framework and how it is shaping our capacity to respond to water challenges in Wisconsin. Finally, we offer recommendations and identify opportunities to safeguard Wisconsin’s waters in the decades ahead. From its inception, the Wisconsin Academy’s Waters of Wisconsin Initiative has brought together a diverse community of experts from across the state and from varied fields and areas of interest, to address challenges and seize opportunities related to our precious waters. We have done so as a matter of both principle and practical reality: the state of our waters reflects the ways we interact not only with them, but also with one another and our institutions. The WOW Initiative has aimed to provide guidance for Wisconsin citizens in sustaining the health of our aquatic ecosystems and the resilience of our water supplies over the long term.

Report↗
USGS2011

Genetic identity of Thamnophis sp. using microsatellite genetic markers

Butler’s gartersnake (Thamnophis butleri) was previously listed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a state threatened species. Several key questions associated with species identity, integrity, and hybridization with other gartersnake species needed to be addressed to further refi ne the management plan for this species. The objectives of this research were: 1) to determine if genetic markers developed in the initial phase of research could identify discrete genetic groups of Wisconsin gartersnakes, 2) to determine if any or all genetic groups delineated in objective one were consistent with Butler’s gartersnake, plains gartersnake (T. radix), and/or common gartersnake (T. sirtalis), and 3) to determine if any of the genetic data were consistent with hybridization occurring between gartersnakes in Wisconsin. Snakes were sampled from various Midwestern locations with a focus on sites in Wisconsin. All snakes were photo-vouchered, morphological landmarks were taken, and a tail snip was collected for genetic analysis. Genetic data from previously developed microsatellite markers discriminated three genetic groups from a composite 13-locus dataset (N=815) using the Bayesian admixture analysis in STRUCTURE v2.3.3. These units were highly consistent with species-groups based on the membership of a small number of known snakes from areas where the species are not thought to co-occur. Using a threshold q-value (proportional genotype) of ≥80%, 498 Butler’s gartersnakes, 93 plains gartersnakes, and 107 common gartersnakes were identifi ed in Wisconsin samples; putative hybrid snakes of Butler’s gartersnake x plain gartersnake (34), Butler’s gartersnake x common gartersnake (8), and a single ambiguous snake were also identifi ed in Wisconsin samples. Levels of divergence among the species groups from Wisconsin were lower than between species groups from other states consistent with either larger than expected Wisconsin population sizes or signifi cant gene fl ow (introgressive hybridization) having occurred among species. Regardless, levels of divergence and overall integrity of the three groups were such that the presence of three species of gartersnakes in Wisconsin was supported and hybridization, at a minimum between Butler’s gartersnakes and the two other species, was shown to occur.

Wisconsin DNR Research Report↗
USGS1973

Hydrologic characteristics of Alder Creek, Iron County, Wisconsin

The purpose of this study was to determine the hydrologic characteristics of Alder Creek, Iron County, Wisconsin, which are needed by water-resource planners to evaluate a reservoir site proposed by the Whitecap Mountain Corporation on Alder Creek. The hydrologic characteristics estimated were the mean flows, low flows, flood peaks, suspended-sediment discharge, and depth to bedrock. Also included is an estimate of the time required to fill the proposed reservoir. The study was done in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2019

Potential for improving among-reader precision and accuracy of Walleye age estimates with minimal training

Within most resource management agencies, fish ages assigned by multiple readers are used to estimate age-based population metrics and to develop state or regional growth standards under the assumption that among-reader precision and accuracy are high. A cursory evaluation suggested that precision of age estimates among seven individuals who routinely estimate Walleye Sander vitreus age for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was remarkably low (otolith mean coefficient of variation [CV] = 37%; dorsal spine mean CV = 35%), which prompted concern and interest in whether among-reader precision could be improved with a minimal level of training. Consequently, we compared among-reader precision and accuracy before and after a 1-d training exercise. We distributed images of sectioned otoliths and sectioned dorsal spines from a random sample of 50 Walleye, along with images of structures from 25 known-age Walleye, to 21 readers grouped into beginner, intermediate, and advanced experience levels based on responses to a pretraining survey. Among-reader precision was substantially higher after training (otolith mean CV = 16%; dorsal spine mean CV = 15%) than before (otolith mean CV = 27%; dorsal spine mean CV = 26%). Accuracy of age estimates also improved after training, but greater improvements were observed for otoliths (mean difference between estimated and known ages before training = 0.80 year; after training = 0.15 year) than for dorsal spines (mean difference between estimated and known ages before training = 0.38 year; after training = 0.22 year). Similar improvements in precision and accuracy were evident for all experience levels. Our results suggest that a simple, low-cost age estimation training can substantially increase precision and accuracy of age estimates among a large group of readers. However, additional training and quality control measures may be required to achieve higher levels of precision and accuracy.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2001

Evaluating the effects of urbanization and land-use planning using ground-water and surface-water models

Why are the effects of urbanization a concern? As the city of Middleton, Wisconsin, and its surroundings continue to develop, the Pheasant Branch watershed (fig.l) is expected to undergo urbanization. For the downstream city of Middleton, urbanization in the watershed can mean increased flood peaks, water volume and pollutant loads. More subtly, it may also reduce water that sustains the ground-water system (called "recharge") and adversely affect downstream ecosystems that depend on ground water such as the Pheasant Branch Springs (hereafter referred to as the Springs). The relation of stormwater runoff and reduced ground-water recharge is complex because the surface-water system is coupled to the underlying ground-water system. In many cases there is movement of water from one system to the other that varies seasonally or daily depending on changing conditions. Therefore, it is difficult to reliably determine the effects of urbanization on stream baseflow and spring flows without rigorous investigation. Moreover, mitigating adverse effects after development has occurred can be expensive and administratively difficult. Overlying these concerns are issues such as stewardship of the resource, the rights of the public, and land owners' rights both of those developing their land and those whose land is affected by this development. With the often- contradictory goals, a scientific basis for assessing effects of urbanization and effectiveness of mitigation measures helps ensure fair and constructive decision-making. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Middleton and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, completed a study that helps address these issues through modeling of the hydrologic system. This Fact Sheet discusses the results of this work.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1998

Evaluation of a method for comparing phosphorus loads from barnyards and croplands in Otter Creek Watershed, Wisconsin

Control of phosphorus from rural nonpoint sources is a major focus of current efforts to improve and protect water resources in Wisconsin and is recommended in almost every priority watershed plan prepared for the State's Nonpoint Source (NFS) Program. Barnyards and crop- lands usually are identified as the primary rural sources of phosphorus. Numerous questions have arisen about which of these two sources to control and about the method currently being used by the NFS program to compare phosphorus loads from barnyards and croplands. To evaluate the method, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, used phosphorus-load and sediment-load data from streams and phosphorus concentrations in soils from the Otter Creek Watershed (located in the Sheboygan River Basin: fig. 1) in conjunction with two computer-based models.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1987

Water use in Wisconsin, 1985

An inventory of water use in Wisconsin is essential for appraising current and future water-resource needs of the State. The U.S. Geological Survey has collected and published national water-use data every 5 years since 1950. Sources of data in these reports have not always been well documented, and the methods for collecting and reporting the data were not the same for all States. Some planning and management needs of the State are not met by water-use information that is available only every fifth year. The U.S. Geological Survey entered into a cooperative program with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in 1978. The purpose of the program was to collect and compile reliable annual water-use data and to develop computerized water-use data systems at the State and national levels. Data in standardized format for different categories of water use are available in the State Water Use Data System. The data base is updated annually or when more current water-use information is available. Information about amounts of water withdrawn, source of water, how the water was used, and how much water was returned is available to those involved in establishing water-resource policy and to those managing water resources. The data contained in this report are a summary of the 1985 data-collection effort.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1989

Hydrogeology of Wood County, Wisconsin

The presence of low-permeability Precambrian rocks near land surface limits ground-water availability in the northern two-thirds of Wood County. Sand and gravel deposits provide large amounts of water (more than 500 gallons per minute) to some wells in the southeastern part of the county. Fine-grained unconsolidated deposits generally are less than 20 feet thick in the northern two-thirds of the county, but sand and gravel deposits 40- to 100-feet thick underlie the extreme southeastern part of the county. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sand and gravel deposits ranges from about 155 to about 280 feet per day. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of fine-grained unconsolidated deposits in the northern part of the county ranges from about 0.02 to 2 feet per day. Where unconsolidated deposits do not yield dependable water supplies, wells are finished in Precambrian rocks. Fractures occurring at shallow depths are the primary source of water for wells finished in Precambrian rocks. Because the number of fractures tends to decrease with depth, the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of these rocks generally decreases from about 11 feet per day in wells less than 50-feet deep to about 0.02 foot per day in wells greater than 160 feet deep. Estimates of ground-water recharge to sand and gravel deposits in the southeastern part of the county range from about 7 to 12 inches per year. Recharge estimates for the central and northern parts of the county range from about 1 to 4 inches per year. The total dissolved-solids concentration in ground water in Wood County is relatively low. Concentrations in water samples from 124 wells ranged from 21 to 578 milligrams per liter, with a median concentration of about 190 milligrams per liter. Major dissolved constituents are calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate; sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfate are present in low concentrations. The most common water-quality problem in Wood County is elevated iron concentrations. Iron concentrations greater than 300 micrograms per liter were found in 54 of 124 samples, and 15 samples contained iron concentrations greater than 5,000 micrograms per liter. Nitrate as nitrogen concentrations exceeded Wisconsin's drinking-water standard (10 milligrams per liter) in water from just 4 of 124 wells. The pesticide aldicarb was detected in 7 of 36 samples, and various volatile organic compounds were detected in 24 of 102 ground-water samples collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since 1980. Wells in which these chemicals were detected are near irrigated agricultural fields and in commercially developed areas where buried gasoline-storage tanks and chemical spills are more likely to occur. A reconnaissance approach combining electromagnetic surveys and sampling for water-quality indicators was used to assess effects of leachate on ground water near seven landfills. Results of the electromagnetic surveys were used to site water-quality observation wells. Total dissolved-solids concentrations and concentrations of volatile organic compounds, chloride, sulfate, iron, chemical oxygen demand, and organic carbon are some of the chemical constituents analyzed in samples collected from these wells. The average rate of ground·water pumpage in Wood County in 1985 was 9.7 million gallons per day. Of this rate, about 6 million gallons per day is pumped from municipal-supply wells in seven communities.An additional 1.08 million gallons per day is pumped for agricultural irrigation.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2004

Water-resources-related information for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District planning area, Wisconsin, 1970-2002

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Corridor Study is a three-phase project designed to improve the understanding of water resources in the stream corridors of the MMSD planning area by initially compiling existing data and using the compiled information to develop 3-year baseline and long-term monitoring plans. This report is one of the products of Phase I of the Corridor Study. A literature review of surface-water-quality, surface water- quantity, and ecology studies conducted from 1970 through 2001 was completed and is summarized in this report. An inventory of Geographic Information System spatial coverages available for the MMSD planning area has been assembled. A database of water, sediment, and tissue (fish, shellfish, and others) chemistry, macroinvertebrates, fish, algae, habitat, geomorphic, and other physical and ecological data was compiled from data sets from MMSD, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More than 2.7 million results are available in the MMSD Corridor Study database and the compilation of multiple datasets allows for retrieving data from a central database rather than from each of the source datasets. Data for 1970 through 2002 were collected for the 420-square-mile planning area by various agencies using different field data-collection and laboratory analysis methods. Chemical constituents and ecological components that are important to an urban setting and well represented in the database were selected for further investigation. Each constituent or component is described in this report with some or all of the following: a text summary, map of sampling locations, and in some cases median concentrations, statistical distributions of concentrations by subwatershed, table of summary statistics by subwatershed, and graphs of temporal and (or) seasonal trends. Physical data presented in the report include streamflow, stream stage, and precipitation data. Chemical indicators of water quality presented in the report include field measurements and miscellaneous constituents (pH, alkalinity, specific conductance, hardness, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and chloride), sediment (total suspended solids and suspended sediment), nutrients (total nitrogen, nitrate, Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved phosphorus), trace elements (cadmium, mercury, copper, lead, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and zinc), pesticides (historically used pesticides and pesticides still in use), and polychlorinated biphenyls. Ecological indicators of water quality discussed in the report include community surveys of macroinvertebrates and fish, chlorophyll a concentrations, habitat assessments and channel-measurement data, and fecal coliform and E. coli bacterial counts. In addition to the compilation of the database, a major purpose of this investigation was to identify additional sampling that should be conducted under the baseline monitoring phase, which will be the second phase of the Corridor Study. Additional sampling may include: • Some subwatersheds, such as those in the headwaters. • Emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), human hormones, organic wastewater contaminants, and other constituents that result from human activity. • E. coli, which can serve as an indicator of health risk to swimmers and other recreational water users. • Pesticides in all media. • PCBs. • Trace elements in water, bed sediment, and tissues (fish, shellfish, and others). • Samples during winter months or during early snowmelt episodes to address constituents such as chloride and some nutrients that have seasonal variability and that may be affected by factors such as road deicing during the winter. • Samples for macroinvertebrate and fish-community data and habitat assessments. • Physical data such as stream-channel cross-section profiles, bridge-scour assessments, flood-plain maps, structures, and shoreline conditions.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Environmental setting of benchmark streams in agricultural areas of eastern Wisconsin

This report describes the environmental setting of 20 benchmark streams in agricultural areas of eastern Wisconsin that are part of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages, National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Benchmark streams are defined as those that show minimal adverse effects from human activity, and they were selected on the basis of field reconnaissance and the following criteria: (1) available invertebrate or fisheries data that indicated good to excellent water quality, (2) instream habitat restoration for fisheries enhancement, and (3) land management to protect riparian vegetation. Information gathered from these benchmark sites can be used as a standard of reference to compare the health of other streams in agricultural areas on the basis of aquatic-biota communities, habitat, and water-quality characteristics. The information included in this report serves as background information that will be useful for a series of studies at these benchmark-stream sites in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study unit as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Four relatively homogeneous units (RHU's) in agricultural areas that differed in bedrock and surficial geology were selected for study. RHU 1 (clayey surficial deposits over carbonate bedrock) and RHU 3 (sandy-till surficial deposits over carbonate bedrock) are in adjacent agricultural areas in the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains ecoregion. RHU 20 (sandy/sand and gravel surficial deposits over igneous and metamorphic bedrock) and RHU 26 (sandy/sand and gravel surficial deposits over sandstone bedrock) are in adjacent areas of agriculture and mixed forests in the North Central Hardwood Forests ecoregion. Differences in land use/land cover, and riparian vegetation and instream habitat characteristics are presented. Summaries of field measurements of water temperature, pH, specific conductance and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, total organic plus ammonia nitrogen, dissolved ammonium, nitrate plus nitrte as nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved orthophosphate, and atrazine are listed. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen for the sampled streams ranged from 6 A to 14.3 and met the standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) for supporting fish and aquatic life. Specific conductance ranged from 98 to 753 u,Scm with values highest in RHU's 1 and 3, where streams are underlain by carbonate bedrock. Median pH did not vary greatly among the four RHU's and ranged from 6.7 to 8.8 also meeting the WDNR standards. Concentrations of total organic plus ammonia nitrogen, dissolved ammonium, total phosphorus, and dissolved orthophosphate show little variation between streams and are generally low, compared to concentrations measured in agriculturally-affected streams in the same RHU's during the same sampling period. Concentrations of the most commonly used pesticide in the study unit, atrazine, were low in all streams, and most concentrations were below trn 0.1 u,g/L detection limit. Riparian vegetation for the benchmark streams were characterized by lowland species of the native plant communities described by John T. Curtis in the "Vegetation of Wisconsin." Based on the environmental setting and water-quality information collected to date, these streams appear to show minimal adverse effects from human activity.

Wisconsin↗