SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has published an updated listing of impaired waters in the state. The department is required by the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) to do this every two years.
The list, currently named a “draft,” lists a total of 1,533 state waterways, of which 240 are new to the list for 2018.
The Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers are considered impaired in all Southwest Wisconsin counties.
The Kickapoo River is impaired for its entire length. On the Kickapoo in Monroe, Vernon, Crawford and Richland, there is a problem with phosphous, and in Crawford there is a problem with mercury as well.
A water body is considered healthy when it supports safe human recreation, healthy aquatic animal and plant communities, or safe fish consumption. If any of these are not supported, then the water is considered impaired.
A public comment period is open from November 15 to December 29, 2017, for changes to the proposed list. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has to approve any changes made.
Public comments may be submitted by December 29, 2017, and can be emailed to the DNR at DNRImpairedWaters@wisconsin.gov, or sent by U.S. mail to Ashley Beranek, DNR, Water Evaluation Section (WY/3), Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Comments postmarked or received by December 29, 2017, will be considered before submitting the final draft list to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
A majority (183) of the new listings are waters exceeding the total phosphorous criteria, with a large number of these bodies of water having not been assessed for phosphorous prior to the 2018 cycle.
Seven years ago, state standards that took effect set the maximum allowable phosphorus concentration in Wisconsin waters.
The remaining new listings are due to biological impairment, elevated temperature, levels of bacteria or chloride, or concentrations of mercury in fish tissue.
Thirty-five waters are proposed for delisting because new water quality data indicate they are no longer impaired. This is the largest number of delistings since 2010. None of these bodies of water are in Southwest Wisconsin.
About 75 percent of the bodies of water in Wisconsin have not been assessed.
The complete list of impaired waterways can be found on the DNR website. The list for Southwest Wisconsin includes:
Southwest Region
Mississippi River, Crawford, Grant, Vernon, La Crosse: Total Phosphorus, Impairment Unknown, Mercury, Water Quality Use Restrictions; PCBs contaminated Fish Tissue,
Wisconsin River, Crawford, Grant, Richland: PCBs, Contaminated Fish Tissue
Kickapoo River, Monroe, Vernon, Crawford, Richland: Total Phosphorus, Mercury (Crawford)
Crawford County
Halls Branch: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids
Vernon County
Bad Axe River: Total Phosphorus
Coon Creek: Total Phosphorus
Jersey Valley Lake: Total Phosphorus, Excess Algal Growth
Jug Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Hills Creek: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community
Seymour Creek: Total Phosphorus
West Branch Baraboo River: BOD, Low Dissolved Oxygen
Sediment/ Total Suspended Solids; Total Phosphorus
Richland County
Pine River: Total Phosphorus
Bear Creek: Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions
Center Creek: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
Indian Creek: Unknown Pollutant, Elevated Water Temperature
Little Willow Creek: Total Phosphorus, Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat; Unknown Pollutant, Elevated Water Temperature
Mill Creek: Total Phosphorus
Monroe County
Lemonweir River: Total Phosphorus
Little Lemonweir River: Total Phosphorus
South Fork Lemonweir River: BOD, Low Dissolved Oxygen; Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community"
Baraboo River: Total Phosphorus
La Crosse River: Total Phosphorus Impairment Unknown
Little La Crosse River: Total Phosphorus
Lake Tomah: Total Phosphorus, Eutrophication, Excess Algal Growth, Elevated pH"
North Flowage: Mercury Contaminated Fish Tissue
Bear Creek: Total Phosphorus; Degraded Biological Community
Beaver Creek: Total Phosphorus
Angelo Pond: Mercury Contaminated Fish Tissue
Big Creek: Total Phosphorus; Water Quality Use Restrictions
Council Creek: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community
Dustin Creek: Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions
Mill Creek: Total Phosphorus
Moore Creek: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community
Printz Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Soper Creek: Total Phosphorus
Stillwell Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Elevated Water Temperature
Seymour Creek: Total Phosphorus
Grant County
Blue River: Total Phosphorus Impairment
Grant River: Total Phosphorus
Menominee River: Total Phosphorus
Platte River: Total Phosphorus
Sinsinawa River: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community
Bacon Branch: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Blake Fork: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community; Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions;
Boice Creek: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
Bull Branch: Total Phosphorus Water Quality Use Restrictions
Cass Valley Creek: Total Phosphorus
Castle Rock Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat; Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions
Chase Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Culver Branch: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Gunderson Valley Creek: Total Phosphorus Low Dissolved Oxygen; Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Kuenster Creek: Unknown Pollutant Degraded Biological Community
Little Platte River: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community
Louisburg Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Marlowe Branch: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
Martin Branch: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Martinville Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat: Total Phosphorus, Degraded Biological Community; Unknown Pollutant Elevated Water Temperature
Muskellunge Creek: Unknown Pollutant Degraded Biological Community; Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions; Unknown PollutantDegraded Biological Community
Pigeon Creek: Total Phosphorus Water Quality Use Restrictions; Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
Rattlesnake Creek: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
Rogers Branch: Total Phosphorus, Low Dissolved Oxygen, Degraded Biological Community; Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat; Unknown Pollutant, Elevated Water Temperature
Sandy Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Snowden Branch: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Young Branch: Total Phosphorus
Mounds Branch: Unknown Pollutant, Degraded Biological Community
LaCrosse County
Neshonoc Lake: Sediment/ Total Suspended Solids, Eutrophication, Elevated pH; Mercury Contaminated Fish Tissue
Adams Valley Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Bostwick Creek: Total Phosphorus
Fleming Creek: Total Phosphorus, Water Quality Use Restrictions; Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Elevated Water Temperature, Degraded Habitat
Gill Coulee Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
Halfway Creek: Sediment/Total Suspended Solids, Degraded Habitat
South Branch Creek: Total Phosphorus
