Trout Creek, Duck and Plainville Creeks Watershed (LW25)
Trout Creek, Duck and Plainville Creeks Watershed (LW25)
Trout Creek (1301100)
3 Miles
0 - 3
Natural Community
Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results that use predicted flow and temperature based on landscape features and related assumptions. Ranges of flow and temperature associated with specific aquatic life communities (fish, macroinvertebrates) help biologists identify appropriate resource management goals. Wisconsin Natural Communities.
Coldwater
Year Last Monitored
This is the most recent date of monitoring data stored in SWIMS. Additional surveys for fish and habitat may be available subsequent to this date.
Unknown
 
Adams
Trout Water 
Trout Waters are represented by Class I, Class II or Class III waters. These classes have specific ecological characteristics and management actions associated with them. For more information regarding Trout Classifications, see the Fisheries Trout Class Webpages.
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
Wisconsin has designated many of the state's highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters which provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat, have good water quality, and are not significantly impacted by human activities. ORW and ERW status identifies waters that the State of Wisconsin has determined warrant additional protection from the effects of pollution. These designations are intended to meet federal Clean Water Act obligations requiring Wisconsin to adopt an 'antidegradation' policy that is designed to prevent any lowering of water quality - especially in those waters having significant ecological or cultural value.
No
Impaired Water 
A water is polluted or 'impaired' if it does not support full use by humans, wildlife, fish and other aquatic life and it is shown that one or more of the pollutant criteria are not met.
No

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
The use the water currently supports. This is not a designation or classification; it is based on the current condition of the water. Information in this column is not designed for, and should not be used for, regulatory purposes.
Supported Aquatic Life
Waters that support fish and aquatic life communities (healthy biological communities).
Attainable Use
The use that the investigator believes the water could achieve through managing "controllable" sources. Beaver dams, hydroelectric dams, low gradient streams, and naturally occurring low flows are generally not considered controllable. The attainable use may be the same as the current use or it may be higher.
WWSF
Streams capable of supporting a warm waterdependent sport fishery. Representative aquatic life communities associated with these waters generally require cool or warm temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that do not drop below 5 mg/L.
Designated Use
This is the water classification legally recognized by NR102 and NR104, Wis. Adm. Code. The classification determines water quality criteria and effluent limits. Waters obtain designated uses through classification procedures.
Default FAL
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.

Overview

Trout Creek - There is limited information available for this creek.
Ripp, Coreen, Koperski, Cindy and Folstad, Jason. 2002. The State of the Lower Wisconsin River Basin. PUBL WT-559-2002. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Fawn Lake is a 19-acre impoundment on Trout Creek in southwest Adams County, Wisconsin. The dam for Fawn Lake was authorized in 1970-71. Complaints concerning heavy aquatic plant growth were recorded as early as 1974. Investigations at that time found heavy growth of sago pondweed and leafy pondweed. Some coontail was also found. The first recorded chemical treatments were in 1981. Between 1981 and 2002, several different chemicals were used to treat aquatic plants and algae (Table 1). Up to 10 acres had been treated in some years (more than half the lake) and multiple
treatments had been conducted many of the years.

Diquat and Aquathol are broad-spectrum chemicals that kill all
plant species. DNR Fish Management reported that chemical
treatments were removing nearly all the plant material in the
lake (1995, internal memo). Removing large portions of the
aquatic plant community left little habitat for fish, augmented
the algae problem and set up an ideal situation for the
introduction and colonization of the two exotic plant species in
Fawn Lake.
AV-70 and CuSO4 are copper products that were used to kill algae
(Table 1). The drawbacks of copper treatments are:
1) the very short effective time
2) the toxicity of copper to aquatic insects, an important part
of the food chain in a lake
3) the build up of copper in the sediments, resulting in
sediments that are toxic to mollusks that are the natural
consumers of algae in a lake.
Recently, 2,4-D chemicals have been used to selectively treat the
Eurasian water milfoil.
In 1999, Fawn Lake was drawn down for dam repair. The lake was
left down over the winter in an attempt to help control Eurasian
watermilfoil. Unfortunately, the spring of 2000 was dry and the
lake remained below normal level most of the summer.
In 2002, the residents on Fawn Lake formed a Lake District in
order to enable them to more effectively carry out programs to
improve Fawn Lake.

Date  2002

Author  Cynthia Koperski

Historical Description

Trout Creek, T14N, R6E, Section 6, Surface Acres = 0.8, Miles = 1.5, Gradient = 28.6 feet per mile.
This is a clear, hard water, sand bottom stream. It flows in a westerly direction
into the Wisconsin River. Forage fish species comprise the fishery. A private
campground and pond are located near the headwaters and near the mouth there is a
commercial trout pond. During the February, 1963, aerial groundwater survey, open
water was observed the entire length of the stream. Access is possible from two road
crossings.

From: Klick, Thomas A. and C.W. Threinen. 1966. Surface Water Resources of Adams County:
Lake and Stream Classification Project. Wisconsin Conservation Department, Madison, WI.

Date  1966

Author   Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Trout Creek, Duck and Plainville Creeks Watershed (LW25) Fish and Aquatic LifeTrout Creek, Duck and Plainville Creeks Watershed (LW25) RecreationTrout Creek, Duck and Plainville Creeks Watershed (LW25) Fish Consumption

Condition

Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.

Reports

Management Goals

Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable

Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.

Monitoring

Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.

Grants and Management Projects

Monitoring Projects

Watershed Characteristics

Trout Creek is located in the Duck and Plainville Creeks watershed which is 195.09 miĀ². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (56.40%), agricultural (25.70%) and a mix of wetland (7.60%) and other uses (10.30%). This watershed has 218.59 stream miles, 339.26 lake acres and 9,551.62 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Low for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.

Natural Community

Trout Creek is considered a Coldwater under the state's Natural Community Determinations.

Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results and DNR staff valiation processes that confirm or update predicted conditions based on flow and temperature modeling from historic and current landscape features and related variables. Predicated flow and temperatures for waters are associated predicated fish assemblages (communities). Biologists evaluate the model results against current survey data to determine if the modeled results are corect and whether biological indicators show water quaity degradation. This analysis is a core component of the state's resource management framework. Wisconsin's Riverine Natural Communities.

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