Water Detail - Canyon Park Creek, Mill and Blue Mounds Creek Watershed (LW15)

Canyon Park Creek, Mill and Blue Mounds Creek Watershed (LW15)

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Canyon Park Creek (1245200)

Size

3.78 Miles

Segment

0 - 3.78

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.

Cool-Cold Headwater

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.

2023

General Condition

Good

County

Iowa

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.

Yes

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.

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.

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.

Cold (Class II Trout)

Streams supporting a cold water sport fishery, or serving as a spawning area for salmonids and other cold water fish species. Representative aquatic life communities, associated with these waters, generally require cold temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that remain above 6 mg/L through natural reproduction and selective propagation. Since these waters are capable of supporting natural reproduction, a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration of 7 mg/L is required during times of active spawning and support of early life stages of newly-hatched fish.

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.

Cold

Streams capable of supporting a cold water sport fishery, or serving as a spawning area for salmonids and other cold water fish species. Representative aquatic life communities, associated with these waters, generally require cold temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that remain above 6 mg/L. Since these waters are capable of supporting natural reproduction, a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration of 7 mg/L is required during times of active spawning and support of early life stages of newly-hatched fish.

Overview

Canyon Park Creek is a major tributary to Cutler Creek. The stream has one of the highest stream gradients in Iowa County which contributes to erosion and flooding problems. The creek can support a Class II brown trout fishery and it has been recommended that the stream be added to the Wisconsin Trout Streams book. The stream has problems due to hydrologic modification and nonpoint source pollution. These problems have affected trout habitat. Efforts could be made to improve the in-stream conditions of Canyon Park Creek.

From: 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.

Date 2002

Author Cynthia Koperski

Historical Description

Canyon Park Creek - Mouth location T6N R4E Section 8 - 3, Surface acres = 5.3, Length = 5.3 miles, Gradient = 78.6 feet per mile, Total alkalinity = 302.0 mg/l, Volume of flow = 2.0 cfs
Canyon Park Creek is a tributary to the Cutler Creek. It contributes about 60 percent of the base flow of the Cutler Creek and enters it one-third mile aobe its juction with Mill Creek. Being spring fed, it was managed as a trout stream many years ago. There are three distinct tributaries which contribute slightly over 50 percent of its base flow. This stream has one of the highest stream gradient of any stream in Iowa County. As a result, there are erosion and flooding problems in the basin, especially during periods of heavy precipitation. About two-thirds of the watershed is devoted to limited agricultural use which serves to accentuate these problems. Presently there is a flood control dam being built on Cutler Creek just below the Cutler-Canyon Park confluences. This structure is designed to retain flood waters during thimes of peak runoff and release them slowly. This is one of a series of structures planned as part of the Twin Valley Watershed Project, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to alleviate flooding in the Mill Creek Watershed.
Waterfowl and marshland furbearers can be considered scarce because of the well drained nature of the basin. At one time it was managed as a trout stream and stocked with brown trout. It is very doubtful that this species exists at the present time althought there is the possibility that a small resident brook trout population might still exist near its headwaters. A brief seining survey revealed the species composition of the forage fishes to be white suckers, common shiners, blacknose and redbelly dace, brook sticklebacks, fantial darters and stoneroller minnows. There are no public lands on this stream but it is accessible from a county road crossing.

From: Piening, Ronald and Threinen, C.W., 1968. Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Iowa County, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date 1968

Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Canyon Park Creek, Mill and Blue Mounds Creek Watershed (LW15) Fish and Aquatic Life

Canyon Park Creek, Mill and Blue Mounds Creek Watershed (LW15) Recreation

Canyon Park Creek, Mill and Blue Mounds Creek Watershed (LW15) 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

2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments

2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters

Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments

Comprehensive 2016 Rivers Stream Assessments

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

Project Name (Click for Details)	Year Started

Monitoring Projects

WBIC	Official Waterbody Name	Station ID	Station Name	Earliest Fieldwork Date	Latest Fieldwork Date	View Station	View Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10015224	Canyon Park Creek General	4/10/2008	4/10/2008	Map	Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10054217	Canyon Park Creek on Evans Quarry Rd			Map	Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10053216	Canyon Park Creek DS of Unnamed (1245400) Stream	6/21/2019	6/30/2023	Map	Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10022621	Canyon Park St#2Evans Quarry Rd			Map	Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10030077	Canyon Park Creek downstream of Evan Quarry Road	6/2/2009	10/4/2017	Map	Data
1245200	Canyon Park Creek	10022619	Canyon Park St.115ft Up From Bridge On Friendship Camp			Map	Data

Watershed Characteristics

Canyon Park Creek is located in the Mill and Blue Mounds Creek watershed which is 186.74 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (54.60%), grassland (20.40%) and a mix of agricultural (15.30%) and other uses (9.80%). This watershed has 382.87 stream miles, 106.91 lake acres and 6,596.99 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Medium 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

Canyon Park Creek is considered a Cool-Cold Headwater 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.

Cool (Cold-Transition) Headwaters are small, usually perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon (<10 per 100 m), transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

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