Impaired Water - Spring Creek (Spring Creek)
Walworth County, Wisconsin
FX05
753900
0.00 - 5.16
5.16
Water is impaired due to one or more pollutants and associated quality impacts.
Notes
On 2006 303d list, TMDL has been approved 2003. Spring Creek flows for a total of 6.3 miles in the Spring Creek subwatershed. It has a contributing drainage area of 8.9 square miles with the entire reach listed as impaired for habitat degradation, turbidity, and sedimentation. The existing use of
the entire stream is a Limited Forage Fishery, but a 1995 biological inventory
classified it as a Warm Water Sport Fishery. The headwaters of Spring Creek have been historically channelized and are impacted by agricultural land uses. Further downstream, it flows through natural lowland forest before entering another channelized agricultural area. Spring Creek ultimately flows into a well-buffered wetland area downstream before its confluence with Honey Creek.


This water was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; available biological data did not indicate impairment (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scored in the "poor" condition category).
Listing Details
Pollutant
Sediment/Total Suspended Solids
Listed For
Fish and Aquatic Life
Impairments
Degraded Habitat, Turbidity
Current Use
Unsupported Aquatic Life
Listing Status
TMDL Approved
Attainable Use
WWSF - Warmwater Sport Fishery
Priority
Not Applicable
Designated Use
WWSF - Warmwater Sport Fishery
303(d) ID
454
Listing Date
4/1/1998
Impaired Water Notes
Spring Creek flows for a total of 6.3 miles in the Spring Creek subwatershed. It has a contributing drainage area of 8.9 square miles with the entire reach listed as impaired for habitat degradation, turbidity, and sedimentation. The existing use of the entire stream is a Limited Forage Fishery, but a 1995 biological inventory classified it as a Warm Water Sport Fishery. The headwaters of Spring Creek have been historically channelized and are impacted by agricultural land uses. Further downstream, it flows through natural lowland forest before entering another channelized agricultural area. Spring Creek ultimately flows into a well-buffered wetland area downstream before its confluence with Honey Creek.

Water quality in this stream has been degraded because of the agricultural land use, including channelization, wetland drainage via drain tiles, cropland runoff, streambank pasturing, and inadequate runoff filtration buffers. The impacts are sedimentation, and nutrient enrichment. Recommendations in the watershed plan are to reduce suspended solids, establish buffers, and discourage future dredging and wetland drainage activities. Its potential use is a Warm Water Sport Fishery.
Date
12/30/2002

Impaired Water Notes
The sediment TMDL for Spring Creek was approved by the USEPA March 13, 2003.
Date
3/13/2003