Dane County, Wisconsin
SP05
908500
0.00 - 5.92
5.92
Condition has improved over time; water is not impaired.
Notes
TMDL approved 2005.
Pleasant Valley Branch is a five-mile long stream located in southwestern Dane County. It is part of the Gordon Creek watershed and empties into Kittleson Valley Creek southeast of Daleyville. Currently, Pleasant Valley Branch supports a warm water forage fishery, however, the presence of brown trout and mottled sculpin demonstrate this stream's potential to support a cold water fishery. Pleasant Valley Branch is currently listed on the 303(d) list for degraded habitat due to sedimentation from overgrazing and a lack of habitat. However, several streambank stabilization and habitat restoration projects are currently underway in the stream.
This water was assessed during the 2016 listing cycle and is proposed for delisting based on new biological, habitat, and water quality data.
This water was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; based on 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use, available biological data did not indicate impairment (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scored in the "poor" condition category).Pollutant
Sediment/Total Suspended Solids
Listed For
Impairments
NA
Current Use
Listing Status
Water Delisted
Attainable Use
Priority
Delisted 2016
Designated Use
303(d) ID
12237-367
Listing Date
4/1/1998
Impaired Water Notes
Pleasant Valley Branch is a five-mile long stream located in southwestern Dane County. It is part of the Gordon Creek watershed and empties into Kittleson Valley Creek southeast of Daleyville. Currently, Pleasant Valley Branch supports a warm water forage fishery, however, the presence of brown trout and mottled sculpin demonstrate this stream’s potential to support a cold water fishery. Pleasant Valley Branch is currently listed on the 303(d) list for degraded habitat due to sedimentation from overgrazing and a lack of habitat. However, several streambank stabilization and habitat restoration projects are currently underway in the stream.
In 2003, a section of Pleasant Valley Branch, starting at the northern CTH H crossing, and extending about ½ mile down stream, had stream bank work done as part of a Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) grant. Prior to this work, one brown trout and a few specimens of forage fish were found in this section of stream. The stream was wide, shallow, and the bottom was composed primarily of sand and silt. A 2004 post-rehabilitation habitat evaluation of this project area showed marginal silt deposition (22%), with the majority of the substrate being composed of gravel or coarser material (59%). These findings, coupled with width to depth ratios of about 7:1, suggest “good” habitat quality for this section of rehabilitated stream. Also, three additional fish surveys were conducted to observe the effects of the restoration project. Two survey sites were replicates from the previous year in the area that had been restored and found 34 brown trout (2.5 - 13.9 inches), three brook trout (10.0 - 10.9 inches), 11 black crappie (6.6 - 7.3 inches), and four minnow and forage species.
A third section, downstream of where the restoration was to occur, found 29 brown trout (6.1 - 13.7 inches) and five other forage and minnow species, with white sucker and creek chub being the most abundant. Additional lands in the watershed have been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and another section of stream corridor is scheduled for rehabilitation work in 2005 under the state’s Targeted Runoff Management Program.
Date
6/28/2005
Impaired Water Notes
Pleasant Valley Branch is a five-mile long stream located in southwestern Dane County. It is part of the Gordon Creek watershed and empties into Kittleson Valley Creek southeast of Daleyville. Currently, Pleasant Valley Branch supports a warm water forage fishery, however, the presence of brown trout and mottled sculpin demonstrate this stream’s potential to support a cold water fishery. Pleasant Valley Branch is currently listed on the 303(d) list for degraded habitat due to sedimentation from overgrazing and a lack of habitat. However, several streambank stabilization and habitat restoration projects are currently underway in the stream.
In 2003, a section of Pleasant Valley Branch, starting at the northern CTH H crossing, and extending about ½ mile down stream, had stream bank work done as part of a Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) grant. Prior to this work, one brown trout and a few specimens of forage fish were found in this section of stream. The stream was wide, shallow, and the bottom was composed primarily of sand and silt. A 2004 post-rehabilitation habitat evaluation of this project area showed marginal silt deposition (22%), with the majority of the substrate being composed of gravel or coarser material (59%). These findings, coupled with width to depth ratios of about 7:1, suggest “good” habitat quality for this section of rehabilitated stream. Also, three additional fish surveys were conducted to observe the effects of the restoration project. Two survey sites were replicates from the previous year in the area that had been restored and found 34 brown trout (2.5 - 13.9 inches), three brook trout (10.0 - 10.9 inches), 11 black crappie (6.6 - 7.3 inches), and four minnow and forage species. A third section, downstream of where the restoration was to occur, found 29 brown trout (6.1 - 13.7 inches) and five other forage and minnow species, with white sucker and creek chub being the most abundant. Additional lands in the watershed have been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and another section of stream corridor is scheduled for rehabilitation work in 2005 under the state’s Targeted Runoff Management Program.
Date
9/8/2013
Impaired Water Notes
Pleasant Valley Branch (908500, miles 0-5.92) is part of the Sugar-Pecatonica River Basin and the sediment TMDLs were approved by the USEPA August 24, 2005.
Date
4/25/2005
Impaired Water Notes
This stream is proposed to be delisted from the draft 2016 impaired waters list. The health of the fishery, as measured by the coldwater IBI and catch-per-unit effort (extrapolated number of trout per mile), showed immediate improvement even in the absence of stocking. The tolerant fishery assemblage, made up predominantly of white suckers, creek chubs, and brook stickleback was replaced with a community of sensitive coldwater species consisting of brown trout, mottled sculpin, and brook lamprey. The coldwater IBI increased at all sites from ?poor? and ?fair? to ?fair? and ?good? after the rehabilitation.
Date
12/1/2014