Pleasant and Kittleson Valley SP-12 Project

Purpose

Evaluate the fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters. Note: USGS has been monitoring P, N, and SS loads over the past 5 years. Therefore, water chemistry monitoring is not requested with this project.

Objective

Determine if Pleasant Valley Creek is meeting its attainable use and can be removed from the state's list of impaired waters. Determine if there has been any change in fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate community since the inception of the WI buffer initiative in this watershed and compare with a control watershed. Compare department metrics to USGS metrics for sediment deposition, transport, and habitat.

Outcome

Fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate samples will be collected on 9 sites between both subwatersheds. All samples will be collected during field season 2013. It is unknown which FISCAL year samples will be collected, but anticipate a 50/50 split. A report will be written describing the results to be completed winter 2014/2015. It is anticipated a request will be made to EPA to remove Pleasant Valley from the impaired waters list for the 2016 listing cycle.

Study Design

Fish and habitat will be collected 4 sites on Pleasant Valley, 3 sites on Kittleson Valley and 2 sites on Smith-Conley (control site). Macroinvertebrates will be collected on 3 sites on Pleasant Valley, 3 sites on Kiittleson Valley and 2 sites on Smith-Conley. Sites will be repeated from the 2009 special project. Continuous temperature monitors will be placed in all 3 streams. Data will be used to compare with previous monitoring and with USGS stream morphological data in order to determine sediment transport within a system.

Related Reports

Run Project Summary Report
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Competitive Projects
SP 12 (Measure W)
SCR_18_CMP13B
2013
Active
 
Reports and Documents
This final report is a summary of the assessment of Pleasant Valley Branch and Kittleson Valley Creek in Dane, Co. Wisconsin prior to, and after, rehabilitation efforts on both streams as well as implementation of BMPs in the watershed. Both streams responded to management actions to the point where both are now meeting their attainable use as coldwater streams. This document also includes the proposal to removed Pleasant Valley Branch from the 303(d) list of impaired waters.
 
Activities & Recommendations
Monitor to Evaluate Projects
Evaluate the fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters. Note: USGS has been monitoring P, N, and SS loads over the past 5 years. Therefore, water chemistry monitoring is not requested with this project.
Monitor EPA SP12 (Measure W)
Evaluate the fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters. Note: USGS has been monitoring P, N, and SS loads over the past 5 years. Therefore, water chemistry monitoring is not requested with this project.
Monitor Watershed (Status,Sources,Impairments)
Evaluate the fish/habitat/macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters. Note: USGS has been monitoring P, N, and SS loads over the past 5 years. Therefore, water chemistry monitoring is not requested with this project.
Monitor EPA SP12/WQ10
Evaluate the fish/habitat/ macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters.
Monitor Water Quality or Sediment
Monitoring of these two streams will take place in order to comply with the EPA SP-12 measure to show improved water quality conditions. Each stream has had major rehabilitation of the watershed and stream corridor. This monitoring will determine whether or not these streams are meeting their natural attainable use and can subsequently be removed from the state's list of impaired waters.
Monitoring Ecosystem
Evaluate the fish/habitat/ macroinvertebrate quality of Kittleson Valley and Pleasant Valley Creek. Similar work was performed in 2009 at the inception of the WI buffer initiative project. Overall goal is to compare data from that year and remove Pleasant Valley from the list of impaired waters. Note: USGS has been monitoring P, N, and SS loads over the past 5 years. Therefore, water chemistry monitoring is not requested with this project.
 
Watershed
 
Waters