Project Detail

Central Sands Project - Flow Monitoring - Wood County

Purpose

This project involves gathering Stream flow data for selected sites in Wisconsin.

Objective

Stream flow, or discharge, is the volume of water moving down a stream or river per unit of time and is commonly expressed in cubic feet per second (cfs). Stream flow and velocity affect food sources, spawning areas and migration paths of fish and other wildlife (DNR, 2010). In streams with adequate groundwater flow (baseflow), significant flow is maintained during prolonged dry periods allowing fish and tiny aquatic organisms to survive. Stream flow can be affected by humans. In watersheds with high human impacts, baseflow may be depleted by withdrawals for irrigation, domestic, or industrial purposes. Groundwater is drawn away from the stream creating a decline in the amount of water that would otherwise flow to the stream. The depletion of baseflow to the stream reduces flows overall, but reduced flows are more noticeable during dry periods and may leave little water for fish and other aquatic life at crucial times. Streamflows in the Wisconsin Central Sands have been depressed in recent years, more so in areas with large densities of high capacity wells. For example, the Little Plover River, a former high-quality trout stream and a Wisconsin Exceptional Resource Water, was near dry in 2003 and has dried in stretches since (Kraft et al., 2010). Still the question of how big the human impacts are on central Wisconsin rivers and streams remains in question. By meeting the goals of this project, baseflow monitoring can help professionals throughout the state answer this question.

Outcome

The goals of this project are as follows: 1. Produce high quality stream flow data using advanced methods and equipment. 2. Establish baseline information about a stream’s natural flow rate. 3. Provide real stream flow data. 4. Help to clarify the impacts of groundwater pumping on Central Sands rivers and streams.

Project Type

Targeted Monitoring

Project Sub Type

Special Project

Project ID

CentralSands-Flow-Wood

Year Started

2013

Status

Active

Reports and Documents

Flow status of Twomile Creek at 80th on 9/20/2023