Branch River (Main Stem), Branch River Watershed (MA03)
Return to Search
Branch River (Main Stem), Branch River Watershed (MA03)
Branch River (Main Stem) (71300)
12.42 Miles
0 - 12.42
Natural Community
Warm Mainstem, COOL-Warm Mainstem
Year Last Monitored
2024
Poor
 
This river is impaired
Impairment Unknown, PCBs Contaminated Fish Tissue
Total Phosphorus, PCBs
 
Manitowoc
Trout Water 
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
Yes
Impaired Water 
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
Restricted Aquatic Life
Attainable Use
Default FAL
Designated Use
Default FAL

Overview

The Branch River, like the Manitowoc River, exhibits a dual “personality.” Upstream from Taus Road,
the Branch River is slow and soft bottomed with a stream gradient of about one foot per mile.
Downstream from Taus Road the Branch River drops about 11 feet per mile through a rocky channel for
11.2 miles before it joins the Manitowoc River 11.4 miles from Lake Michigan.
Historic reductions in the percentage of forested and wetland vegetation have resulted in a watershed that
lacks adequate opportunities for infiltration and retention of precipitation and snow melt resulting in
flashy runoff which overwhelms existing stream channels and aquatic habitat. This excessive runoff also
strips valuable sediments and nutrients from the terrestrial environment and delivers them to our streams
and lakes where they result in degraded water quality and poorer habitat which can kill sensitive and
intolerant fish and aquatic invertebrates. Flashy runoff also limits the amount of water available to
sustain adequate flows during drought. Restoration efforts should focus on increasing the overall
percentage of forested and wetland vegetation in this watershed to restore a more natural hydrologic
regime and minimize the impacts of flashy runoff and an altered hydrologic regime.
The Branch River (Manitowoc County portion) has been classified as an exceptional resource water under
NR 102. It is one of the few rivers in the state that provides steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
fishing. The river also supports a unique fish resource, the Greater Redhorse (Moxostoma valenciennesi),
which is worthy of special protection. The Greater Redhorse, which was listed as a special concern
species in 1979 and upgraded to threatened in 1989, is sensitive to chemical pollutants, turbidity and
siltation. Populations are threatened with domestic sewage and particulate runoff (Becker 1983). Siltation,
turbidity and chemical pollutants may be even more of a limiting factor for the Redhorse's diet organisms.
The river has also been proposed as a priority stream for the purchase of easements under the Stewardship
Stream Bank Easement Program, NR 51.63.
The Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection (FMHP) is working on developing a new
fishery area on the Manitowoc and Branch rivers. FMHP staff propose to manage this area for angler
access, habitat protection and fish habitat restoration. Specifics on the proposal are available in the 1990
Manitowoc/Branch River Fisheries Plan (Draft). The draft plan includes the area up to County Trunk
Highway (CTH) J on the Branch River and up to Clark Mills on the Manitowoc River. A list of fish
species found during a shocker survey in 1983 demonstrates the river supports good species diversity.

From: Willman, Guy and Mike Toneys. 2001. The State of the Lakeshore Basin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  2001

Author  Michael Toneys

Overview

One particular stretch of the Branch River should be considered a key habitat area and acquired if
possible. This particular stretch lies within property owned and managed by the Rahr Malting Company.
About a mile of the Branch River runs through the approximately 365-acre Rahr property. In addition to
the extensive Branch River frontage several large and stable springs that contribute significant flow to the
Branch River are on this property. This spring flow is especially important to the stableness of the Branch
River during seasons of lower river flow. This area has also served as important smolting habitat for
stocked steelhead yearlings before they migrate to Lake Michigan. To date, all steelhead smolt stocked in
the Manitowoc - Branch river system have been released within or just upstream from the Rahr property.
This stretch of the Branch River also has several excellent adult steelhead holding areas. In 1996, a stretch
of the Branch River became eligible for stewardship easement acquisition. Approximately 20 miles of the
river between the Brown/Manitowoc County Line and downstream of North Union Road is eligible for
easement acquisition for increased water quality protection. Since the Branch River is one of the better steelhead streams in the basin, easements should include angler access. The Branch River is managed by the WDNR as a Class I steelhead stream and as such receives annual smolt stockings of Chambers Creek and Skamania stains of steelhead. The river also receives stockings of coho salmon.
A proposed cold water discharge from the Lemberger Landfill Site (Superfund Site) could impact the fishery and other aquatic life in the Branch River near HWY J. Groundwater discharge typically is cold with low dissolved oxygen levels Flow conditions may also affect the fishery. A consulting firm will be conducting pre and post surveys of the discharge area to determine what affect the discharge has on the fish community structure. The consultants will use John Lyons warmwater criteria, and calculate in Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI). The IBI is used to assess biotic integrity and environmental quality in streams. The pre-discharge survey is scheduled for June 1966 and discharge is expected to begin in late summer 1996. Additional water quality information was collected during the Branch River Prioirty Watershed Appraisal.

From: Willman, Guy and Mike Toneys. 2001. The State of the Lakeshore Basin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.


Date  2001

Author  Michael Toneys

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fish and Aquatic Life communities are not fully supported in this ecosystem.
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.
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.
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.
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.