Silver Creek(Havel Creek), Ahnapee River Watershed (TK04)
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Silver Creek(Havel Creek), Ahnapee River Watershed (TK04)
Silver Creek(Havel Creek) (94900)
5.50 Miles
1.50 - 7
Natural Community
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.
Warm Headwater
Year Last Monitored
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.
2024
Poor
 
This river is impaired
Impairment Unknown
Total Phosphorus
 
Kewaunee
Trout Water 
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.
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
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.
No
Impaired Water 
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.
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
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.
Restricted Aquatic Life
Fish and Aquatic Life communities are not fully supported in this ecosystem.
Attainable Use
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.
WWFF
Streams capable of supporting a warm waterdependent forage fishery. Representative aquatic life communities associated with these waters generally require cool or warm temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that do not drop below 5 mg/L.
Designated Use
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.
Default FAL
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.

Overview

Silver Creek (T25N, R25E, S16) - Silver Creek is the largest tributary to the Ahnapee River. It has two tributaries, Havel and Rio Creeks, and a 5.7-acre impoundment near Algoma. The lower 1.5 miles of Silver Creek support a warmwater fishery
while the remaining fishery supports predominantly forage species.

Silver Creek has fair to poor water quality due to nonpoint source impacts on its mainstem and on its Rio Creek tributary. Rio Creek has very poor water quality. Both Rio and Silver Creeks run through heavily farmed watersheds. Cropland erosion and streambank pasturing have resulted in excessive sediment and nutrient loadings to these streams (WDNR, 1982).

With pollution control in the Rio and Silver Creek watersheds, the fishery of Silver Creek has the potential to improve. A portion of Havel Creek above the confluence with Rio Creek has the potential to become a Class II trout stream for over a mile. Above that area, the potential is limited to a forage fishery due to nonpoint source impacts and flow variability. Low flows and low gradient also limit the Rio Creek fishery.

Algoma Hardwoods discharges non-contact cooling water, boiler blowdown, and water softener backwash to Silver Creek. There appears to be non water quality impacts from this discharge. A 1987 complaince survey revealed no problems.

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

Silver Creek(Havel Creek), Ahnapee River Watershed (TK04) Fish and Aquatic LifeSilver Creek(Havel Creek), Ahnapee River Watershed (TK04) RecreationSilver Creek(Havel Creek), Ahnapee River Watershed (TK04) Fish Consumption

Impaired Waters

Silver Creek (also known as Havel Creek, WBIC 94900) showed impairment by phosphorus in 2018 and 2020. Bug and fish communities were in good health. This water remains on the impaired waters list.

Date  2019

Author  Ashley Beranek

Condition

Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.

Reports

2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments
Silver Creek, Silver Creek at Partridge Road (west crossing), Wadeable Macroinvertebrate Field Form
Silver Creek, Silver Creek-200 Feet Below Dam 100 Feet Above Bridge In Breumerville Park Off Willow Drive., Wadeable Macroinvertebrate Field Form
2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters
Final Draft 2018 Impaired Waters List
Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments
2003-2004 Door Peninsula Baseline Monitoring Report

Management Goals

Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable

Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.

Monitoring

Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.

Grants and Management Projects

Project Name (Click for Details)Year Started

Monitoring Projects

WBICOfficial Waterbody NameStation IDStation NameEarliest Fieldwork DateLatest Fieldwork DateView StationView Data
94900Silver Creek10012294Silver Creek - Silver Creek At Algoma West City Limit10/31/19786/21/2006MapData
94900Silver Creek10011677Silver Creek - Silver Cr. Hwy S10/31/19781/1/2015MapData
94900Silver Creek10033859Silver Creek downstream CTH S7/21/20111/1/2015MapData
94900Silver Creek10020779Silver Creek-200 Feet Below Dam 100 Feet Above Bridge In Breumerville Park Off Willow Drive.1/1/201510/14/2024MapData
94900Silver Creek10020822Silver Creek-300 Feet Below Bridge Off Co. T. DMapData
94900Silver Creek10059303Silver Creek 450 ft west of Cty Rd D8/7/20248/7/2024MapData

Watershed Characteristics

Silver Creek is located in the Ahnapee River watershed which is 135.58 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (49.80%), wetland (19.80%) and a mix of grassland (19.50%) and other uses (10.80%). This watershed has 189.28 stream miles, 5,768.81 lake acres and 15,037.67 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.

Hydrological

This watershed is 50.00% impervious.

Natural Community

Silver Creek(Havel Creek) is considered a Warm Headwater under the state's Natural Community Determinations.

Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results and DNR staff valiation processes that confirm or update predicted conditions based on flow and temperature modeling from historic and current landscape features and related variables. Predicated flow and temperatures for waters are associated predicated fish assemblages (communities). Biologists evaluate the model results against current survey data to determine if the modeled results are corect and whether biological indicators show water quaity degradation. This analysis is a core component of the state's resource management framework. Wisconsin's Riverine Natural Communities.

Warm Headwaters are small, usually intermittent streams with warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are absent, transitional fishes are common to uncommon, and warm water fishes are abundant to common. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

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