8.77 Miles
0 - 8.77
Macroinvertebrate, Warm Headwater
2021
Poor
Impairment Unknown
Total Phosphorus
Kewaunee
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Silver Creek has two tributaries, Havel and Rio Creeks and a 5.7-acre impoundment near Algoma. 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.
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
Impaired Waters
Rio Creek was recently evaluated during the ten-year period of 2009 through 2018 for results that were reported to the USEPA for the 2020 Clean Water Act condition report. The waterbody is considered impaired, or in poor condition for designated uses which include the quality of fish and aquatic life, recreational use, and public health and welfare (fish consumption and related). Pollutants or problems encountered during sampling (impairments) are determined based on water quality standards outlined in Wisconsin 2020 Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (WisCALM). Assessment results show water conditions that are potentially harmful for Aquatic Life use due to values for total phosphorus that fall into the range expected for an aquatic community in poor health, therefore this water is listed as impaired.
Assessment results during the 2020 listing cycle show impairment by total phosphorus. Phosphorus levels were too high for healthy aquatic communities like plants, bugs, and fish according to 2020 WisCALM standards. Based on the most updated information, this water was proposed for the impaired waters list in 2020.
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
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 |
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Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10038181 | RIO CREEK AT PHEASANT ROAD NEAR RIO CREEK WI | 8/14/2006 | 8/14/2006 | Map | Data |
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10046704 | Phragmites Occurrence - Rio Creek at HWY 54 | | | Map | Data |
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10017054 | Rio Creek - Cth K | 3/29/1994 | 6/19/1996 | Map | Data |
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10011683 | Rio Creek - Rio Cr. at Hwy S | 10/31/1978 | 10/4/2018 | Map | Data |
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10044221 | Rio Creek at HWY 54 | 7/22/2015 | 7/22/2015 | Map | Data |
| 95200 | Rio Creek | 10020814 | Rio Creek-100 Feet Below Bridge Off Pheasant Road. | 5/16/2021 | 5/16/2021 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Rio 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.This water is ranked High Stream for individual Rivers based on runoff problems and the likelihood of success from project implementation.
Hydrological
This watershed is 50.00% impervious.
Rio Creek is considered a Macroinvertebrate, 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.