Big Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche A Cri Creek Watershed (CW06)
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Big Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche A Cri Creek Watershed (CW06)
Big Roche A Cri Creek (1374100)
4.83 Miles
37.93 - 42.76
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.
Cool-Cold Mainstem, Cool-Cold 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
Good
 
Adams, Waushara
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.
Yes
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.
Yes
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.
No

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.
Supported Aquatic Life
Waters that support fish and aquatic life communities (healthy biological communities).
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.
Cold (Class I Trout)
Streams supporting a cold water sport fishery, or serving as a spawning area for salmonids and other cold water fish species through natural reproduction. Representative aquatic life communities, associated with these waters, generally require cold temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that remain above 6 mg/L. Since these waters are capable of supporting natural reproduction, a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration of 7 mg/L is required during times of active spawning and support of early life stages of newly-hatched fish.
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.
Cold
Streams capable of supporting a cold water sport fishery, or serving as a spawning area for salmonids and other cold water fish species. Representative aquatic life communities, associated with these waters, generally require cold temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that remain above 6 mg/L. Since these waters are capable of supporting natural reproduction, a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration of 7 mg/L is required during times of active spawning and support of early life stages of newly-hatched fish.

Overview

Rig Roche-a-Cri Creek, T18N, R4E, Section 25 Surface Acres=110, Miles=28.3

A hard water stream having clear water that flows in a southwesterly direction into Castle Rock Lake. Sand is the dominant bottom type. That portion of the stream above Big Roche-a -Cri Lake (21.5 miles) is considered trout water, but most of the natural reproduction is found within the upper two miles of the stream in Adams County. The fishery consists of northern pike, smallmoulth bass, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, bluegills, pumpkinseecl, bullheads, and carp. It provides habitat for furbearers, including beaver; and migrant waterfowl. The aerial groundwater survey conducted February, 1963, found open water in two stretches of stream above CTH "C" . There is 0.8 mile of public frontage. Access is also possible from several road crossings as well as from Castle Rock Lake aild Big Roche-a -Cri Lalce. There are several dwellings along the stream and land has been subdivided into lots at several locations.

From: Klick, Thomas A. and C.W. Threinen. 1966. Surface Water Resources of Adams County: Lake and Stream Classification Project. Wisconsin Conservation Department, Madison, WI.

Date  1966

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

The Upper Big Roche A Cri Creek is within the town of Leola. This creek is classified a warm water sport fishery, Class I and II trout stream. Brook trout populations doubled, resulting in heavy fishing pressure after approximately 2,400 feet of in-stream habitat improvements (boom covers) were completed. Intense irrigation occurs in the headwaters, possibly reducing the base flow. The creek also carries a large bed load of sediment.

Biotic index values generated by DNR indicated poor and fair water quality in 1978 and 1979. Nitrate values also approached 4.0 PPM. Wind erosion is severe and this may be the source of sediment entering the stream. Irrigation cropping occurs in the Upper portion of the watershed and ditches emptying into the Big Roche A Cri carrying nutrients, pesticides and wetland drainage (Schultz).

Date  2002

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Big Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche A Cri Creek Watershed (CW06) Fish and Aquatic LifeBig Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche A Cri Creek Watershed (CW06) RecreationBig Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche A Cri Creek Watershed (CW06) Fish Consumption

General Condition

The Upper Big Roche A Cri Creek was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; new temperature sample data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. This water was meeting this designated use and was not considered impaired.

Date  2017

Author  Ashley Beranek

Impaired Waters

The 2018 assessments of Big Roche A Cri Creek (Big Roche a Cri Lake inlet to CTH W) showed continued impairment by temperature; new temperature sample data exceeded the 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. Based on the most updated information, this water was proposed for the impaired waters list.

Date  2017

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

Big Roche A Cri Creek, Big Roche a Cri at 1st Ave., Wadeable Macroinvertebrate Field Form
2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments
2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters
Final Draft 2018 Impaired Waters List
Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments
Comprehensive 2016 Rivers Stream Assessments
Comprehensive 2014 TP IBI Rivers Assessment
Big Roche A Cri Watershed Plan 2011 (CW06)
Designation of Sensitive Areas in Big Roche -a-Cri Lake, Adams County
Adams County Surface Water Resources 1966

Recommendations

Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
Educate and engage residents
Lakes Planning Grant
Project Deliverable
hire interns to inventory waterfront properties on Big Roche-a-Cri Creek and Big Roche-a-Cri Lake to identify areas contributing to lake sedimentation, phosphorus inputs and invasive species infestation. Major project elements to include: a) shoreline inventory, b) mapping, c) development of GIS layers, and d) project administration.
Watershed Mapping or Assessment
Monitor Invasive Species
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment, Inventory
Shoreland Monitoring, Assessment or Inventory
Shoreland Ordinance
The Adams County Land and Water Conservation Department proposes to facilitate revision of the county's Shoreland Protection Ordinance and to train a LWCD staff person to work with shoreland property owners to establish shoreland buffers and other practices necessary to comply with the new shoreland ordinance.
Cost-Share Agreement
Adams County proposes to provide up to 75% of the cost of shoreland restoration practices to lake front property owners with highly erodible shorelines on Big Roche-a-Cri Lake. Grant funds will be distributed to the property owners to install shoreline protection, riparian buffers and stormwater management practices.
Cost-Share Agreement
Adams County proposes to provide up to 75% of the cost of shoreland restoration practices to lake front property owners on Castle Rock Lake. Grant funds will be distributed to fund removal of sea walls, minor bank re-shaping, placement of rip-rap, establishment of vegetative buffers and implementation of individual stormwater management plans.

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
ADAMS COUNTY: Adams Co. Lake Maps2005
ADAMS COUNTY: Adams AIS Specialist 22010
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek btw two halves of Buttercup Ave2009
Big Roche A Cri West of 15th Ave.2010
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Big Roche-A-Cri Lake Clean Boats Clean Waters 20132013
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Big Roche-A-Cri Lake Clean Boats Clean Waters Project 20142014
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Big Roche-A-Cri Drawdown2005
ADAMS COUNTY: Adams Co. Lake Packet2013
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Big Roche-A-Cri Lake 2015 Clean Boats Clean Waters Project2015
ADAMS COUNTY: LCO-Adams Ordinance Imple. Assistance2009
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Roche-A-Cri Invasive Species Signs2006
ADAMS COUNTY: RES-Castle Rock Restoration2006
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at Browndeer Lane2008
Big Roche A Cri at Beaver Ave 2009
Big Roche A Cri Creek at CTH Z 2009
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at 18th Ave2009
ADAMS COUNTY: Big Roche-A-Cri Watershed Assess2012
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: BRC Lake Aquatic Plant Study & Data Gap Analysis2019
ADAMS COUNTY: RES-Big Roche-A-Cri Restoration2005
ADAMS COUNTY: Adams Co. Packet 22014
ADAMS COUNTY: RES-Big Roche-A-Cri Restoration 22007
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at Big Horn Ave2008
Big Roch-A-Cri So. of Cottonville Ave.2010
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: Big Roch-A-Cri P&R District 2016 Clean Boats Clean Waters2016
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at CTH W2008
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at STH 212009
BIG ROCHE-A-CRI LAKE DISTRICT: BRC Convention Attend2014
Fish Propagation Actions2001
Big Roche-A-Cri Creek at 20th Ave2009

Monitoring Projects

WBICOfficial Waterbody NameStation IDStation NameEarliest Fieldwork DateLatest Fieldwork DateView StationView Data
1374100Big Roche A Cri Creek10028790Big Roche A Cri Creek at Cty G1/31/20141/31/2014MapData
1374100Big Roche A Cri Creek10035044Big Roche a Cri at .3 mile East Cty Tr G South 1st Drive1/1/20151/1/2015MapData
1374100Big Roche A Cri Creek10009622Big Roche A Cri Creek at CTH W5/21/20083/15/2024MapData
1374100Big Roche A Cri Creek10008916Big Roche-A-Cri Archer Drive 1999 Trout Hab. Maintenance Area1/1/20151/1/2015MapData
1374100Big Roche A Cri Creek10035029Big Roche a Cri at 1st Ave.6/13/20079/19/2024MapData

Watershed Characteristics

Big Roche A Cri Creek is located in the Big Roche A Cri Creek watershed which is 177.00 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (51.50%), agricultural (31.10%) and a mix of wetland (7.10%) and other uses (10.30%). This watershed has stream miles, lake acres and 11,429.84 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, Low 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.

Natural Community

Big Roche A Cri Creek is considered a Cool-Cold Mainstem, Cool-Cold 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.

Cool (Cold-Transition) Mainstem streams are moderate-to-large but still wadeable perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon, transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are common to absent, mainstem species are abundant to common, and river species are common to absent.

Cool (Cold-Transition) Headwaters are small, usually perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon (<10 per 100 m), transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.