Water Detail - Spring Brook Creek, Springbrook Creek Watershed (CW21)

Spring Brook Creek, Springbrook Creek Watershed (CW21)

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Spring Brook Creek (1440800)

Size

2.39 Miles

Segment

10.26 - 12.65

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

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.

2021

General Condition

Poor

This river is impaired

Impairments include

Low DO, Chronic Aquatic Toxicity

Pollutants include

Unspecified Metals, Total Phosphorus

County

Langlade

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Spring Brook, a 19 mile long stream, flows southwesterly through Antigo before joining the Eau Claire River in northeast Marathon County. The stream is intermittent in the headwaters and spring-fed in the Antigo Flats area. There are no perennial feeder streams associated with Spring Brook.

Spring Brook is classified as a Class I trout stream for 17 of its 19 miles. The segment of stream not considered Class I trout stream lacks quality habitat, experiences warmer water temperatures, and exhibits poor dissolved oxygen conditions. This stretch of stream is classified as a warm water sport and forage fishery. Spring Brook is not reaching its highest potential use due to pollution form nonpoint sources. Eroding croplands and improperly managed livestock operation are the major sources of nonpoint pollution in the watershed.

Date 2002

Author Aquatic Biologist

Spring Brook Creek, Springbrook Creek Watershed (CW21) Fish and Aquatic Life

Spring Brook Creek, Springbrook Creek Watershed (CW21) Recreation

Spring Brook Creek, Springbrook Creek Watershed (CW21) Fish Consumption

General Condition

Spring Brook is not reaching its highest potential use due to pollution form nonpoint sources. Eroding croplands and improperly managed livestock operation are the major sources of nonpoint pollution in the watershed. Two 10 Year Median Macroinvertebrate IBI Values on the impaired waters stretch are fair on the downstream strech and poor on the upper portions of the impaired waters stretch.

Date 2011

Author Aquatic Biologist

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

Final Draft 2018 Impaired Waters List

2014 Impaired Waters Delisting Documentation

Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments

Spring Brook, Spring Brook - Highway 64 /Upstream Of Bridge North Side Of Stream, Wadeable Macroinvertebrate Field Form

Comprehensive 2016 Rivers Stream Assessments

Spring Brook Dissolved Oxygen Data 2014 IW List

Comprehensive 2014 TP IBI Rivers Assessment

Springbrook Creek (CW21) Watershed Plan 2010

SPRING BROOK, LANGLADE COUNTY, ANTIGO WWTP USE DESIGNATION

Recommendations

Monitor Aquatic Biology

AU 18345, poor mIBI, Station 343062

Nine Key Element Plan

Spring Brook PWS Plan - Nine Key Element Plan - The Spring Brook Priority Watershed Project plan assesses the nonpoint sources of pollution in the Spring Brook Watershed and guides the implementation of nonpoint source control measures. These control measures are needed to meet specific water resource objectives for Spring Brook and its tributaries. The purpose of this project is to reduce the amount of pollutants originating from nonpoint sources that reach surface water and groundwater within the Spring Brook Priority Watershed Project area. It is a 67 square mile watershed located in Langlade and Marathon Counties.

Runoff Grant

Spring Brook Watershed should remain a high priority for future grant eligibility under the State Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement Program.

Fish Management, Access

DNR Fisheries Management should look into developing some type of restricted harvest regulation so the quality and trophy brook trout fishing is maintained on Spring Brook.

Restore Wetlands

DNR Staff should determine the cause of excessive plant growth (Reed Canary Grass) below Antigo and evaluate control options and conduct dissolved oxygen studies.

Restore Riparian Habitat

DNR Staff should continue to pursue land acquisition or leases along Spring Brook for streambank protection and habitat improvement.

Stormwater Planning, Implementation

Encourage the use of rain gardens and rain barrels in the City of Antigo.

Information and Education

Inform the public of habitat loss and the impacts of those losses upon fish and wildlife populations, water quality, flood control and the quality of life.

Protect Riparian or Shorelands

Educate the public concerning shoreline preservation and restoration.

Biomonitoring Toxicity Tests

Stream sediment and water should be collected for bioassessment toxicity testing above and below the old coal gas plant.

Monitor Baseline Survey

Sediment monitoring should be conducted in Spring Brook, and tested for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Volatile Organic Compounds and metals.

Monitor to Evaluate Projects

DNR Water Resources and R & R Programs should continue to monitor water quality during the clean-up phase of contaminated soils associated with the old coal gasification plant adjacent to Spring Brook.

Information and Education

Educate the public on the installation and use of rain gardens and rain barrels.

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
ANTIGO LAKE DISTRICT: Antigo Lake Management Planning Project, Phase 1	2010
Monitoring Recommendations Stemming from CWA / IR Listings	2000
ANTIGO LAKE DISTRICT: Antigo Lakes AIS Control & Prevention Project: Phase 1 2013-2016	2013
Spring Brook PWS Plan - Nine Key Element Plan	1997
ANTIGO LAKE DISTRICT: Antigo Lake Management Planning Project, Phase 2	2010

Monitoring Projects

WBIC	Official Waterbody Name	Station ID	Station Name	Earliest Fieldwork Date	Latest Fieldwork Date	View Station	View Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343020	Spring Brook at Cth Y Antigo	10/1/1975	8/31/1994	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343011	Spring Br at Foot Brg Ab Kraftco	10/1/1975	8/22/1979	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343015	Spring Brook at 2nd Ave Brg Antigo	8/25/1975	11/6/1975	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343018	Spring Br - 100 Ft Below Milbrew	10/1/1975	11/6/1975	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	10056128	SPRINGBROOK CREEK CTH Y TO GOWAN RD			Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343141	Spring Brook at Us Hwy 45	10/4/1995	10/4/1995	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343012	Spring Br - 100 Ft Below Kraftco (N of 10th Ave)	10/1/1975	8/4/2011	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343113	Spring Brook - 200 Yds Downstream Of Cth Y On West Side	8/1/1996	8/1/1996	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343142	Spring Br - Stormsewer Clermont	10/4/1995	10/4/1995	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	10009285	Spring Brook - 20m Above Dorr St.	8/4/2011	8/4/2011	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	10056129	SPRING BROOK CREEK 7TH AVE US TO DAM			Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343013	Spring Br - 200 Ft Below Kraftco	10/1/1975	8/4/2011	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	10040668	Spring Brook 39.5m US 8th Ave	6/25/2013	1/1/2015	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343112	Spring Brook - 10th Street And Edison 25' Downstream Of Stormsewer Outfall	8/1/1996	8/1/1996	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	246	Spring Brook at Antigo			Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343017	Spring Br - Abv Dorr St	10/1/1975	1/1/2015	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343028	Spring Brook - Above Milbrew	5/31/1979	5/31/1979	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343016	Spring Br at 6th Ave Brg Antigo	8/25/1975	11/6/1975	Map	Data
1440800	Spring Brook	343019	Spring Br - 200 Ft Below Milbrew	10/1/1975	10/22/2021	Map	Data

Watershed Characteristics

Spring Brook is located in the Springbrook Creek watershed which is 69.77 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (56.70%), forest (26.40%) and a mix of grassland (7.50%) and other uses (9.50%). This watershed has 99.73 stream miles, 65.96 lake acres and 977.95 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

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

Natural Community

Spring Brook Creek is considered a Cool-Cold Mainstem 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.

Fisheries & Habitat

Spring Brook is classified as a Class I trout stream for 17 of its 19 miles. The segment of stream not considered Class I trout stream lacks quality habitat, experiences warmer water temperatures, and exhibits poor dissolved oxygen conditions. This stretch of stream is classified as a warm water sport and forage fishery.

Date 2011

Author Aquatic Biologist

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