Water Detail - Gran Grae Creek, Millville Creek Watershed (LW01)

Gran Grae Creek, Millville Creek Watershed (LW01)

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Gran Grae Creek (1181300)

Size

9.12 Miles

Segment

0 - 9.12

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, Coldwater

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.

2017

General Condition

Good

County

Crawford

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.

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.

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

Gran Grae Creek flows approximately five miles in a southerly direction in Crawford County
and empties into the Wisconsin River. This stream has a gradient of 32 feet per mile and
drains mostly forested land although there is some agriculture in the valleys. Several springs
provide cold water to the creek. Gran Grae Creek is currently a Class II trout stream for the
upper 4.9 miles. The stream was stocked by the WDNR with both brook and brown trout until
1978. Flooding, ditching and intensive livestock grazing limit habitat in Gran Grae Creek. A
fish and habitat survey should be conducted on Gran Grae Creek to confirm the stream
classification and determine if changes in land management have occurred which may have
resulted in an improved fishery. The stream has been ranked as a high priority for nonpoint
pollution reduction and has potential as a small-scale nonpoint source pollution abatement
project. A rare aquatic species has been noted in this stream. Public access to Gran Grae
Creek is located at the four road crossings and the Lower Wisconsin River State Wildlife Area
near the mouth of the stream.

From: Ripp, Coreen, Koperski, Cindy and Folstad, Jason. 2002. The State of the Lower Wisconsin River Basin. PUBL WT-559-2002. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date 2002

Author Cynthia Koperski

Overview

Gran Grae Creek
Gran Grae Creek flows approximately five miles in a southerly direction in Crawford County and empties into the Wisconsin River. This stream has a gradient of 32 feet per mile and drains mostly forested land although there is some agriculture in the valleys. Several springs provide cold water to the creek. Gran Grae Creek is currently a Class II trout stream for the upper 4.9 miles. The stream was stocked by the WDNR with both brook and brown trout until 1978. Flooding, ditching and intensive livestock grazing limit habitat in Gran Grae Creek. A fish and habitat survey should be conducted on Gran Grae Creek to confirm the stream classification and determine if changes in land management have occurred which may have resulted in an improved fishery. The stream has been ranked as a high prioirty for nonpoint pollution reduction and has potential as a small-scale nonpoint source pollution abatement project. A rare aquatic species has been noted in this stream. Public access to Gran Grae Creek is located at the four road crossings and the Lower Wisconsin River State Wildlife Area near the mouth of the stream.

Date 2001

Author Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

Flooding, ditching and intensive livestock grazing limit habitat in Gran Grae Creek. The stream has potential to improve if nonpoint source water pollution is controlled.

Date 1994

Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Gran Grae Creek, Millville Creek Watershed (LW01) Fish and Aquatic Life

Gran Grae Creek, Millville Creek Watershed (LW01) Recreation

Gran Grae Creek, Millville Creek Watershed (LW01) Fish Consumption

General Condition

Gran Grae 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

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

2017 Total Phosphorus Monitoring Report - Gran Grae Station 1 1965 First Bridge Off Of Hwy 60(at Gran Grae Rd)

2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters

Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments

2016 Total Phosphorus Monitoring Report - Gran Grae Station #2 - 1965 Farm Bridge; Gran Grae Station 1 - 1965 First Bridge Off Of Hwy 60(atGran Grae Rd)

Comprehensive 2016 Rivers Stream Assessments

Crawford County Surface Water Resources 1972

Recommendations

Review, Update Use Designation

Changed from Class II to a Class I in 2008, should evaluate updates to NR102.

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

WBIC	Official Waterbody Name	Station ID	Station Name	Earliest Fieldwork Date	Latest Fieldwork Date	View Station	View Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10010115	Gran Grae Station #1			Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10013647	Gran Grae Creek - Irish Ridge Rd.	5/25/2013	4/1/2016	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10040314	Gran Grae Creek 1 mi N of Irish Ridge Rd	5/21/2013	10/10/2013	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10013644	Gran Grae Station 1 - 1965 First Bridge Off Of Hwy 60(atGran Grae Rd)	8/9/2012	7/30/2017	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10047213	Gran Grae Creek at State HWY 60			Map	Data
5575609	Unnamed	10039129	Unnamed Slough WI R.	7/16/2009	7/16/2009	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10010116	Gran Grae Creek - Gran Grae Station #2	1/1/2015	1/1/2015	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10013646	Gran Grae Station #2 - 1965 Farm Bridge	5/19/2008	8/28/2016	Map	Data
1181300	Gran Grae Creek	10016075	Gran Grae Creek - 1st Riffle Below 2nd Bridge Ongran Grae	10/19/2000	10/19/2000	Map	Data

Watershed Characteristics

Gran Grae Creek is located in the Millville Creek watershed which is 121.78 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (52.50%), grassland (17.60%) and a mix of agricultural (15.90%) and other uses (14.00%). This watershed has 290.01 stream miles, 99.44 lake acres and 6,531.13 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Not Ranked 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.

Natural Community

Gran Grae Creek is considered a Cool-Cold Mainstem, Cool-Cold Headwater, Coldwater 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.

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