Crawford, Richland
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
For about 15 miles above Excelsior, Knapp Creek is a Class I trout stream. The upper end of
Knapp Creek supports a very good wild trout fishery and has good potential and habitat.
Baseline data on this stream was collected in 2000.
A cursory habitat evaluation was conducted in 2001 and found the habitat in the stream to
range from poor in some locations to good in others. The habitat in the upper headwater
reaches of Knapp Creek are in good condition with little erosion and deposition of sediment
present. Banks in this area have some vegetative cover to offer bank stability. The rest of the
stream, with the exception of just below Jimtown Branch was determined to be in fair
condition with more erosion, increased deposition and decreased vegetative cover. The
habitat below Jimtown Branch is in poor condition and heavy erosion, and an obvious lack of
habitat are apparent.
Sedimentation is one of the main problems in parts of the stream. Water quality and habitat
may be threatened by the barnyards along the creek, although cattle grazing along the stream
has been reduced. There are WDNR fishing easements in the headwater reaches of Knapp
Creek. In addition, some state owned land and easements can be found at the mouth of Knapp
Creek. This area is known as the Knapp Creek Wildlife Area.
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
For about 12.7 miles above Excelsior, Knapp Creek is a Class II trout stream. The upper end of Knapp Creek supports a very good wild trout fishery and has good potential and habitat. It is recommended that the upper 12.7 miles in Richland County in addition to the upper 1.7 miles in Crawford County be upgraded to Class I trout water and exceptional resource water (ERW) based upon baseline data collected in 2000.
A cursory habitat evaluation was conducted in 2001 and found the habitat in the stream to range from poor in some locations to good in others. The habitat in the upper headwater reaches of Knapp Creek are in good condition with little erosion and deposition of sediment present. Banks in this area have some vegetative cover to offer bank stability. The rest of the stream, with the exception of just below Jimtown Branch was determined to be in fair condition with more erosion, increased deposition and decreased vegetative cover. The habitat below Jimtown Branch is in poor condition and heavy erosion, and an obvious lack of habitat are apparent.
Sedimentation is one of the main problems in parts of the stream. Water quality and habitat may be threatened by the barnyards along the creek, although cattle grazing along the stream has been reduced. There are DNR fishing easements in the headwater reaches of Knapp Creek. In addition, some state owned land and easements can be found at the mouth of Knapp Creek. This area is known as the Knapp Creek Wildlife Area.
Date 2001
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
For about 11.8 miles above Excelsior, Knapp Creek is a Class II trout stream (WDNR 1980). Water quality is judged to be good (Eagan, 1985), though no data exists for the stream. Sedimentation is suspected to be a problem in some parts of the stream. At least one very bad barnyard exists adjacent the stream (Sorge, M., 1991). Other barnyards may be causing habitat and water quality problems. Cattle grazing the banks is a problem in other reaches of the stream (Sorge, M., 1991).
Date 1994
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
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 |
|---|
| 1206400 | Knapp Creek | 10048412 | Knapp Creek at Riggin Property | 5/10/2017 | 10/20/2021 | Map | Data |
| 1206400 | Knapp Creek | 10042544 | Knapp Creek 80 m US of CTH F Bridge | | | Map | Data |
| 1206500 | Unnamed | 123079 | Unnamed Creek -0848-B at Hwy 60 just S of Sleepy Valley Ln | | | Map | Data |
| 1206400 | Knapp Creek | 10021961 | Knapp Creek at Winding Way Dr. | 10/23/2007 | 7/25/2018 | Map | Data |
| 5572611 | Unnamed | 10042544 | Knapp Creek 80 m US of CTH F Bridge | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Knapp Creek is located in the Knapp Creek watershed which is 158.64 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (53.60%), grassland (23%) and a mix of agricultural (13.60%) and other uses (9.90%). This watershed has 395.31 stream miles, 126.86 lake acres and 6,498.05 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Medium 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.