Dane
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Roxbury Creek is a tributary to the Wisconsin River. The stream and its tributaries have been extensively ditched. The stream has a low baseflow and the stream supports only a forage fishery, although some sport fish may move into the stream from the Wisconsin River. The creek is severely impacted by the cattle grazing in some areas of the stream. This grazing has led to streambank erosion in sections of the stream.
Date 2002
Author Cynthia Koperski
Historical Description
Roxbury Creek (Blums Creek) -T9N, R6E, Sec. 13, Surface acres = 14.3, Length = 8 miles, Stream order = II, Gradient = 26 ft/mile, Base discharge = 2 cfs.
Roxbury Creek begins east of the Village of Roxbury and flows west draining 21 square miles of agricultural and forest land before emptying into the Wisconsin River. The upper reaches of the creek adjoined a large wetland as late as 1958. This area is now ditched and dry through most of the year (Dane Cty. Reg. Plann. Comm. 1979a). The last mile of Roxbury Creek is spring fed and the water is good quality, although somewhat high in alkalinity. The substrate in this section consists of sand and gravel with organic matter in the pool area, but base flow is too low to support trout (Dane Cty. Plann. Comm. 1979a). The fish population is comprised mainly of forage species. Five road cross and state land at the creek's mouth provide public access.
Fish species: central mudminnow, stoneroller (unsp.), central stoneroller, emerald and spotfin shiner, bluntnose and fathead minnow, creek chub, white sucker, burbot, brook stickleback, and yellow perch.
From: Day, Elizabeth A.; Grzebieniak, Gayle P.; Osterby, Kurt M.; and Brynildson, Clifford L., 1985. Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Dane County, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.
Date 1985
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Impaired Waters
Roxbury Creek (1259900) from its mouth to just south of Hwy Y was placed on the impaired waters list in 2014. The 2016 assessments showed continued impairment by phosphorus; total phosphorus sample data exceed 2016 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use, however, no biological data (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores) were available to assess biological impairment. Based on the most updated information, no change in existing impaired waters listing is needed.
Date 2015
Author Aaron Larson
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 |
|---|
|
|
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 1259900 | Roxbury Creek | 10032677 | Roxbury Creek at 0.2 miles N of Hwy. Y crossing near Roxbury | | | Map | Data |
| 1259900 | Roxbury Creek | 10031636 | Roxbury Creek at STH 78 | 5/18/2010 | 9/18/2018 | Map | Data |
| 1259900 | Roxbury Creek | 10011933 | Roxbury Creek - 150 M Upstream Sth. 12 To Sth 12 | | | Map | Data |
| 1259900 | Roxbury Creek | 133005 | Roxbury Stp | | | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Roxbury Creek is located in the Roxbury Creek watershed which is 71.11 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (40.40%), forest (28.50%) and a mix of wetland (12.80%) and other uses (18.30%). This watershed has 111.73 stream miles, 988.84 lake acres and 4,432.98 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Available for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available 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.