Green, Rock
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No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
This small warm water forage fishery receives most of its flow from a spring, then flows southwest to join Liberty Creek. The 1980 Water Resources of Green County reported the stream as having clear water with a gravel and rubble bottom with plentiful aquatic invertebrates. The small size of the stream restricts its fishery to forage species. The lower portion flows through the Liberty Creek State Wildlife Area. The department was looking into buying more easements along the creek, but were not able to acquire property (Bush, 2001). It has not been monitored recently.
Date 2002
Author Aquatic Biologist
Overview
This small warm water forage fishery receives most of its flow from a spring, then flows southwest to join Liberty Creek. The 1980 Water Resources of Green County reported the stream as having clear water with a gravel and rubble bottom with plentiful aquatic invertebrates. The small size of the stream restricts its fishery to forage species. The lower portion flows through the Liberty Creek State Wildlife Area. The department was looking into buying more easements along the creek, but were not able to acquire property (Bush, pers comm). It has not been monitored recently.
Date 2000
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
This small stream receives most of its flow from a spring in Section 1, then flows southwest to join Liberty Creek. Above the spring the stream meanders through open pasture, while that below is ditched and flows through marginal cropland and sedge pasture. Bank cover is excellent and very little erosion is evident. The combination of a small watershed, good spring flow and favorable agricultural practices gives the stream clear water and a gravel and rubble bottom. Macrophytic vegetation is scarce but aquatic invertebrates are plentiful.
The small stream size restricts its fishery to small numbers of forage species. Wiildlife values are poor, except in the lower portion which is part of the Liberty Marsh Public Hunting and Fishing Grounds. Access is provided along 1.5 miles of frontage and at one public road crossing.
Bush, D.M., R. Cornelius, D. Engle, and C.L. Brynildson. 1980. Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Green County, 2nd Edition. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin. Surface Acres = 1.2, Length = 2.5 Miles, Gradient = 20 ft./mi., Base Discharge = 0.4 cu. ft./sec.
Date 1980
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Historical Description
Managed for forage fish. There is an impoundment of less than one acre in section 2, presumably used as a stock watering pond, but large enough for a small population of pan fish (farm pond, Glen Maas). Fifty-three acres of wetlands adjoin the stream.
Surface Acres= 1.2, Miles= 2.5, Gradient= 16' per mile
Date 1961
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.
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 |
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| 883900 | Cold Spring Creek | 10056755 | Cold Spring Cr at Brooklyn-Albany Rd | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Cold Spring Creek is located in the Allen Creek and Middle Sugar River watershed which is 154.01 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (61.50%), grassland (17.30%) and a mix of forest (9.30%) and other uses (11.80%). This watershed has 263.25 stream miles, 96.10 lake acres and 5,963.23 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.