5.26 Miles
0 - 5.26
Cool-Cold Headwater
2015
Poor
Degraded Habitat
Sediment/Total Suspended Solids
Grant
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
This 5 mile long stream joins with Kieler Creek to form the Menominee River. Louisburg Creek is on the 303(d) list of Impaired Waters due to sedimentation, streambank pasturing and cropland soil loss causing habitat impairments. The stream does have a history of water quality and habitat problems due to nonpoint sources of pollution and leaking septic systems. As recently as 2008, manure was released to the stream from a failing manure storage structure at the headwaters.
Historically, this stream had abundant forage fish populations. Subsequent surveys have shown that there are still many forage fish in the stream, but a quantitative analysis has not been done recently. While the stream has no known smallmouth bass fishery, it appears to have the potential to support juvenile smallmouth bass or serve as a nursery for smallmouth bass.
Date 2010
Author James Amrhein
Overview
Louisburg Creek is one of two streams that join to form the Menominee River in southern Grant County. It is a spring fed stream that usually runs clear except during storm events. It has historically had abundant forage fish species populations. While the stream has no known smallmouth bass fishery, it appears to have the potential to support juvenile smallmouth or to serve as a nursery for smallmouth bass (Fix, 1991). The stream does have a history of water quality and habitat problems due to non-point sources of pollution and leaking septic systems. The bad septic systems were addressed in the 1980’s with the formation of the Jamestown Sanitary District #3. A small wastewater treatment plant was constructed with a discharge to Louisburg Creek in the 1980’s. This facility has had some operational problems and the sanitary district is looking to upgrade it in 2001 or 2002. The stream is listed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Date 2001
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
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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| 943000 | Louisburg Creek | 10032479 | Louisburg Creek at Louisburg Rd. Jamestown | | | Map | Data |
| 943000 | Louisburg Creek | 223229 | Louisburg Creek - Spring Valley Rd. | 4/23/1979 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 943000 | Louisburg Creek | 10044990 | Louisburg Crk - Farm Crossing at 3304 Jimtown Rd | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Louisburg Creek is located in the Galena River watershed which is 241.84 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (63.10%), grassland (26.40%) and a mix of forest (5.70%) and other uses (4.60%). This watershed has 572.33 stream miles, 65.18 lake acres and 681.01 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Ranked 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.
Louisburg Cr is considered a Cool-Cold Headwater 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) 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.