Grant
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Sinnippee Creek is a tributary to the Mississippi River in southern Grant County. The Village of Kieler operates a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) that discharges to the creek. The reach of the stream from the Kieler WWTP outfall downstream to the headwater springs is an effluent channel and is classified as a Limited Aquatic Life (LAL). From the springs downstream to the Mississippi River, the creek is a full fish and aquatic life stream (Schlesser, 1989). In 1998, DNR conducted stream monitoring on a reach of the stream in response to local concerns about the quality of the water and apparent lack of a fish community.
This monitoring was conducted at two sites within a mile of the Kieler wastewater treatment plant discharge site and no fish were found at either site. Natural habitat limitations were the reason no fish were found at the first site. Fish migration barriers in the form of elevated road culverts at road crossings were the apparent reason no fish were found at site two. Aquatic invertebrate sampling indicated good water quality, the predominance of cool water pollution intolerant amphipods and the observation of healthy leopard frogs gave support to the migration barriers being the cause of lack of fish in this reach. The conclusion upon evaluation of the information collected is that two factors, one natural and one man-made, limit potential biological uses of the stream. The natural limitation is that the stream is wide shallow and flows over bedrock. The human limitation is that road culverts were not set low enough and are now obstructing fish migration into the upper reaches (Marshall and Saltes, 1998). Acute and chronic toxicity tests done in 1998 indicated no toxicity problems (WDNR, 2000).
Date 2001
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
A moderate gradient, spring-fed stream beginning one mile northwest of Kieler and flowing southwest to enter the Mississippi River five miles above the Wisconsin.Illinois border. Nume!'ous small springs enter along the entire length of the stream and it has a good sand and gravel bottom. The lower reaches are wide and shallow due to water backed up by the Mississippi River. Largemouth bass and panfish provide a limited fishery near the mouth and forage species are commpn throughout. Carp and other rough fish also inbabit the lower reaches. The Kieler Sewage Disposal Pond located near the headwaters is a potential source of pollution. Muskrats and migratory waterfowl inhabit the 26 acres of timber swamp wetland near the mouth. Public access is possible from three bridge crossings and the Mississippi River. Five rural dwellings adjoin the stream.
From: Smith, Tom D., and Ball, Joseph R., Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Grant County, Department of Natural Resources, 1972. Surface Area = 3.27 acres, Length = 2.7 miles, Gradient = 59 ft./mile, Flow = 1.7 c.f.s. c
Date 1972
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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| 943200 | Sinnipee Creek | 223318 | Sinnipee Creek at Peddle Hollow Rd | | | Map | Data |
| 943200 | Sinnipee Creek | 10032480 | Sinnipee Creek at Peddle Hollow Rd culvert | | | Map | Data |
| 943200 | Sinnipee Creek | 223225 | Sinnipee Creek - Bluff Rd. (Bi) | 4/23/1979 | 10/28/1988 | Map | Data |
| 943500 | Unnamed | 223224 | Dry Hollow Creek - Peddle Hollow Rd. | 4/23/1979 | 9/6/1990 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Sinnipee 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.