Grant
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Muddy Creek, in the Mississippi River Watershed, is a 4.44 mile river that falls in Grant County. This river is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
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 = 2.89 acres, Length = 3.4 miles, Gradient = 76 ft./mile, Flow = 0.9 c.f.s.
A high-gradient, spring-fed stream beginning in the steep hill country three miles southwest of North Andover and flowing southwest to empty into the Mississippi River three miles northwest of Cassville. This stream flows through a rather scenic, inaccessible valley in its upper reaches. About 40 percent of the watershed is still forested. Forage fish dominate the fishery at the present time, but brown and rainbow trout were reported to be present in the past. The stream has very limited trout habitat but could be viewed as a potential trout stream with better habitat protection. A small portion of the stream was illegally straightened in 1969, further depleting instream cover. Timber swamp wetland found near the mouth totals 54 acres. Muskrats and an occasional puddle duck inhabit the stream while the upland varieties roam the surrounding hills. The Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge provides 0.4 mile of public frontage near the mouth while the Mississippi River and two bridge crossings supply additional points of access. Two dwellings adjoin the lower reaches.
Date 1972
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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| 965200 | Muddy Creek | 223208 | Muddy Creek - Cth Vv 900ft. Fr Cd Rd | 4/16/1980 | 10/22/1980 | Map | Data |
| 965200 | Muddy Creek | 10010521 | Muddy Creek | | | Map | Data |
| 965200 | Muddy Creek | 10010510 | Muddy Creek | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Muddy Creek is located in the Mississippi River watershed which is 110.47 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (37.70%), agricultural (19.50%) and a mix of grassland (18.70%) and other uses (23.90%). This watershed has 270.89 stream miles, 1,746.25 lake acres and 6,037.79 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low 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.