Monroe
Yes
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Creek 15-13, located in central Monroe County, flows in a northwesterly direction for
approximately 4.7 miles before reaching Silver Creek in Fort McCoy. It has a moderate gradient
of 45 feet per mile and drains agricultural land and part of Fort McCoy. The lower 2.2 miles,
which is in Fort McCoy, is a Class III trout stream.
The most recent DNR survey, conducted in 1973, documented cool, clear water with a stream
bottom composed mainly of sand with small amounts of silt. In-stream cover for fish was poor
consisting primarily of limited amounts of undercut banks and woody debris. Brook trout and
several forage fish species were documented. Additional overhead cover would benefit the
fishery of this stream. Problems noted were flooding and siltation. A recent fish and habitat
survey conducted in Fort McCoy noted sedimentation and high nutrient levels as factors limiting
the biological potential of this stream. A fish and habitat survey should be conducted to update
information and management goals for Creek 15-13. DNR has no stocking records for this
stream. Access to Creek 15-13 is from Fort McCoy and four road crossings outside the Fort
Date
Author Aquatic Biologist
Overview
Creek 15-13, located in central Monroe County, flows in a northwesterly direction for approximately 4.7 miles before reaching Silver Creek in Fort McCoy. It has a moderate gradient of 45 feet per mile and drains agricultural land and part of Fort McCoy. The lower 2.2 miles, which is in Fort McCoy, is a Class III trout stream.
The most recent DNR survey, conducted in 1973, documented cool, clear water with a stream bottom composed mainly of sand with small amounts of silt. In-stream cover for fish was poor consisting primarily of limited amounts of undercut banks and woody debris. Brook trout and several forage fish species were documented. Additional overhead cover would benefit the fishery of this stream. Problems noted were flooding and siltation. A recent fish and habitat survey conducted in Fort McCoy noted sedimentation and high nutrient levels as factors limiting the biological potential of this stream. A fish and habitat survey should be conducted to update information and management goals for Creek 15-13. DNR has no stocking records for this stream. Access to Creek 15-13 is from Fort McCoy and four road crossings outside the Fort.
Date 2002
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 |
|---|
| 1661100 | Unnamed | 10015879 | Silver Creek Site 0904 - Samples Collected Downstream Ofmound Prairie Bridge | 11/5/1994 | 3/22/1995 | Map | Data |
| 1661100 | Unnamed | 10011048 | Creek 15-13 Station #1 (Bridge On Hwy Aa) | 1/1/2015 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1661100 | Unnamed | 10020665 | Creek 15-13 St. 126 Hilltop Rd. Crossing | | | Map | Data |
| 1661100 | Unnamed | 10020666 | Creek 15-13 St. 11 Hwy 16 Crossing | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Unnamed is located in the Upper La Crosse River watershed which is 126.12 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (62.40%), grassland (11.90%) and a mix of agricultural (9.80%) and other uses (16.10%). This watershed has 167.76 stream miles, 207.50 lake acres and 4,875.27 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked for runoff impacts on lakes and Medium for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Medium. 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.