Buffalo
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Buell Valley Creek is a cold headwater stream located in the northern portion of the watershed and forms a two-mile tributary to Weiland Valley Creek. Buell Valley Creek was placed on the 303(d) impaired waters list in 1998, but monitoring of the stream since then indicates that habitat improvement may be resulting in improved an fish community. Continued improvements and the stream may obtain its potential use as a Class II trout fishery. Surveys conducted in 2002 and 2008 indicate substantive improvements over the very poor results found in 1989. This stream might be considered ready for delisting if subsequent data collection efforts indicate that sufficient improvements have been made.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Impaired Waters
Impaired Stream Reach (location and mileage)fFrom confluence with Wieland Valley Creek upstream two miles following Buell Valley Road) (Total: 2 miles)This stream is considered a Class II Coldwater Trout stream, but is degraded due to habitat loss and sedimentation from streambank erosion, streambank pasturing, and barnyard runoff. A review in 2002 and a data collection effort in 2008 may lead to a recommendation to delist this stream from the impaired waters list.
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
Recommendations
TMDL (USEPA) Approved
TMDL for Sediment Impaired Streams in the Waumandee Creek Watershed - Buell Creek. This TMDL project is designed to restore water resource substrate, which In most cases, the gravel substrate is extensively covered by sand, silt, and soft organic matter
preventing a suitable habitat for fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Filling-in of pools reduces the amount of available cover for juvenile and adult fish. Sedimentation of riffle areas reduces the reproductive success of fish by reducing the exposed gravel substrate necessary for
appropriate spawning conditions. Sedimentation also affects macroinvertebrate biomass (fish food source) which tends to be lower in areas with predominantly sand substrate than a stream substrate with a mix of gravel, rubble, and sand.
TMDL Development
The Waumandee Creek Watershed is located in Buffalo County, Wisconsin. The Waumandee Creek Watershed drains 204 square miles and is characterized by steep topography, narrow valleys and numerous streams.Surface water drains to the Mississippi River by direct runoff or via Waumandee Creek and its tributaries. Temperature and sediment impairments are found in Buell Valley Creek, Cochrane Ditch (Rose Valley), Irish Valley Creek, Jahns Valley Creek, Weiland Valley Creek. Coverage of the substrates with sediment constitutes ?an objectionable deposit? under the water quality standards criterion noted in S.NR 102.04(1) (a) cited below. The creeks are limited by excessive sediment loading and habitat unsuitable to support a coldwater fishery.
Monitor to Evaluate Projects
Consider this water for delisting given subsequent studies and data collection effort results.
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
Monitoring Projects
WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
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1813100 | Unnamed | 10028925 | Buell Valley Creek At Simons Road | 6/17/2008 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
1813100 | Unnamed | 10015747 | Waumandee Creek - Bw 1- Photo 15 Depicts Collectionsite At Intersection At Hayes Valley Rd. | 4/29/1987 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
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Monitoring Studies
Compared to zero trout found in the creek in 1989, a fish survey conducted in 2001 found 27 brook trout resulting in a Cold Water Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (CWIBI) of 90 and a macroinvertebrate value of 9.0 which is considered excellent. A 2008 special survey found only 5 brook trout. The Cold IBI Value is considered excellent but biologists indicate that too few fish were found to provide confidence in this calculation. The macroinvertebrate IBI value is considered good (6.10). This improvement may be due to reduced farming activity in the headwaters due to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
Date 2011
Author Lisa Helmuth
![](wsWaterEcosystem.ashx?watershed=BT06)
Watershed Characteristics
Unnamed is located in the Waumandee Creek watershed which is 221.97 miĀ². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (49%), agricultural (24.60%) and a mix of grassland (13.70%) and other uses (12.60%). This watershed has 508.29 stream miles, 3,011.30 lake acres and 8,253.68 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Available for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available 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.