Barron, Washburn
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
The Brill River has experienced low flow problems due to improper operation of the Long Lake dam and the existence of several irrigation withdrawal permits. A portion of the stream supports brown and brook trout and is known for producing large fish. High water temperatures also limit this fishery. Interest exists for evaluating the feasibility of a hypolimnetic water release at the Long Lake dam. This release from the bottom strata of water would improve the temperature regime for trout downstream, and could also be designed to assure adequate minimum flows. Long Lake could benefit from hypolimnetic withdrawal by reducing the amount of phosphorus and deepening the thermocline. Because phosphorus is in solution in an anaerobic hypolimnion, this type of discharge could reduce phosphorus in Long Lake. The possible impact of increased phosphorus in the discharge to the Brill River first needs to be evaluated WNR). The Brill School District closed the school that had discharged treated effluent to the Brill River. The system is temporarily abandoned and the WPDES permit has been revoked (Prusak 1995).
Date 1996
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
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 2106500 | Brill River | 10039171 | Brill River at Church Rd | | | Map | Data |
| 2106500 | Brill River | 10011433 | Brill River at Bridge Rd./30th Ave | 1/1/2015 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Brill River is located in the Brill and Red Cedar Rivers watershed which is 297.68 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (49.40%), agricultural (20.30%) and a mix of grassland (10.70%) and other uses (19.60%). This watershed has 264.90 stream miles, 6,282.34 lake acres and 15,832.05 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Medium for runoff impacts on streams, Medium 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.