Door
No
Yes
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
The Mink River is an elongate, low gradient stream-lake complex in marshlands adjoining Rowley Bay on Lake Michigan.
The upstream 70 acres are referred to as Mink River Lake or Rogers Lake. The maximum depth here is 13
feet. Northern pike, smallmouth bass and panfish are all common. Public access is available by boat from
Lake Michigan and at local boat rental facilities.
The Mink River estuary is the most pristine of the estuarine systems on Lake Michigan (WDNR, 1991a). It is one of the few high-quality estuaries remaining in the United States. The Nature Conservancy owns most of the welands adjacent to the river (approximately 882 acres). The Mink River is an Outstanding Resource Water under Wisconsin Administrative Codes NR102 and NR207.
In 1989, the Hines emerald dragonfly, an extremely rare insect, was discovered in the wetlands of the Mink River Estuary. Another rare species sighted was the yellow rail, an elusive and shy bird found in fresh and saltwater marshes. For more information on this State Natural Area see the "Wetlands Report" of this plan.
From: Willman, Guy and Mike Toneys. 2001. The State of the Lakeshore Basin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.
Date 2001
Author Michael Toneys
Historical Description
Source: 1965, Surface Water Resources of Door County Mink River, T32N, R28E, Section 24 Surface acres = 69.5, S.D.F. = 2.22, Maximum depth = 12.5 feet.
An elongate, low gradient stream, lake complex in marshland adjoining Rowley Bay. The upstream portion of this body of water has also been referred to as Rogers Lake; for the purposes of this report the entire complex shall be referred to under the more common local name. Smallmouth bass, northern pike and panfish (yellow perch) comprise the fishery. When water levels are high smallmouth bass provide an excellent fishery. Public access is available by boat from Lake Michigan. Two boat rentals provide additional facilities for launching and limited camping. About 690 acres of swampland adjoin the lake and extend to the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Date 1965
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.
Recommendations
County Land and Water Management Plan
Door County Soil & Water Conservation Department proposes to conduct a phased approach to the development of protection strategies for its waters including lakes. This phase of the project will collect and analyze information regarding surface water resources in order to develop specific implementation recommendations for phase II indlucing upgrading regulatory programs. Project deliverables shall include a draft and final report containing: 1) an inventory and classification of county inland lakes; 2) appropriate supporting data and maps and; 3) recommendations specifying phase II implementation activities including proposed regulatory standards for shoreland and lake protection.
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 |
|---|
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 10036946 | Mink River Lake | 6/24/2010 | 8/30/2017 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 10058376 | Rowleys Bay | 9/7/2022 | 8/21/2024 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 153139 | Mink River - West Shore Near Headwaters | 3/21/1991 | 5/29/1991 | Map | Data |
| 20 | Lake Michigan | 10058376 | Rowleys Bay | 9/7/2022 | 8/21/2024 | Map | Data |
| 5527105 | Unnamed | 10058376 | Rowleys Bay | 9/7/2022 | 8/21/2024 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 153135 | Mink River - Mouth/Edge Of Emergent Vegetation Off L Bank | 8/14/1989 | 8/14/1989 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 10058347 | Mink River | 9/7/2022 | 8/21/2024 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 153136 | Mink River - Mid River Above Mouth | 4/18/1990 | 8/29/1994 | Map | Data |
| 99500 | Mink River Lake | 153137 | Mink River - Midchannel At Mouth | | | Map | Data |
| 5526718 | Unnamed | 10058376 | Rowleys Bay | 9/7/2022 | 8/21/2024 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Mink River Lake is located in the Upper Door County watershed which is 287.02 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (38%), grassland (22%) and a mix of agricultural (18.90%) and other uses (21.10%). This watershed has 102.85 stream miles, 254,855.32 lake acres and 24,541.39 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked 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.