Lower Nemadji River, Black and Upper Nemadji River,St. Louis and Lower Nemadji River Watershed (LS01)
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Lower Nemadji River, Black and Upper Nemadji River,St. Louis and Lower Nemadji River Watershed (LS01)
Lower Nemadji River (2835300)
38.20 Miles
0 - 38.20
Natural Community
Cool-Warm Mainstem
Year Last Monitored
2016
Poor
 
This river is impaired
Degraded Habitat
Sediment/Total Suspended Solids
 
Douglas
Trout Water 
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
No
Impaired Water 
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
Restricted Aquatic Life
Attainable Use
WWSF
Designated Use
Warmwater

Overview

The Nemadji River drains 430 square miles of Minnesota and Wisconsin and carries a tremendous sediment load to Superior Bay, where it enters the Duluth-Superior Harbor near the Burlington Northern Ore Docks in Superior. Natural and human-induced erosion have caused the Nemadji River and its tributaries to cut deep valleys into the red clays of the watershed. Movement of soil material downhill due to gravity--slumping--is severe, and occurs in many locations adjacent to rivers. A sediment budget done for the Nemadji River Basin indicates that 98 percent of the sediment delivered to the harbor comes from bluff erosion along streams (NRCS 1996). Much of this soil material enters the stream system and is ultimately carried to the Duluth-Superior Harbor and Lake Superior. The Duluth-Superior Harbor was originally shallow, and must be dredged to maintain channels for ship traffic. On average, 23,000 tons of silt and clay, and 14,000 tons of sand are dredged per year due to the Nemadji River. About 94,000 tons of silt and clay annually, or 260 tons daily, are carried into Lake Superior (Lensch). This is the equivalent of 17 dump truck loads of silt and clay being dumped into Lake Superior daily. Sedimentation can cause the choking of spawning beds and carry contaminants and nutrients with them that can degrade aquatic habitat.

Clinging to sediment can be other contaminants or oxygen-demanding materials. Monitoring data from U.S. Geological Survey gauging stations and WDNR indicate periodically high inputs of bacteria at levels in excess of state standards for contact, and phosphorus levels high enough to promote algal growth.

While red clay erosion is natural, human activities in the last century have accelerated the natural process. Among those activities is the removal of forest cover that held soils in place. Recommendations from the St. Louis River System RAP's erosion and sedimentation technical advisory committee focused on implementing management recommendations that would moderate the rapid runoff from upland areas, which produces flash flooding in the Nemadji and its tributaries. The recommendations deal with a long-term process of managing forest cover to reduce surface runoff rates, and reestablishing natural drainage patterns to modify flooding and erosion in the watershed.

The mouth of the Nemadji River is an area of side-channel wetlands that extend for about a mile upstream. Wetlands at the mouth of the Nemadji cover about 90 acres that supports the spawning of several warm water fish species, including muskellunge. This area is identified by the Lake Superior Binational Program as important habitat to the Lake Superior ecosystem for coastal wetlands and fish and wildlife spawning and nursery grounds.

The Burlington Northern Railroad Co. operates a taconite pellet transfer facility with a permitted effluent discharge near the mouth of the Nemadji via an unnamed tributary and wetland at T49N R13W S31/32. At this site, taconite arrives by rail and is transferred by a conveyor system to ships docked in Superior Bay. Taconite may be temporarily stored on site prior to transfer. The discharge is primarily from storm water runoff and groundwater discharge. This tributary and wetland area is proposed for inclusion in the update of NR104 as waters that support limited aquatic life.

Lakehead Pipe Line Co. discharges to the Nemadji River via a drainage ditch. We have no file information to describe the effluent path or to identify the outlet location. Regional staff report it is an intermittent discharge used for hydrostatic testing (Larson).

From: Turville-Heitz, Meg. 1999. Lake Superior Basin Water Quality Management Plan. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  1999

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

In May, 1994, a stipulated agreement with Burlington Northern railroad resulted in a settlement of which $220,000 was available for restoration of the water environment and fish and wildlife resources. Citizens of the Superior area told WDNR that the highest priority for settlement funds should be for environmental education. The funds resulted in seed money for an environmental education center for the Superior Municipal Forest; enhanced restoration and management of the common tern, an endangered species in the Superior area; and a one year grant to Lake Superior River Watch, an environmental education program that was supported in the past in some Superior schools by state and federal funds. Proposals would expand the River Watch program throughout Superior schools and potentially into regional schools. The RAP has recommended continued funding of the River Watch program as a means of educating citizens in the area of concern and acting as an outreach component of the RAP. Additional projects are under consideration.

Nemadji River Basin Project
The St. Louis River RAP recommended that the agencies secure funding to implement recommendations generated by the Nemadji River Basin Project. These recommendations will forward the goal of reducing sediment inputs from the Nemadji River watershed. An original recommendation in the 1992 iteration of the RAP called for a basin project to reduce erosion and sedimentation, with a watershedwide focus, determinations of the extent and causes of runoff problems and strategies to implement practices that would reduce erosion and sedimentation. The RAP also recommended the project should build on previous work such as the Red Clay project, and include the entire watershed. The Red Clay Research and Demonstration Project, concluded in the 1970s, looked at the properties of the red clay soils, the effect of vegetation on the soils, and tested a variety of stabilization projects. The Red Clay Project focused much of its effort on engineering solutions to streambank erosion. The project concluded that 90 percent of the sediment discharged to Lake Superior originated in 2 percent of the area, namely streambanks, channels and gullies (Lensch). While the erosion area is small, the study didn't look at the hydrologic conditions that increase peak flow and volumes, and thus increase streambank erosion (NRCS January, 1994).

One suggested compounding influence on the erosion and sedimentation in the Nemadji River is the combined influences of urbanization and the apparent shift in forest composition from conifer to deciduous, leading to higher peak flows in the river. (NRCS Feb. 25, 1994). While 90 percent of the watershed is forested, the forest adjacent to streams may not be an effective sediment filter, or may not form a sturdy enough root system to hold soils in place. Many red clay slumps in the watershed still move down hill despite tree cover, likely due to shallow groundwater movement beneath the root zone. The riparian areas along the stream vary dramatically in width and quality. Different types of trees, their age and understory can effect the stabilization effect of the forest cover. (NRCS January 1994).

From: Turville-Heitz, Meg. 1999. Lake Superior Basin Water Quality Management Plan. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  1999

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

The Nemadji River Basin Project, funded primarily by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) and the U.S. Forest Service, will not only generate information about the river, but also provide a recommended remedial measures to correct identified problems. The RAP recommended Minnesota DNR and WDNR take the lead in implementing recommendations from the project and identified potential sources of federal and state funding, including considering the watershed for priority watershed status under Wisconsin's Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Abatement Program.

The two-year Nemadji River Basin Project began in January of 1994. WDNR has taken an active role, with staff facilitating project development and coordination among the many agencies and groups involved in the project. The project uses a voluntary approach for adoption of a cleanup plan to restore beneficial uses in the watershed. WDNR staff have been involved in developing practices for land use, soil management and forestry that will help protect and improve water quality condition. Staff have also provided assistance with wildlife, fish and water resources management issues. Data provided by the project will be used to rank the basin for priority watershed selection. It is WDNR's expectation that sufficient cause exists to believe the watershed could benefit from priority watershed status, which enables WDNR to form partnerships with local government and provide financial incentives to implement of best-management practices that protect water quality. Due to the number of watersheds already selected or involved in the program, this watershed could not be elected before the year 2001.

Among project objectives are collect and analyze data for development of a remedial action plan for the watershed and best-management practices; inform and educate citizens about problems in the watershed and potential solutions; implement a public participation plan and improve multi-agency cooperation.

WDNR intends to apply recommendations that come out of the Nemadji Basin Project to other watersheds in the basin that
experience the problems associated with red clay.

From: Turville-Heitz, Meg. 1999. Lake Superior Basin Water Quality Management Plan. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  1999

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results that use predicted flow and temperature based on landscape features and related assumptions. Ranges of flow and temperature associated with specific aquatic life communities (fish, macroinvertebrates) help biologists identify appropriate resource management goals. Wisconsin Natural Communities.
This is the most recent date of monitoring data stored in SWIMS. Additional surveys for fish and habitat may be available subsequent to this date.
Trout Waters are represented by Class I, Class II or Class III waters. These classes have specific ecological characteristics and management actions associated with them. For more information regarding Trout Classifications, see the Fisheries Trout Class Webpages.
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A water is polluted or 'impaired' if it does not support full use by humans, wildlife, fish and other aquatic life and it is shown that one or more of the pollutant criteria are not met.
The use the water currently supports. This is not a designation or classification; it is based on the current condition of the water. Information in this column is not designed for, and should not be used for, regulatory purposes.
Fish and Aquatic Life communities are not fully supported in this ecosystem.
The use that the investigator believes the water could achieve through managing "controllable" sources. Beaver dams, hydroelectric dams, low gradient streams, and naturally occurring low flows are generally not considered controllable. The attainable use may be the same as the current use or it may be higher.
Streams capable of supporting a warm waterdependent sport fishery. Representative aquatic life communities associated with these waters generally require cool or warm temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that do not drop below 5 mg/L.
This is the water classification legally recognized by NR102 and NR104, Wis. Adm. Code. The classification determines water quality criteria and effluent limits. Waters obtain designated uses through classification procedures.
Fish and Aquatic Life Warmwater - waters that do not have a specific designated (codified use) but which are have documented scientific support to ascertain indicating that the water is a warm fishable, swimmable water.