Water Detail - Little Richland Creek, Honey and Richland Creeks Watershed (SP01)

Little Richland Creek, Honey and Richland Creeks Watershed (SP01)

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Little Richland Creek (890700)

Size

6.79 Miles

Segment

0 - 6.79

Natural Community

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.

Cool-Cold Headwater, Cool-Warm Headwater

Year Last Monitored

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.

2015

General Condition

Fair

County

Green

Trout Water

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.

Outstanding or Exceptional

Wisconsin has designated many of the state's highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters which provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat, have good water quality, and are not significantly impacted by human activities. ORW and ERW status identifies waters that the State of Wisconsin has determined warrant additional protection from the effects of pollution. These designations are intended to meet federal Clean Water Act obligations requiring Wisconsin to adopt an 'antidegradation' policy that is designed to prevent any lowering of water quality - especially in those waters having significant ecological or cultural value.

Impaired Water

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.

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use

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.

Supported Aquatic Life

Waters that support fish and aquatic life communities (healthy biological communities).

Attainable Use

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.

WWFF

Streams capable of supporting a warm waterdependent forage 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.

Designated Use

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.

Default FAL

Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.

Overview

This creek has its origin near the southeast side of Monroe and travels south where it joins Richland Creek near Clarno. A plan for an impoundment on the stream never materialized. Like other streams in the watershed, it is impaired by agricultural non-point source pollution and habitat modification due to ditching. Urban development is occurring in the headwaters area. The stream was last evaluated in 1989.

Date 2002

Author Aquatic Biologist

Overview

Date 1989

Author Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

This turbid, warmwater stream flows southward and joins Richland Creek near Clarno. The stream runs primarily through permanent pasture and experiences heavy bank erosion. In addition. several areas have been ditched. Bottom types include muck. silt. gravel. rubble. boulders. and sand. Current management is for forage fish, although smallmouth bass were at one time present in the lower end. Wildlife values consist of muskrats and annual stops bya few migratory waterfowl. Access is available from five public road crossings.

Fish Species: Central stoneroller, brassy minnow, hornyhead chub, common shiner, bigmouth shiner, southern redbelly dace, bluntnose minnow, creek chub, white sucker, brook stickleback, green sunfish, fantail darter, Johnny darter. Surface Acres = 5.4, Length = 5.6 t4iles, Gradient = 25 ft./mi., Base Discharge = 6.3 cu. ft./sec.

Bush, D.M., R. Cornelius, D. Engle, and C.L. Brynildson. 1980. Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Green County, 2nd Edition. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin.

Date 1980

Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Historical Description

From: Poff, Ronald J., and C.W. Threinen, Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Green County, Wisconsin Conservation Department, Madison I, 1961.

Flows south to join Richland Creek northeast of Clarno. Managed for forage fish. Smallmouth bass are found in the lower half of the stream. The spring finds many sucker fishermen on the stream. Muskrats are present in significant numbers.

Surface Acres= 5.4, Miles= 5.6, Gradient= 28.6' per mile

Date 1961

Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Little Richland Creek, Honey and Richland Creeks Watershed (SP01) Fish and Aquatic Life

Little Richland Creek, Honey and Richland Creeks Watershed (SP01) Recreation

Little Richland Creek, Honey and Richland Creeks Watershed (SP01) Fish Consumption

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

2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments

2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters

An Assessment of Water Quality in The Richland Creek Sub-Watershed

The Richland Creek Sub-Watershed Fish data

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

Monitoring Projects

WBIC	Official Waterbody Name	Station ID	Station Name	Earliest Fieldwork Date	Latest Fieldwork Date	View Station	View Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	233104	Little Richland Creek - Below Advance Cheese			Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10016304	Little Richland Cr. - Richland Township Rd. (Town Center Rd)	10/22/1981	7/21/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10031550	Little Richland Creek upstream of Richland Creek	1/1/2015	1/1/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10043321	Little Richland Creek near Jeffrey Rd	1/1/2015	1/1/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10031358	Little Richland Creek (890700) off Pasture	1/1/2015	1/1/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	233102	Little Richland Creek - above Advance Cheese	1/1/2015	1/1/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10017288	Little Richland Creek at Melvin Road	10/22/1981	1/1/2015	Map	Data
890700	Little Richland Creek	10016162	Little Richland Cr. - Advance Rd.	10/29/1987	1/1/2015	Map	Data

Watershed Characteristics

Little Richland Creek is located in the Honey and Richland Creeks watershed which is 80.09 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (67.70%), grassland (22.20%) and a mix of suburban (4.40%) and other uses (5.60%). This watershed has 195.33 stream miles, 16.47 lake acres and 117.89 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Medium 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.

Natural Community

Little Richland Creek is considered a Cool-Cold Headwater, Cool-Warm Headwater under the state's Natural Community Determinations.

Natural communities (stream and lake natural communities) represent model results and DNR staff valiation processes that confirm or update predicted conditions based on flow and temperature modeling from historic and current landscape features and related variables. Predicated flow and temperatures for waters are associated predicated fish assemblages (communities). Biologists evaluate the model results against current survey data to determine if the modeled results are corect and whether biological indicators show water quaity degradation. This analysis is a core component of the state's resource management framework. Wisconsin's Riverine Natural Communities.

Cool (Warm-Transition) Headwaters are small, sometimes intermittent streams with cool to warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are uncommon to absent, transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are common to uncommon. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

Cool (Cold-Transition) Headwaters are small, usually perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon (<10 per 100 m), transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.