3.14 Miles
0 - 3.14
Macroinvertebrate, Cool-Warm Headwater
2024
Poor
Chronic Aquatic Toxicity
Chloride
Waukesha
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Local Water, in the Upper Fox River - Illinois Watershed, is a 3.14 mile river that falls in Waukesha County. This river is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently considered impaired.
Date 2022
Author Ashley Beranek
Impaired Waters
Meadow Brook Creek was identified as impaired for Chronic Aquatic Toxicity caused by Chloride in 2018. This stream is on the Impaired Waters List.
Meadow Brook Creek was evaluated during the 2022 assessment cycle and phosphorus levels were appropriate for healthy bug, fish, and plant communities.
Date 2022
Author Ashley Beranek
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
Restore Wetlands
Work with partners to protect and restore wetland communities identified in the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions (SEWRPC) Regional Natural Areas and Critical Species Habitat Protection and Management Plan for Southeastern Wisconsin to provide water quality, habitat and scenic benefits to the area.
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 |
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Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
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| 772300 | Unnamed | 10030297 | Meadow Brook Creek at CTH SS | 6/20/2005 | 10/16/2024 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Unnamed is located in the Upper Fox River - Illinois watershed which is 151.08 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily suburban (35.10%), wetland (17%) and a mix of urban (14.20%) and other uses (33.70%). This watershed has 218.00 stream miles, 2,907.45 lake acres and 12,048.42 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Available for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available 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.
Meadow Brook Creek is considered a Macroinvertebrate, 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.