Price
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No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Willow Springs, in the Middle Tomahawk River Watershed, is a 0.94 acre springs-lake that falls in Price County. This springs-lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1983, Surface Water Resources of Price County Willow Springs - T38N, R3E, Sec. 12. Surface area = 3.4 acres, maximum depth = 6 ft, MPA = 61 ppm, Secchi disk = bottom. This spring pond is the headwaters of the Willow River and has an outlet flow of 2.4 ft(3)/sec. The spring is long and narrow with numerous small springs adding flow throughout the pond. Brook trout make up the main fish population. Willow Springs is surrounded by 80% tag alder-sedge swamp and 20% leatherleaf bog. The spring has a littoral bottom of 10% sand, 20% gravel, 20% boulder and 50% muck. Aquatic vegetation is abundant throughout the pond. Beaver (which have dammed the outlet almost continuously in the past) and muskrats are found in fair numbers. Also, nesting ducks add wildlife value to the spring. There is no private development, as the Chequamegon National Forest owns the entire shoreline. Public access of the walk-in type is available over federal land.
Date 1983
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.
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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1532100 | Willow Springs | 10022210 | Willow Springs | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Willow Springs is located in the Middle Tomahawk River watershed which is 233.30 miĀ². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (64.60%), wetland (26.90%) and a mix of open (7%) and other uses (1.50%). This watershed has 191.49 stream miles, 4,575.90 lake acres and 42,061.39 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Ranked for runoff impacts on streams, Low for runoff impacts on lakes and Low for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Low. 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.