Green Bay (Gl Shoreline), Little River,Kewaunee River,Duck Creek,Wausaukee and Lower Menominee Rivers,Lower Oconto River,East River,Suamico and Little Suamico Rivers,Red River and Sturgeon Bay,Lower Peshtigo River,Pensaukee River Watershed (GB01)
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Green Bay (Gl Shoreline), Little River,Kewaunee River,Duck Creek,Wausaukee and Lower Menominee Rivers,Lower Oconto River,East River,Suamico and Little Suamico Rivers,Red River and Sturgeon Bay,Lower Peshtigo River,Pensaukee River Watershed (GB01)
Green Bay (Gl Shoreline) (70)
131.20 Miles
0 - 131.20
Natural Community
Year Last Monitored
2024
Good
 
This great lakes shoreline is impaired
PCBs Contaminated Fish Tissue, PFOS Contaminated Fish Tissue
PFOS, PCBs
 
Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Oconto
Trout Water 
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
No
Impaired Water 
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
Supported Aquatic Life
Attainable Use
WWSF
Designated Use
Default FAL

Overview

Green Bay is by far the most important surface water resource in Brown County in terms of recreational potential. The bay served as a natural starting point for early settlement and transportation to the interior of Wisconsin via the Fox River. The Fox River is also very important as a determinant of the water quality in lower Green Bay. The bottom materials of the lower bay consist of a very loose, flocculent sediment. As a result the water clarity changes significantly over short periods of time due to the ease with which these materials become resuspended in the water. Chemically Green Bay is a hard water alkaline basin which has a total alkalinity of 143 mg/l. Green Bay receives a large nutrient load from industrial, municipal, and agricultural sources.

Date  2011

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Historical Description

Nutrient levels consistently exceed 0.1 mg per liter of nitrogen and .02 mg per liter of phosphorus, enough to create bloom conditions. Heavy algae blooms are common and have caused oxygen depletion in some sections of the bay creating isolated fish kills during the summer months. In addition, the Bay has been used as a dumping grounds compounding the problem. Green bay is heavily developed with permanent and seasonal dwellings along the southeast shore and in scattered sections on the west shore. Extensive wetlands in the southwest corner limit development and provide habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. This habitat is rapidly being diminished through the steady encroachment of man-deposited fill into the marsh. The fishery of Green Bay has changed drastically in the past three decades. Once a fishery of carp, northern pike, drum, suckers, white bass, bullheads, catfish, and an abundant of perch was present.

Today conditions in the area of Brown County have gotten so bad that only carp dominate the scene for in shore waters. Even the perch, which is noted for being able to tolerate very poor water quality, has been eliminated as a permanent feature of the fishery and furnishes a seasonal sport fishery near the mouths of oxygen bearing streams. The commercial fishery which formerly harvested mostly perch, whitefish, and some lake trout has now moved out of southern Green Bay in search of these fish species. The commercial catch for all of Green Bay has vacillated, declining from 15,768,000 pounds (61.7 percent of the total Lake Michigan catch) in 1949 to 6,636,000 pounds (31.6 percent of the total Lake Michigan catch) in 1963. In 1971 the yield jumped to 17,242,000 pounds primarily as a result of increased alewife harvest. Alewife now dominates the commercial catch. For additional fishery information see the Fox River narrative. In the more stable years of the fishery yields to the commercial fishery for the Bay as a whole ranged between 10.4 and 19.6 pounds per acre.

Public access is available from several road endings, public hunting grounds, public access sites with boat ramps, and navigable water from the Suamico and Fox Rivers, and Duck Creek. There are also parks and waysides providing walk-in access. A 26 foot deep navigation channel 300-500 feet wide cuts through the south end of the bay and affords access of large ships to the city of Green Bay. Source: 1972, Surface Water Resources of Brown County Green Bay, T24, 25N, R21, 22E, Sections-many Area = approx. 49,000 acres in Brown Co., Depth =26 ft

Date  1972

Author   Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

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.
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.
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.
Waters that support fish and aquatic life communities (healthy biological communities).
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 - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.