Green
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
This 7 mile long, fairly low gradient stream originates west of Juda, flows eastward and joins Sylvester Creek. It has fairly low flow in the upper half of the stream as if meanders southeastward following CTH KS. It picks up flow as it enters the sedge meadow and is joined by an unnamed tributary (WBIC = 877800) just southwest of the village of Juda. The remaining 4 miles downstream from CTH S in Juda are almost entirely channelized and follow a railroad line.
Date 2015
Author James Amrhein
Overview
This moderate sized, low gradient stream originates west of Juda, and flows eastward where it joins Sylvester Creek. The stream is a warm water sport fishery that is inhabited by smallmouth bass and channel catfish.
Date 2002
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
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.
This medium siied, low gradient stream originates west of Juda. flows eastward and joins Sylvester Creek. Two
tributaries. Juda Branch North Fork and Riley School Branch. contribute a joint flow of 4.8 cu. ft./sec. to the --upper half of the stream. Together, the three drain a gently sloping broad-bottomed valley devoted entirely
to agriculture. The water is generally turbid and aquatic vegetation consists of a few cattails. Above Juda. the stream is slow and meandering with a muck and silt bottom. Although it flows primarily through pasture,
the banks are usually stabilized by grass and sedges. Below Juda, the stream is extensively ditched and for about four miles runs parallel with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. As part of the railroad right-of-way, a narrow band of trees and shrubs has been allowed to grow, creating an appreciable
amount of wildlife habitat. In this lower stretch, the flow is fast and maintains a sandy bottom with a few gravel and rubb1e riffles.
For management purposes, Juda Branch is classified as a smallmouth bass-catfish stream, although trout were present. Forage species dominate the fishery and a few bluegills and green sunfish can be found, but only
creek chubs and white suckers occur in any abundance. Wildlife resources consist mainly of muskrats. but raccoons, mallards, teal and wood ducks are also present. Additional migratory waterfowl may be seen in the spring and fall. Six road crossings provide public access.
Fish Species: Stoneroller unspecified. carp. hornyhead chub. golden shiner, emerald shiner, common shiner.
bigmouth shiner. spotfin shiner. sand shiner. bluntnose minnow. creek chub, white sucker. shorthead redhorse. channel catfish, green sunfish. bluegill, smallmouth bass, fantail darter, Johnny darter. blackside darter.
Surface Acres = 8.6, Length = 6.5 Miles, Gradient = 15 ft./mi.. Base Discharge = 12.3 cu. ft./sec
Date 1980
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Impaired Waters
Judah Branch (miles 4.4 - 8.2) was evaluated in the 2022 cycle: phosphorus levels were above listing thresholds and macroinvertebrate communities were in poor condition. This stream was added to the 2022 Impaired Waters List.
Date 2022
Author Ashley Beranek
Impaired Waters
The 2018 assessments of the Judah Branch (0-4.43) miles showed continued impairment by phosphorus; new total phosphorus sample data exceeded the 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. However, available biological data did not indicate impairment (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scored in the "poor" condition category). Based on the most updated information, no change in the existing impaired waters listing was needed.
Date 2017
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
Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring
Collect chemical, physical, and/or biological water quality data to assess the current overall stream health. The data can inform management decisions and may be used to identify impaired waters for biennial lists.
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
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 877500 | Juda Br | 10013160 | Juda Branch-Upstream Cth S | 4/12/1989 | 6/12/2015 | Map | Data |
| 877500 | Juda Br | 10040072 | Juda Branch at Giese Rd | 10/8/2013 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 877500 | Juda Br | 10044726 | Juda Branch at Hwy KS | 8/12/2012 | 10/24/2023 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Juda Br is located in the Lower Sugar River watershed which is 217.85 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (65.80%), grassland (16.90%) and a mix of forest (7.60%) and other uses (9.70%). This watershed has 467.98 stream miles, 202.10 lake acres and 6,999.03 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low 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.