Vernon
Yes
Yes
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Entire stream (class 1).
Date 2002
Author Aquatic Biologist
Overview
Melancthon Creek is a tributary to the Pine River, rising in Vernon County and flowing south to the Pine. About 6.4 miles are thought to be Class I trout waters. The entire trout stream portion has been designated an exceptional resource water (ERW) and supports some natural reproduction of both brook and brown trout. A rare aquatic species has been found in the creek in past surveys.
The sub-watershed has a high potential for soil erosion and there are some sediment problems in the lower reaches of the stream and some grazing adjacent the stream. The upper 2.6 miles of the stream have been designated as impaired water due to nonpoint source pollution. The stream has been ranked as a high priority for nonpoint source pollution and would benefit from a nonpoint source pollution reduction project. The stream experiences a dense growth of reed canary grass in some areas. Fish from Melancthon Creek are collected and used by the WDNR for the wild trout stocking program.
Date 2002
Author Cynthia Koperski
Historical Description
Melancthon Creek is a tributary to the Pine River, rising in Vernon County and flowing south to the Pine. About 6.4 miles are classified as trout waters, 3.5 miles listed as Class I and ERW, and 2.9 miles Class I1 trout waters (WDNR, 1980). The Class II portion has also been nominated for ERW status. Water quality is judged to be good (Eagan, 1985'). The sub-watershed has a high potential for soil erosion (Eagan, 1985). There are some sediment problems in the lower reaches of the stream and some grazing adjacent the stream (WDNR, 1991).
Date 1994
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Historical Description
From the mouth to the north line of S15, T12N R1E (class 2); from the north line of S15 to the headwaters (class 1).
Date 1980
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Historical Description
Melancthon Creek, T13N, R1E, Section 34. Surface Acres = 0.2, Miles = 1.0, Gradient = 60.0 feet per mile.
A clear. hard water stream that flows in a southerly direction and joins the Pine River in Richland County. Though it is Class II brook and brown trout water in Richland County. the stream is not considered trout water in Vernon County, where forage fish dominate. Rubble is the dominant bottom type; there are about equal amounts of gravel and sand. and some boulder as well. Small quantities of silt and detritus are present. One road crossing provides access. There is no significant wildlife value.
From: Klick, Thomas A. and Threinen, C.W., 1973. Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Vernon County, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.
Date 1973
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Melancthon Creek (miles 3.97-6.76) was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; new biological (fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores) sample data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. This water was meeting this designated use and was not considered impaired.
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
Delist Impaired Water
Melancthon Creek flows through Vernon and Richland counties located in southwest Wisconsin.The existing use of the impaired segment was warm water forage fish (Ripp et al. 2002) and did not meet the designated use (trout stream Class I). Meanwhile, the land use improvements using contour strip cropping implemented recently probably contribute to maintain more stable vegetated soils and then to reduce erosion and sediment input. Recent visits to Melancthon Creek for water quality monitoring in 2006 and 2007 showed that the exposed soil was minimal and abundant riparian vegetation was present.
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 |
|---|
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10021438 | Melancthon Creek - 1/2 Mile North Of County Line Near Culvert | 11/19/2006 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10022792 | Melancton Station 11bT13nR1eSec 34 Sese | 1/1/2015 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10011139 | Melancthon Creek 1990 Proposed Channel Change (Vernon Co.) | | | Map | Data |
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10022576 | Melancthon Creek - Hwy 80 Crossing By Hawk Ln. | 1/1/2015 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10043773 | Melanchton Cr `1800 feet DS at furthest US HWY 80 | 1/1/2015 | 10/30/2019 | Map | Data |
| 1232200 | Melancthon Creek | 10012302 | Melancthon Creek at Hawk Lane | 5/8/2006 | 1/1/2015 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Melancthon Creek is located in the Upper Pine River watershed which is 179.98 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (52.80%), grassland (29%) and a mix of agricultural (12.50%) and other uses (5.60%). This watershed has 404.04 stream miles, 92.10 lake acres and 3,397.98 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.This water is ranked Low Stream for individual Rivers based on runoff problems and the likelihood of success from project implementation.