Black Otter Creek, Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek Watershed (WR12)
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Black Otter Creek, Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek Watershed (WR12)
Black Otter Creek (315300)
2.66 Miles
0 - 2.66
Natural Community
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.
Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Headwater
Year Last Monitored
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.
2015
Poor
 
This river is impaired
Impairment Unknown
Total Phosphorus
 
Outagamie
Trout Water 
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.
No
Outstanding or Exceptional 
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.
No
Impaired Water 
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.
Yes

Fish and Aquatic Life

Current Use
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.
Restricted Aquatic Life
Fish and Aquatic Life communities are not fully supported in this ecosystem.
Attainable Use
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.
WWSF
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.
Designated Use
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.
WWSF
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.

Overview

Black Otter Creek is a tributary to the Wolf River in eastern Outagamie County. It flows northward through the village of Hortonville, where it is dammed to form Black Otter Lake. The Winnebago Comprehensive Management Plan ranked the Black Otter Creek Watershed as a medium priority due to nutrient and sediment runoff from croplands and a few high priority barnyard/feedlot operations causing accelerated eutrophication of Black Otter Lake. Hilsenhoff Biotic Index ratings show water quality ranging from fair to very poor. Monitoring in 1991 and 1992 evaluated existing water quality conditions and effects from polluted runoff. Based on the data, biologists confirmed the medium ranking.

From: Bougie, Cheryl A., Kosmond, Lisa D, and Watermolen, Dreux J. 1996. Wolf River Basin Water Quality Management Plan. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  1996

Author  Cheryl Bougie

Historical Description

Black Otter Creek, T22N, R15E, Sec. 23(11), Area = 13.1 acres, Length = 6.4 miles, M.P.A. = 181 ppm.
This is a turbid, hard water stream flowing through agricultural land. One impoundment (see Black
Otter Lake) is present in the Village of Hortonville. The stream bottom is covered with silt. Bottom
vegetation is common, impeding the velocity of the water. Below Hortonville the stream flows through firm
end meadow pasture to the Wolf River. Cattle have access to the stream, but bank damage is light. The
fishery of this stream is not recorded, but fish from the Wolf River undoubtedly enter the stream. One
federal, four county, and one town road crossings provide access.

From: Nelson, Linden M. and Ronald L. Fassbender, 1972. Surface Water Resources of Outagamie County:
Lake and Stream Classification Project. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI.

Date  1972

Author   Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin

Black Otter Creek, Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek Watershed (WR12) Fish and Aquatic LifeBlack Otter Creek, Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek Watershed (WR12) RecreationBlack Otter Creek, Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek Watershed (WR12) Fish Consumption

Impaired Waters

The 2018 assessments of Black Otter Creek (Wolf River to Black Earth Lake) showed impairment by phosphorus; new total phosphorus sample data exceeded the 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. 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, this water was proposed for the impaired waters list.

Date  2017

Author  Ashley Beranek

Impaired Waters

The 2018 assessments of Black Otter Creek (Black Otter Lake to headwaters) showed impairment by phosphorus; new total phosphorus sample data exceeded the 2018 WisCALM listing criteria for the Fish and Aquatic Life use. Biological data (i.e. no macroinvertebrate or fish Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores) were not available to assess biological impairment. Based on the most updated information, this water was proposed for the impaired waters list.

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

2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments
Final Draft 2018 Impaired Waters List
Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments
BLACK OTTER LAKE COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN
BLACK OTTER LAKE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT STUDY
Black Otter Creek Nonpoint Source Assessment Report
Preoperative and Industrial Point Source Impact Study of Black Otter Creek Related to the Effluents of the City of Hortonville Publicly Owned Treatment Works and the Larsen Company
BLACK OTTER CREEK, OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, HORTONVILLE WWTP USE DESIGNATION

Recommendations

Monitor Water Quality or Sediment
A 2nd AU may be needed to represent Black Otter Creek below Black Otter Lake. Keep as CWHW until an additional fish survey can provide any further justification for suggesting new NC. AU: 6902218; Station ID: (station needs to be selected/created if further monitoring needed in this AU)
Monitor Water Quality or Sediment
A 2nd AU may be needed to represent Black Otter Creek below Black Otter Lake. Keep as CWHW until an additional fish survey can provide any further justification for suggesting new NC. AU: 9788; Station ID: 10017318
Navigability Determination
SE SW S35 T22N R15E; Wolf River, trib;

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
BLACK OTTER LAKE P & R DISTRICT: Black Otter Lake Drawdown & CLP/EWM Control Project2008
Outagamie Navigability2008
BLACK OTTER LAKE P & R DISTRICT: Black Otter Lake Survey/Analysis/Drawdown Planning Project2007
Monitoring Recommendations Stemming from CWA / IR Listings2000
BLACK OTTER LAKE P & R DISTRICT: Black Otter Lake Restoration Evaluation2005
BLACK OTTER LAKE P & R DISTRICT: Black Otter Lake AIS Control2013
Fish Propagation Actions2001

Monitoring Projects

WBICOfficial Waterbody NameStation IDStation NameEarliest Fieldwork DateLatest Fieldwork DateView StationView Data
315300Black Otter Creek10017318Black Otter Creek at STH 1510/21/20051/1/2015MapData
315300Black Otter Creek10016325Black Otter Creek - N. Douglas Street10/16/19915/12/1992MapData
315300Black Otter Creek453273Black Otter Creek - Below Dam10/16/199111/4/2002MapData

Watershed Characteristics

Black Otter Creek is located in the Wolf River - New London and Bear Creek watershed which is 142.49 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (43.70%), wetland (25%) and a mix of grassland (15.10%) and other uses (16.30%). This watershed has 247.64 stream miles, 423.05 lake acres and 21,530.26 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Medium for runoff impacts on streams, Medium 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.

Natural Community

Black Otter Creek is considered a Warm Headwater, 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.

Warm Headwaters are small, usually intermittent streams with warm summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are absent, transitional fishes are common to uncommon, and warm water fishes are abundant to common. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.