Meyers Valley Creek, Middle Trempealeau River Watershed (BT02)
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Meyers Valley Creek, Middle Trempealeau River Watershed (BT02)
Meyers Valley Creek (1776700)
2.14 Miles
0 - 2.14
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.
Cool-Cold 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.
2024
Good
 
Trempealeau
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.
No

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.
Supported Aquatic Life
Waters that support fish and aquatic life communities (healthy biological communities).
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.
Cold
Streams capable of supporting a cold water sport fishery, or serving as a spawning area for salmonids and other cold water fish species. Representative aquatic life communities, associated with these waters, generally require cold temperatures and concentrations of dissolved oxygen that remain above 6 mg/L. Since these waters are capable of supporting natural reproduction, a minimum dissolved oxygen concentration of 7 mg/L is required during times of active spawning and support of early life stages of newly-hatched fish.
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.
Default FAL
Fish and Aquatic Life - Default Waters do not have a specific use designation subcategory but are considered fishable, swimmable waters.

Overview

This stream has apparently suffered significant detrimental impact from both point and nonpoint sources of pollution. A G Coop Creamery has three WPDES permitted discharges to the stream. Two of these discharges are limited to non contact cooling water (NCCW) while the third discharge includes both non contact cooling water and condensate of whey (COW) .

Fisheries Management staff observed a milky colored discharge to the stream in August of 1988 near A G Coop Creamery. This discharge came from a permitted vacuum process discharge. Wastewater Management has since required this discharge be directed to the Arcadia WWTP. Large amounts of filamentous algae and other impacts have been identified in the stream below the creamery discharge points, indicating these discharges are having a significant impact on the stream.

NPS pollution has been identified along the entire stream. Animal wastes from barnyard runoff, intensive livestock pasturing, flooding and channelization have severely degraded stream habitat. This stream has moderate potential to improve its trout fishery if point and nonpoint sources of pollution are controlled. Channel modifications have contributed to water quality impairments attributed to A-G Coop Creamery discharges. Wastewater Management is taking regulatory action through the WPDES permit program to alleviate the water quality problems caused by the discharge.

Date  1991

Author   Aquatic Biologist

Meyers Valley Creek, Middle Trempealeau River Watershed (BT02) Fish and Aquatic LifeMeyers Valley Creek, Middle Trempealeau River Watershed (BT02) RecreationMeyers Valley Creek, Middle Trempealeau River Watershed (BT02) Fish Consumption

Impaired Waters

Meyers Valley Creek was recently evaluated during the ten-year period of 2009 through 2018 for results that were reported to the USEPA for the 2020 Clean Water Act condition report. The waterbody is considered impaired, or in poor condition for designated uses which include the quality of fish and aquatic life, recreational use, and public health and welfare (fish consumption and related). Pollutants or problems encountered during sampling (impairments) are determined based on water quality standards outlined in Wisconsin 2020 Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (WisCALM). Assessment results show water conditions that are potentially harmful for Aquatic Life use due to values for total phosphorus that fall into the range expected for an aquatic community in poor health, therefore this water is listed as impaired.

Assessment results during the 2020 listing cycle show continued impairment based on total phosphorus levels too high for healthy aquatic communities, like plants, fish, and bugs, according to 2020 WisCALM levels. This water has been listed as impaired since 2014 for an unknown pollutant. In 2020, the pollutant changed to total phosphorus based on new assessments.

Date  2019

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

2019 Total Phosphorus Monitoring Report - Meyers Valley Creek at Unnamed (WBIC 1777000)
2020 Comprehensive WQ Assessments
2018 Total Phosphorus Monitoring Report - Meyers Valley Creek at Unnamed (WBIC 1777000)
2018 List of Healthy (Category 2) Waters
Final Draft 2018 Impaired Waters List
Comprehensive 2018 River/Stream Water Quality Assessments
Comprehensive 2016 Rivers Stream Assessments
Comprehensive 2014 TP IBI Rivers Assessment

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
Fish Propagation Actions2001

Monitoring Projects

WBICOfficial Waterbody NameStation IDStation NameEarliest Fieldwork DateLatest Fieldwork DateView StationView Data
1776700Meyers Valley Creek10032655Meyers Valley Creek at confluence with trib. 0.4 miles S of ArcadiaMapData
1776700Meyers Valley Creek10015728Meyers Valley Cr - 30 Feet Below Culverts Below Sedimenttrap/Former Ridge And Furrow5/19/19975/19/1997MapData
1776700Meyers Valley Creek10020506Meyers Valley Creek at Hwy J4/18/20071/1/2015MapData
1776700Meyers Valley Creek10015780Meyers Valley Cr - 30 Feet Downstream From Sediment Trapoutlet5/24/19965/24/1996MapData
1776700Meyers Valley Creek10016248Meyers Valley Creek - 50 Ft DS of Bridge on Middle Road - App. 1 Mile South of Arcadia5/1/199010/31/2024MapData

Watershed Characteristics

Meyers Valley Creek is located in the Middle Trempealeau River watershed which is 205.47 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (38.50%), agricultural (31%) and a mix of grassland (21.40%) and other uses (9.00%). This watershed has 489.89 stream miles, 396.56 lake acres and 5,115.26 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Not Available for runoff impacts on streams, Not Available 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

Meyers Valley Creek is considered a Cool-Cold 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 (Cold-Transition) Headwaters are small, usually perennial streams with cold to cool summer temperatures. Coldwater fishes are common to uncommon (<10 per 100 m), transitional fishes are abundant to common, and warm water fishes are uncommon to absent. Headwater species are abundant to common, mainstem species are common to absent, and river species are absent.

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