14.30 Miles
0 - 14.30
Macroinvertebrate, Cool-Cold Headwater
2021
Poor
Chronic Aquatic Toxicity
Chloride
Kenosha, Racine
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
The source of Kilbourn Road Ditch is located about one-half mile east of IH 94-USH 41 in the southwest one quarter of Section 30, Township 3 North, Range 22 East, Town of Mt. Pleasant, Racine County. From there, the stream flows southerly along IH 94-USH 41 for about 12.6 miles, to its confluence with the Des Plaines River in the southwest one-quarter of Section 7, Township 1 North, Range 22 East, in the Village of Pleasant Prairie. The entire length of the stream is classified as perennial.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
General Condition
Kilbourn Road Ditch is a 14.3 mile long tributary to Des Plaines River running through Kenosha and Racine Counties. It was last monitored in 2005 and its current use is for fish and aquatic life and its attainable use is as a warm water sport fishery.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Impaired Waters
Kilbourn Road Ditch was evaluated in the 2022 cycle: chloride levels were above aquatic life toxicity thresholds. This stream was added to the 2022 Impaired Waters List.
Date 2022
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
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 |
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736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10032015 | Kilbourn Creek betw 50th & 60th | 10/13/2009 | 5/18/2010 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10011239 | Kilbourn Road Ditch at Hwy K (49m Upstream) | | | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10008082 | Kilbourn Road Ditch - 53 M Upstream Burlington Rd (Hwy 142) | 11/29/2000 | 11/29/2000 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10013651 | Kilbourn Road Ditch - 50m Upstream Of Braun Road | 10/19/2005 | 10/19/2005 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 303045 | Des Plaines River at Cth K 2m (Bi) | 5/19/1979 | 5/19/1979 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10051686 | Kilbourn Road Ditch at CTH A | 10/8/2018 | 2/25/2021 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 305002 | Kilbourn Ditch - Radtke Fill | | | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 303047 | Kilbourn Road Ditch at Cth K (Bi Sur) | 5/19/1979 | 10/13/2004 | Map | Data |
736900 | Kilbourn Road Ditch | 10013692 | Kilbourn Road Ditch- Down Of Hwy 50 | | | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Kilbourn Road Ditch is located in the Des Plaines River watershed which is 133.34 miĀ². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (57.90%), suburban (11%) and a mix of wetland (8.90%) and other uses (22.30%). This watershed has 216.36 stream miles, 755.01 lake acres and 7,194.07 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, High 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.
Kilbourn Road Ditch is considered a Macroinvertebrate, 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.
More Interactive Maps
Maps of Watershed