Grant
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
The Little Grant River rises near the community of Mount Hope and flows southerly to the Grant River. About six miles of the middle reach of the stream is considered as class II trout waters and a series of springs contribute to water quality of this reach. (WDNR, 1980). While general water quality of the Little Grant is good, there are reaches that have a history of habitat and water quality problems due non-point sources of pollution. Excessive streambank grazing resulting in bank slumping and erosion is a problem. Other problems are barnyard runoff and erosion from cropland. The DNR, in cooperation with some local landowners, has installed some instream habitat and bank stabilization measures. The DNR has also acquired some land easements for public access along some stream reaches.
The Village of Mount Hope operates a small wastewater treatment plant that discharges to a tributary to the Little Grant River near the headwaters. Department records show this facility is in generally good condition. The village is not growing rapidly, if at all, and construction site erosion and stormwater runoff are not considered problems at this time.
Date 2001
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
From: Smith, Tom D., and Ball, Joseph R., Lake and Stream Classification Project. Surface Water Resources of Grant County, Department of Natural Resources, 1972. Surface Area = 26.91 acres, Length = 14.8 mi~es, Gradient =
23 ft./mile, Flow = 15.1 c.f.s.
A seepage- and spring-fed stream beginning just south of Mount Hope and flowing southeast to enter the Grant River five miles west of Lancaster. This stream has a fairly large watershed; therefore rapid runoff and bank erosion are major problems. The stream is characterized by large pools and long riffles. Algae growth is abundant in the wide, slow-flowing portions of the stream. The central three miles of this stream, which is more commonly known as "Milner Branch", is considered good trout water. Brown and rainbow trout are common in this section while forage fish are abundant throughout the stream. Smallmouth bass also provide a limited fishery in the lower one-half of the stream. A spring entering from the northwest six miles above the mouth is the nucleus of the "Milner Branch" trout resource. Some natural reproduction occurs here. This spring was impounded and used as a trout rearing pond by the Bloomington Sportsman's Club prior to 1955. The Department of Natural Resources acquired an easement on this portion of stream in 1957.
Aquatic game assets include muskrat, mink, and a few puddle ducks. Approximately 20 percent of the watershed is forested and deer, raccoon, squirrels, and ruffed grouse are common. The Village of Mt. Hope is considered to be a potential source of pollution to this stream. The stream easement on the trout stream portion provides 0.5 mile of public frontage. Additional access is also available from ten bridge crossings and the Grant River. About 25 dwellings are located along the stream.
Date 1972
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
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
Monitor Baseline Survey
Conduct basin assessment monitoring in the Upper Grant River Watershed- Little Grant River, Grant River, Borah Creek, Gregory Branch, Rogers Branch, Martin Branch and Day Branch.
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 |
|---|
| 963100 | Little Grant River | 223037 | Little Grant River - Private Rd At Rmi 13.5 | | | Map | Data |
| 963100 | Little Grant River | 10016380 | Little Grant R. - Ups. South Ridge Road | 10/24/1989 | 10/24/1989 | Map | Data |
| 963100 | Little Grant River | 10017204 | Little Grant-Cth J 30' Downstream From Bridge | 10/24/1984 | 10/24/1984 | Map | Data |
| 963100 | Little Grant River | 10016609 | Little Grant R. - Up. Mccluskey Rd. | 10/24/1989 | 10/24/1989 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Little Grant River is located in the Upper Grant River watershed which is 106.09 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily grassland (42.70%), agricultural (40.80%) and a mix of forest (13.60%) and other uses (2.90%). This watershed has 260.94 stream miles, 7.24 lake acres and 6.79 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High 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.