4.50 Miles
0 - 4.50
Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Headwater
2022
Poor
Impairment Unknown
Total Phosphorus
Ozaukee, Washington
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Cedarburg Creek, in the Cedar Creek Watershed, is a 6.41 mile river that falls in Ozaukee and Washington Counties. This river is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently considered impaired.
Date 2022
Author Ashley Beranek
Impaired Waters
Cedarburg Creek was evaluated in several cycles (2014, 2020, and 2022) for phosphorus, bugs, and fish; phosphorus levels were too high, though bug and fish communities were in good condition. This water is covered by the Milwaukee River TMDL, approved in 2018.
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 |
|---|
| 22900 | Cedarburg Creek | 10038233 | Cedarburg Creek US STH 60 | 8/23/2012 | 10/11/2018 | Map | Data |
| 22900 | Cedarburg Creek | 10044028 | Cedarburg Creek at M | 5/29/2019 | 11/6/2019 | Map | Data |
| 22900 | Cedarburg Creek | 10034008 | Unnamed Tributary - 120 meters downstream of CTHY M | 7/21/2011 | 2/28/2022 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Cedarburg Creek is located in the Cedar Creek watershed which is 129.26 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural (33.50%), grassland (18.90%) and a mix of wetland (17.70%) and other uses (29.90%). This watershed has 176.82 stream miles, 1,897.46 lake acres and 13,111.81 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.
Cedarburg 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.