6.01 Miles
0 - 6.01
Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Mainstem, COOL-Warm Headwater
Unknown
Forest
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
South Branch Peshtigo River, in the Upper Peshtigo River Watershed, is a 6.01 mile river that falls in Forest County. This river is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
The South Branch of the Peshtigo River is classified as a warm water forage fishery. This
river is slow moving and it may be influenced by Peshtigo Lake drainage. Input of good
quality waters from Drake Creek, Peterson Creek, and Lilypad Lake should help
improve the water quality in the South Branch of the Peshtigo River.
Date 1993
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
Educate and engage residents
Northwood's Land Trust, Inc. proposes to conduct a direct mail education campaign with all property owners on the priority river and stream segments in Forest County that were identified by the DNR Northern Rivers Initiative. An information packet will be provided highlighting voluntary conservation options those property owners can utilize to protect the priority stream corridors. Those options include conservation easements, land donation, land registry and conservation buyer programs. Individual on site property assessments and conservation planning will be conducted with any landowners who express interest. The project includes the following goals: 1) Direct mail information packets describing voluntary conservation options private landowners can utilize to protect their properties. This information will include how the options can protect land while also providing income, estate and other tax benefits to landowners. The mailing will include all private property owners with at least 500 feet of natural shoreline on these priority river segments; 2) Conduct on-site follow-up contacts with interested landowners as generated by mailing and media publicity; 3) Encourage interested landowners to voluntarily enter into perpetual land protection agreements or utilize other land protection tools to protect their priority river/stream segments. Project deliverables include: 1) Copies of color GIS maps of each of the towns with digitized parcel maps will be provided to illustrate the parcels/landowners identified within 500 + feet of existing natural shoreline frontage; 2) A generalized listing of Forest County landowner follow-up contacts by program type will be provided.
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 |
|---|
| 579500 | South Branch Peshtigo River | 213025 | Peshtigo R South Branch - Below Peshtigo L | | | Map | Data |
| 579500 | South Branch Peshtigo River | 213010 | Peshtigo River South Branch - Crandon Stp | | | Map | Data |
| 579500 | South Branch Peshtigo River | 213014 | Peshtigo River South Branch at Cth P | | | Map | Data |
| 579500 | South Branch Peshtigo River | 213026 | Peshtigo R South Branch at Sag Below Pesh Lake | | | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
South Branch Peshtigo River is located in the Upper Peshtigo River watershed which is 338.33 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (62.80%), wetland (31.20%) and a mix of grassland (3.60%) and other uses (2.40%). This watershed has 342.45 stream miles, 1,184.80 lake acres and 48,481.09 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked for runoff impacts on lakes and Low for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Low. 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.
South Branch Peshtigo River is considered a Warm Headwater, COOL-Warm Mainstem, 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.