Watershed - Upper Willow River (SC03)
Upper Willow River Watershed

Details

The Upper Willow River Watershed is located in northern St. Croix and southern Polk counties. The watershed is 117,551 acres in size and includes 319 miles of streams and rivers, 516 acres of lakes and 5,595 acres of wetlands. The watershed is dominated by agriculture (48%), grassland (30%) and forest (16%). The watershed is ranked high for nonpoint source issues affecting groundwater.

Date  2010

Population, Land Use

Population and Land Use Approximately 72% of the combined watershed areas lie in St. Croix County. This county was one of the most rapidly-growing areas in the state in the 1990s. Census date for 1990 projected a population of 50, 251 for the entire county (including other watersheds). In 2000, the county population was estimated at 63,155, which is a 26% increase over the decade. A similar increase within the Willow watersheds hydrologic boundaries would be expected over the same time period, especially with the larger communities of New Richmond and Hudson located in the watersheds. The increase was likely from new suburban and rural residential and commercial development from the expanding Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. The percent breakdown of land use and cover throughout the two watersheds, based on 2001 National Land Use Cover data provided by the United States Geologic Survey are described below. The watersheds are very similar with agriculture being the main use in both basins (56% in the Lower Willow and 66% in the Upper). The Lower Watershed has more open water in streams and impoundments (10%), and more urban and suburban land use (totaling 5%) with the two larger communities of Hudson and New Richmond. The Upper Watershed has more agricultural land, but less urban land cover and open water. Forest and wetland percentages are nearly the same in each watershed.

Date  2010

Nonpoint and Point Sources

The Upper Willow River Watershed was selected as a priority watershed as part of the Wisconsin Nonpoint Source Pollution Abatement Program in 1981. A priority watershed plan was completed in 1982 which identified sources of nonpoint source pollution. The water quality objectives for the project were: 1. Reduce sediment deposition in the stream channels and the New Richmond Flowage. 2. Seek protection of groundwater resources from contamination by surface water entering through sink holes. 3. Reduce the potential for fish toxicity from ammonia by controlling livestock waste entering the streams. 4. Coordinate the New Richmond Flowage rehabilitation project with the watershed project. A bioassessment of the watershed project was conducted by a WRM - Central Office team. The conclusion of the bioassessment report was that they were unable to document any water quality improvements in the watershed as a result of implementing the priority watershed project. Base line water quality data did not exist and there was a very low level of participation by landowners with nonpoint source pollution problems in the watershed.

Date  1992