Watershed - Badfish Creek (LR07)
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Badfish Creek Watershed

Details

The Badfish Creek Watershed, located in Rock and Dane Counties, is approximately 53,894 acres in size and consists of 79 miles of streams and rivers, 218 acres of lakes and 3800 acres of wetlands. The watershed is dominated by agriculture (67%) and is ranked medium for nonpoint source issues affecting streams and is ranked high for nonpoint source issues affecting groundwater, based on WDNR groundwater susceptibility mapping. Badfish Creek has the dubious distinction of being one of the top watersheds in Rock County for soil loss, which is estimated at 9 tons/acre/year. Soil loss in the Dane County portion is more difficult to determine, but is estimated to be 8.3 tons/acre/year. The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District has an ongoing monitoring program to track water quality in Badfish Creek. MMSD conducts biotic index monitoring of Badfish Creek tributaries semi annually since 1983 and periodically conducts biotic index monitoring in selected tributaries to Badfish Creek (MMSD).

Date  2002

Population, Land Use

The Badfish Creek Watershed lies in south central Dane County and in the northwest corner of Rock County and encompasses 85.5 square miles. The village of Oregon is the largest community (7,514 in 2000) in this rural watershed. The village's growth of 30.5% from 1995-2000, is rapidly changing the area's rural character to a suburban community. As the village and towns of this watershed continue to grow, stormwater management and construction site erosion control have become more important. For example, increased stormwater flows have caused flooding problems in part of the village. A few municipalities are located within this basin, with a portion of the city of Fitchburg, the towns of Oregon and Rutland, and the village of Oregon. Wastewater from the city of Madison, treated by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), affects the watershed's water quantity and quality via discharges through an effluent ditch that joins the Oregon Branch of Badfish Creek. Wetlands in this watershed include Grass Lake, Island Lake, and Hook Lake.

Date  2002

Nonpoint and Point Sources

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)serves the entire Madison metropolitan region with its direct discharge and pretreatment programs. The district's operations have undergone nine substantial upgrades, the ninth addition, which includes a new ultraviolet disinfection system and biological phosphorus removal, was completed in 1997. A 1996 inspection found MMSD in substantial compliance with its permit. The plant has a design load of 50 million gallons per day (mgd). In 1993 Verona was annexed into MMSD; the Verona wastewater treatment plant was operated by MMSD from January 1995 through July 1996, when connection of Verona's flow to the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant was completed. Beginning in the summer of 1998, MMSD will return a volume of effluent to Badger Mill Creek that is equal to the volume of wastewater pumped out of the Sugar River Basin and treated at the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant. MMSD has worked with WDNR and other stakeholders to develop a mutually agreeable plan for managing this effluent return program (MMSD). The plant currently discharges to an effluent ditch via an underground pipe from the Nine Springs plant about five miles away, at an average rate of 36-37 mgd.

Date  2002