Watershed - Duck Creek and Rocky Run (LW20)
Duck Creek and Rocky Run Watershed

Details

The Duck Creek and Rocky Run watershed lies in west-central Columbia County. This watershed is in the glaciated portion of the basin. Stream gradients are generally not as steep in this watershed as in those within the unglaciated region. Agriculture predominates, with dairying and cash cropping as the primary activities. Wetlands are the second most common land cover in the watershed and there are some large wetland complexes, particularly near Duck Creek and its tributaries. Other major land cover in the watershed include grassland and broad-leaf deciduous forest. There are numerous muck farms on streams in the watershed. The ditching and draining of wetlands to create muck farms significantly impacts the habitat and water quality of surface waters. These farms not only modify the hydrologic regime in a stream, but they contribute large volumes of nutrients and sediments to streams. Overall, the watershed has been ranked as a medium priority for nonpoint source pollution.

Date  2002

Population, Land Use

Overall population in the watershed for 2000 was estimated to be around 6,800 people. There are no large municipalities in the watershed. Overall, population growth is slight with the exception of the village of Rio, which experienced a 22% increase in population through the 1990's.

Date  2002

Nonpoint and Point Sources

The Cambria, Rio and Wyocena municipal wastewater facilities discharge to the North Branch Duck Creek, a tributary to Rocky Run and the groundwater, respectively. Six industrial facilities have a permit to discharge to several streams including; Duck Creek, the North Branch Duck Creek, the Wisconsin River, and Rocky Run. Three of these facilities also have a permit to discharge to groundwater. Most of these industrial facilities are food processing companies.

Date  2002