Details

The North Fork Flambeau River watershed lies within the Upper Chippewa Basin and stretches from Iron County, through the southeastern portion of Ashland County, terminating in northwestern Price County. The major water resource in this watershed is the Flambeau River (a.k.a. North Fork Flambeau R.) which begins at the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage dam in Iron County, and exits the downstream end of the watershed in Price County. There are four impoundments on this reach of the river. A number of small streams, many of which are trout waters, feed into the Flambeau River. There are many small lakes, the largest being Lake Six at 148 acres. Wetlands are abundant and comprise 33% of the watershed. Th e abundant wetlands contribute to good water quality and also result in many waters being stained by the dissolved organic substances present in wetland drainage.

Date  2011

Population, Land Use

The watershed consists of approximately 158 square miles and contains 164 miles of streams, 630 acres of lakes, and 33,476 acres of wetland habitat. Forest is the dominant land cover (51%), followed by wetland (39%). Grassland, open space, and agriculture are other signifi cant land uses present in the watershed, but collectively only make up less than 12% of the watershed. Urban land uses account for less than 1% of the land area. Land Use and Development Impacts Trends in housing density tell only part of the story. Projections of housing density over time painting a clear picture of how development pressure has focused on water resource rich areas in Sawyer and Vilas Counties, but there is little research data to document impacts of non-residential housing development over time. Activities like road and trail building, land development and parcelization for hunting cabins, and related clearing of land for food plots or wildlife ponds are having cumulative negative eff ects on forest health and wetlands. The Upper Chippewa Basin reports a marked increase in DNR permit requests associated with recreational use of land, as well as increases in unauthorized activities. In addition, invasive species are well documented in association with trail networks and can be spread by forest management activities and recreational use. Many forested areas in the region are interespersed with wetlands. Photos show creation of small plots of open land in 2005 based on previous logging activities. These areas of open land also impact overall forest composition as they create edge effect that favors some species over species of wildlife that depend upon interior habitat in larger blocks of forest. More education is needed in order to protect streams and wetland areas, maintain well balanced forest composition, and prevent the spread of invasive species.

Date  2011

Nonpoint and Point Sources

There are two point sources in this watershed, Flambeau River Paper Company and the Park Falls Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant. E. coli testing at the Smith Lake beach was conducted in May through August of 2004 to 2008 by the Price County Health Dept. The beach is about 5 miles downstream of the paper mill. The E. coli health standard was exceeded on 64% of dates in 2004. E. coli health standard exceedances declined over the years, and in 2008 no exceedances were found. A shift in the E. coli population in the mill’s wastewater treatment system occurred in 2008. This resulted in only low levels of E. coli being present in their treated discharge to the river. There is some evidence to suggest that runoff from agricultural operations between State Highway 13 and County Highway B may be contributing sources of the E. coli bacteria detected in samples downstream.

Date  2011

Ecological Landscapes

The North Central Forest Ecological Landscape occupies much of the northern third of Wisconsin. Its landforms are characterized by end and ground moraines with some pitted outwash and bedrock controlled areas. Kettle depressions and steep ridges are found in the northern portion. Two prominent areas in this Ecological Landscape are the Penokee-Gogebic Iron Range in the north extending into Michigan, and Timm's Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin (1,951 feet) in the south. Soils consist of sandy loam, sand, and silts. The vegetation is mainly forest, with many wetlands and some agriculture, though the growing season is not as favorable as it is in southern Wisconsin. Lake Superior greatly influences the northern portion of the Ecological Landscape especially during the winter season, producing greater snowfall than in most areas in Wisconsin. The historic vegetation was primarily hemlock-hardwood forest dominated by hemlock, sugar maple, and yellow birch. There were some smaller areas of white and red pine forest scattered throughout the Ecological Landscape, and individual white pines trees were a component of the hemlock-hardwood forest. Harvesting hemlock to support the tanneries was common at the turn of the century, and the species soon became a minor component of forests due to over-harvesting and lack of regeneration. Currently, forests cover approximately 80% of this Ecological Landscape. The northern hardwood forest is dominant, made up of sugar maple, basswood, and red maple, and also including some scattered hemlock and white pine pockets within stands. The aspen-birch forest type group is also relatively abundant, followed by spruce-fir. A variety of wetland community types also are present, both forested and non-forested.

Date  2010

Hydrologic Features

The major feature of this watershed is the Flambeau River which begins at the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage dam in Iron County, then flows through Iron and Ashland Counties. A number of small streams, many of which are trout waters, feed into the North Fork of the Flambeau. Deer, Swamp, Smith, and Ninemile creeks were sampled for macroinvertebrates in 1980. Biotic indices showed good to excellent water quality with an absence of organic pollution (WRM 1980). The rest of the streams in the watershed fall into the warm water forage fish category.

Date  1996

Fisheries

Aquatic habitat in the entire Flambeau River is fragmented by nine dams, including eight hydroelectric projects and one headwater storage reservoir, not all within the North Fork Flambeau River watershed. In general, habitat complexity and species diversity are greater in the free-flowing segments of the Flambeau River than in the impounded reaches. The fi sh community in the Flambeau River is moderately diverse. Resource agencies and tribes have captured 39 fish species with various gear in surveys conducted since 1928. Recent samples from the Flambeau River collected by electrofishing under the baseline monitoring protocol for non-wadable streams included 19 fish species. By comparison 68 fi sh species have been recorded from the St. Croix River in the adjacent basin, a relatively undisturbed stream of comparable size with fewer alterations to habitat and stream fl ow than the Flambeau River has endured. Stream flow is regulated seasonally by operation of two headwater storage reservoirs, the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and the Manitowish Chain-of-Lakes. Reservoir drawdowns in summer, fall, and winter moderate both the high and the low extremes of discharge. Recent changes in the normal operation of the large hydroelectric projects on the lower Flambeau River have nearly eliminated the twice-daily fl uctuations in stream fl ow that resulted from storing and releasing water to meet the peak demand for electricity. Those sudden and frequent changes in discharge aff ect the suitability of habitat for fish and other aquatic life. For centuries, the Flambeau River was an important source of fish protein for native people. “Flambeau” is translated from French as “torch river.” The name is derived from 17th century accounts of European settlers who described Native Americans using torches to illuminate the base of the waterfalls where they speared muskellunge, sturgeon, and other fi sh for sustenance. The waterfalls were earlier known as Muskellunge Falls, and they are presently inundated by Lower Park Falls Flowage within the City of Park Falls. Today, popular sportfi sh species include smallmouth bass, muskellunge, walleye, lake sturgeon, and channel catfi sh. Suckers and redhorse provide early angling opportunities in spring before the general fi shing season opens. Each population sustains itself; however, large muskellunge fingerlings are stocked in alternate years to supplement recruitment from natural reproduction. For the last 125 years since the railroad was extended to Fifield and Park Falls, the Flambeau River continues to be a premiere destination for musky anglers and fi shing guides. The results from a 10-year evaluation of muskellunge stocking in northern Wisconsin should demonstrate whether continued stocking of those reaches and impoundments is necessary. Two fi sh species from the Flambeau River have elevated protective status. Greater redhorse are classified as “threatened” but there are no harvest restrictions on greater redhorse. No exotic fi sh species are known to occur on the Flambeau River. Lake sturgeon are listed as a species of special concern under Wisconsin’s Endangered Species Act. Sturgeon harvest in the Flambeau River and other selected waters is closely regulated with a six-week open season beginning in early September, a 50-inch minimum length limit, and an annual bag limit of one fish. Radio telemetry, tailrace netting in the discharge of hydroelectric turbines, and recapture of fi sh given diff erential marks indicated that nearly all fi sh species present in the river system move downstream through the turbines and spillways of the dams at some time during their life cycle. Some fish that move downstream through these structures are killed as a result of their entrainment. Some die immediately from injury caused by turbine blade strikes or sudden changes in pressure. Others suffer delayed mortality due to a variety of factors, including increased vulnerability of predators. All entrained fish are permanently displaced from upstream habitat. Physical barriers to fi sh movements have affected the geographic distribution of freshwater mussels, which rely on a specific host fish to carry their larvae as parasites. The dams that block the movements of fi sh have fragmented the distribution of at least two mussel populations in the Flambeau River system. The lower reach of the Flambeau downstream from Thornapple Dam supports viable populations of purple wartyback and bullhead mussels, but upstream from Thornapple Dam only remnant populations with very old individuals are found. Further upstream shells from dead mussels indicate that both species once occurred throughout the river system. Several fi sh refuges are established below some of the dams on the Flambeau River, presumably to deter poachers in areas where fish often congregate. Fishing is prohibited year round several hundred yards downstream from the Turtle-Flambeau and the Upper Park Falls dams. In the lower Flambeau River all fi shing is prohibited within 200 feet of the hydroelectric dams in Rusk County, except during the open fishing season for muskellunge. Eventually, we hope to evaluate the need for these and other fish refuges within the Upper Chippewa River Basin to simplify the current regulations.

Date  2011

The high percentage of the watershed in forest and wetland land cover (>86%) results in generally good stream water quality. The Flambeau River is the largest stream in this watershed. Upstream from Park Falls, the Flambeau River quality is excellent with low nutrient and suspended solids concentrations, good dissolved oxygen concentrations, and an excellent non-game and gamefish community. This segment of the river has been designated as an outstanding resource water (ORW). Its condition is generally good, although it has four dams and some water quality impacts from the point sources in Park Falls (paper mill and municipal wastewater treatment plant). The river then passes through a series of four impoundments, with only two short segments of free-fl owing river between them. Below the last dam in the watershed (Crowley) the river flows freely for 6 miles to the mouth of the watershed. Water quality is still good, although somewhat poorer than above Park Falls due mostly to the two permitted point source discharges from the paper mill and municipal sewage treatment plant. Tributary Streams There are 23 streams fl owing into the Flambeau River. Swamp Creek is the largest of these. Its drainage area has minimal development and abundant wetlands. Water quality and macroinvertebrate samples near its mouth show good to excellent conditions. The remaining streams are fairly small. Fifteen streams support trout populations. Most of these are coolwater streams and are Class 2 and 3 trout streams. The small streams with recent macroinvertebrate monitoring data show good to excellent conditions.

Date  2011

Lakes and Impoundments

Lake Health There are 12 named lakes and 24 unnamed lakes in the watershed (Table 5). Three of the named lakes are larger than 80 acres (Lake Six, 148 acres; Le Tourneau, 124 acres; Hoff man, 89 acres). The remaining 9 named lakes are smaller than 25 acres. All of the unnamed lakes are smaller than 7 acres. Only LeTourneau Lake has had a recent fi sh survey (2004). A warm water sport fi sh community was present. Older data documents warm water sport fi sh communities present in most of the named lakes. Many of the shallower lakes are subject to winterkills (partial or complete die-off s of fi sh due to lack of oxygen under the ice). This is primarily a naturally occurring condition. A previous watershed assessment indicated 36% of the lakes (less than 10 acres) experienced winterkills. A higher percentage of the smaller lakes are also likely to be affected. Limited water quality monitoring at LeTourneau Lake indicates it is stained and eutrophic. Monitoring at Lake Six indicates mesotrophic conditions. Water quality monitoring data is not available for the other lakes. Flambeau River Impoundments Water quality conditions and habitat on the Flambeau River are infl uenced by the four impoundments. Upper Park Falls Flowage is shallow and riverine. It is only slightly impacted by urban runoff in Park Falls. Phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations indicate mesotrophic conditions. It has an excellent non-game and gamefi sh community. The Park Falls point sources (paper mill and municipal wastewater treatment plant) discharge to the upper end of Lower Park Falls Flowage. On average, the discharges increase the river’s surface temperature by 2.5oF, increase water color (staining) by 23%, and increase total phosphorus concentrations by 86%. However, extensive testing indicated the species of bacteria present in the discharge were not a health concern. Amounts of these bacteria in the discharge varied from year to year and declined to low levels in 2008. Phosphorus concentrations in Lower Park Falls Flowage indicate eutrophic conditions, although a short hydraulic residence time prevents signifi cant algae growth. Phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations in Pixley and Crowley Flowages also indicate eutrophic conditions. Longer hydraulic residence times allow signifi cant algae blooms to occur at times. There are three other flowages in the watershed. Smith “Lake” is the large bay on the north side of the Pixley Flowage. While it is part of the fl owage created by the Pixley dam, it has traditionally been considered a separate water body. Le Claire Lake is a 27 acre impoundment of Le Tourneau Creek in Price County. It supports a warm water sport fi sh community. Forest Wander Lake 17 is a 39 acre impoundment of Swamp Creek in Iron County. Elevated heavy metal concentrations have also been found in the sediment of the flowages infl uenced by Park Falls point sources. These toxic contaminants can cause problems for fish or other organisms, but it is especially important to understand their impacts on benthic (bottom dwelling) organisms such as insect larvae, aquatic worms, or others that form the base of the food chain. Concentrations of mercury and zinc are the greatest concern, with some elevation of copper and lead concentrations also present. Mercury is known to have been historically used as a slimicide by paper mills, but is no longer used. Sediment samples were last collected in 1989 and 1992. Sampling results indicate surf cial sediment mercury concentrations are at toxic levels for most benthic organisms in Pixley and Crowley Flowages. At the downstream end of Lower Park Falls Flowage, sediment concentrations for mercury are also at toxic levels for a substantial percentage of benthic organisms. Zinc concentrations mirror those same trends with Pixley Flowage sediments at toxic levels for most benthic organisms (>50%) as well as a lower, yet substantial, percentage in Lower Park Falls and Crowley Flowages. Surficial sediment mercury concentrations are at toxic levels for most benthic (bottom dwelling) organisms (insect larvae, aquatic worms, etc.) in Pixley and Crowley Flowages, and are at toxic levels for many benthic organisms in Lower Park Falls Flowage. Surfi cial sediment zinc concentrations are at toxic levels for most benthic organisms in Pixley Flowage, and are at toxic levels for many benthic organisms in Lower Park Falls and Crowley Flowages. Lower Park Falls, Pixley, and Crowley Flowages have good gamefi sh communities. Mercury contamination of fi sh tissue is documented in Pixley and Crowley Flowages. There are three other flowages in the watershed. Smith “Lake” is the large bay on the north side of the Pixley Flowage. While it is part of the flowage created by the Pixley dam, it has traditionally been considered a separate water body. Le Claire Lake is a 27 acre impoundment of LeTourneau Creek in Price County. It supports a warm water sport fish community. Forest Wander Lake 17 is a 39 acre impoundment of Swamp Creek in Iron County.

Date  2011

Wetland Health

Wetland Health Wetland Status The North Fork Flambeau River watershed lies within the Upper Chippewa Basin and stretches from Iron County, through the southeastern portion of Ashland County, terminating in northwestern Price County. Wetlands compromise 31% of the current land uses in the watershed. It is estimated that about 93% of the original wetlands in the watershed currently exist. Of these wetlands, forested wetlands (77%) and shrub wetlands (18%) dominate the landscape. Wetland Condition Reed canary grass, an opportunistic aquatic invasive wetland plant, often invades diff erent wetland types and has been identified as a statewide concern. WDNR uses leaf-off satellite imagery to estimate areas of infestation based on visible patterns. This information shows that reed canary grass dominates 71% of the existing forested wetlands (~89 acres) and 22% of the remaining shrub wetlands. These areas show up west of Park Falls associated with agricultural fields, and north of Park Falls along the river where larger patches are seen on fi eld edges and forest margins. Reed Canary Grass domination inhibits successful establishment of native wetland species. An increasing concern among WDNR staff is loss of wetland due to trends in recreational land use, road and trail construction and pond construction (see Land Use and Development Impacts). Wetland Restorability Restorable wetlands were estimated for the watershed based on acres of hydric soil minus acres mapped as wetlands on the Wisconsin Wetland Inventory. Of the 2,296 acres of estimated lost wetlands in the watershed, approximately 2,000 acres (87%) are considered potentially restorable based on modeled data. These areas do not include 53 acres lost due to development of the city of Park Falls, roads, and buildings, and 245 acres of wetlands less than .5 acres in size (Chris Smith, DNR, 2009). Much of the agricultural land in the watershed contains soils with hydric inclusions that, in pre-settlement times, undoubtedly contained wetlands. It is important to note that a number of realistic factors limit wetland restoration in the basin including identifi cation of cost-eff ective eligible sites and economic considerations within the agricultural community. Resource managers believe that educating local and non-resident landowners about wetland values and proper siting of development (including roads) will provide greater benefi t to wetlands than seeking out potential restoration sites.

Date  2010

Impaired Waters

The following waters are considered impaired: Crowley Flowage (Mercury, Contaminated Fish Tissue, Chronic Aquatic Toxicity, Contaminated Sediment); the Flambeau River - Upper Pixley Flowage (Mercury, Contaminated Fish Tissue); Six Lake (Mercury, Contaminated Fish Tissue); Lower Park Falls Flowage (Unspecified Metals, Chronic Aquatic Toxicity and Contaminated Sediment); Lower Park Falls Flowage (Mercury, Chronic Aquatic Toxicity and Contaminated Sediment); Pixley Flowage (Mercury, Contaminated Fish Tissue and Contaminated Sediment); Turtle Flambeau Flowage (Mercury, Contaminated).

Date  2011

Aquatic Invasive Species

No comprehensive survey has been conducted to determine the extent of invasive plants and animals in the watershed. Invasive species are present in and adjacent to the watershed. Aquatic invasives are present in nearby or connecting waterways. There is also a potential for terrestrial invasive species such as buckthorn, Asian honeysuckle, loosestrife, or others to be transported from established patches along transportation and recreation corridors or nearby urban landscapes. Efforts to build volunteer support for monitoring are encouraged through River Alliance’s Project RED (Riverine Early Detectors), the Upper Chippewa Invasives Cooperative, and UW-Stevens Point’s Clean Boats/Clean Waters program, and Citizen Lake Monitoring Network.

Date  2011

Projects including grants, restoration work and studies shown below have occurred in this watershed. Click the links below to read through the text. While these are not an exhaustive list of activities, they provide insight into the management activities happening in this watershed.

Priorities

The Upper North Fork Flambeau River Watershed (UC13) Plan was updated in October of 2010. This update is a formal amendment to the Upper Chippewa Water Quality Management Plan.

Date  2011

The City of Park Falls is located in Price County in the Upper North Fork Flambeau River watershed. The city began in the late 1800s as a small river village called Muskellunge Falls. It was later renamed Park Falls for the scenic beauty surrounding the former falls on the south side of town. With a pulp and paper mill, the town grew rapidly and was incorporated as a city in 1912. At the height of the city's industrial success, the city's population swelled to more than 4,000 residents. At the same time, commercial development fueled a sizeable downtown which largely remains today. Park Falls has a large population relative to other communities in the area. For example, it has two stoplight-controlled intersections, the only stoplights in Price County. The nearest neighboring community with a stoplight is at least 45 minutes away in any direction. The Park Falls School District (now called the Chequamegon District) is geographically the largest school district in Wisconsin.

Date  2010