Ontonagon River Assessment Urban/Industrial 0.1%
Open water 4.5%
Wetland 15.0%
Barren 0.6%
Agriculture 5.4%
Grassland 0.2%
Forest 74.2%
Figure 19.–Percent land use in the Ontonagon River watershed. Michigan data from Michigan 1992 NLCD Shapefile by County (2002). Wisconsin data from WISCLAND Land Cover (1998). 115 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
0 2 4 6 Bergland Miles
Bruce Crossing
Kenton
Watersmeet
Michigan Wisconson
Figure 20.–Stream crossings in the Ontonagon River watershed (includes roads, railroads, and utilities). Stream crossing data derived from MIRIS Base Data (1998). 116 Ontonagon River Assessment
1800 Crooked Lake
1600 Mex-i-min-e Falls
Bond Falls dam Watersmeet 1400
1200 Agate Falls
1000 Trout Creek West Branch confluence confluence Elevation above sea level (ft) 800 East Branch Lake confluence Superior
Baltimore River confluence 600 0 20 40 60 80 100 River mile
Figure 21.–Elevation changes by river mile for the Middle Branch and main stem Ontonagon rivers. 117 Ontonagon River Assessment
18 Impoundment 16 30.6% River
14 28.7% 12
10 20.8% 8 18.2% River miles 6
4
2 1.8% 0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 22.–Stream gradient distribution for the Middle Branch Ontonagon River from the origin at Crooked Lake to Agate Falls. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 118 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14 )
2 12
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 23.–Specific power for the Middle Branch Ontonagon River near Paulding. 119 Ontonagon River Assessment
16 51.4% 14 46.1%
12
10
8
River miles 6
4
2 2.5% 0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 24.–Stream gradient distribution for the Middle Branch Ontonagon River from Agate Falls to the confluence with the East Branch Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 120 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14 )
2 12
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 25.–Specific power for the Middle Branch Ontonagon River near Trout Creek. 121 Ontonagon River Assessment
14
49.0% 12
10 38.8%
8
6 River miles
4 12.2%
2
0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 26.–Stream gradient distribution for the main stem Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 122 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14
12 ) 2
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 27.–Specific power for the main stem Ontonagon River upstream of the confluence with the West Branch. 123 Ontonagon River Assessment
35
30 ) 2 25
20
15
10 Specific power (watts/m
5
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 28.–Specific power for the main stem Ontonagon River downstream of the confluence with the West Branch. 124 Ontonagon River Assessment
1600
Upper Dam Lake
Gasley Lake 1400
Kenton
1200 Sparrow Rapids
1000 USGS streamflow Jumbo River confluence gauge
Onion Falls
Elevation above sea level (ft) 800
Middle Branch confluence 600 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 River mile
Figure 29.–Elevation changes by river mile for the East Branch Ontonagon River. 125 Ontonagon River Assessment
40 52.2% Impoundment River
30 37.2%
20 River miles
10 10.3%
0.2% 0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 30.–Stream gradient distribution for the East Branch Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 126 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14 )
2 12
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 31.–Specific power for the East Branch Ontonagon River near Mass City. 127 Ontonagon River Assessment
1700
Kakabika Falls 1600 Cisco Lake
1500
1400
1300 Confluence of Cisco Branch Wolverine Falls and Tenmile Creek to form South Branch 1200 Flannigan Rapids 1100 Elevation above sea level (ft)
1000
West Branch confluence 900 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 River mile
Figure 32.–Elevation changes by river mile for the Cisco Branch and South Branch Ontonagon rivers. 128 Ontonagon River Assessment
18 44.5%
16
14 33.4% 12
10 21.4% 8 River miles 6
4
2 0.6% 0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 33.–Stream gradient distribution for the Cisco Branch Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 129 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14 )
2 12
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 34.–Specific power for the Cisco Branch Ontonagon River near the Cisco Lake outlet.
130 Ontonagon River Assessment
25 69.2%
20
15
River miles 10
19.8% 5 11.0%
0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 35.–Stream gradient distribution for the South Branch Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 131 Ontonagon River Assessment
16
14 )
2 12
10
8
6
Specific power (watts/m 4
2
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 36.–Specific power for the South Branch Ontonagon River at Ewen. 132 Ontonagon River Assessment
1300
1200 Bergland Dam/ Lake Gogebic
South Branch Cascade Creek confluence 1100 confluence
1000 Victoria Dam
900
800 Elevation above sea level (ft) 700
Main Stem confluence 600 0 10 20 30 40 River mile
Figure 37.–Elevation changes by river mile for the West Branch Ontonagon River. 133 Ontonagon River Assessment
18
Impoundment 47.6% 16 River
14
12
10 25.7% 8 River miles 6 16.2%
4 8.3% 2 2.2% 0 0.0-2.9 3.0-4.9 5.0-9.9 10.0-69.9 >70 (chutes (poor) (fair) (good) (excellent) & waterfalls) Gradient class (ft/mi)
Figure 38.–Stream gradient distribution for the West Branch Ontonagon River. Fish habitat ranking in parentheses. 134 Ontonagon River Assessment
40
35
30
25
20
15
Specific power (watts/m2) 10
5
0 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85% 95% Exceedence
Figure 39.–Specific power for the West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland. 135 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
17
0 2 4 6 Bergland 11 15 Miles
12 Bruce Crossing
5 16 Kenton 6 7 1 10 2 4 14 13
8
3 Watersmeet 9
Michigan Wisconson
Figure 40.–Registered dams in the Ontonagon River watershed. (See Table 11 for dam descriptions.) 136 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
8
7 N Rockland
24 22 23 21
6 0 2 4 6 5 Bergland 17 Miles
11
Bruce Crossing
4 16 Kenton 10 18 13 3 9 19 20 15 2
12 14 1
Watersmeet
Michigan Wisconson
Figure 41.–Waterfalls in the Ontonagon River watershed. (See Table 12 for waterfall descriptions.) 137 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
0 2 4 6 Bergland Miles
Bruce Crossing
Kenton
Watersmeet
Michigan Top quality coldwater Wisconson Second quality coldwater
Figure 42.–Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division 1967 classification of the Ontonagon River watershed. 138 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
0 2 4 6 Bergland Miles
Bruce Crossing
Kenton
Cold large Cold medium Watersmeet Cold small Cool large Cool medium Cool small
Michigan Cool very large Wisconson Warm large Warm medium
Figure 43.–Valley segments of the Ontonagon River watershed classified by stream temperature and catchment area (Baker 2006). Mean stream temperature during the first three weeks of July: cold = <66°F, cool = 66–72°F, and warm = >72°F; catchment area at the midpoint of the segment: small (headwater) = 10–40 mi2, medium = 40–179 mi2, large = 180–620 mi2, and very large = >620 mi2. 139 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
0 2 4 6 Bergland Miles
Bruce Crossing
Kenton
Watersmeet
Recreational
Michigan Scenic Wisconson Wild Wilderness area
Figure 44.–Federal wild and scenic rivers within the Ontonagon River watershed and the Sylvania Wilderness Area in the Ottawa National Forest. 140 Ontonagon River Assessment
Lake Superior Ontonagon
N Rockland
0 2 4 6 Bergland Miles
Bruce Crossing
Kenton
Watersmeet
Michigan Ottawa National Forest lands Wisconson State Forest lands
Figure 45.–Public land within the Ontonagon River watershed.
141 Ontonagon River Assessment
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