Lake Puckaway Environmental Integrity Report 2008
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Environmental Integrity of Lake Puckaway and its Watershed: Past, Present, and Future Nicholas Bach David Flagel Michael Lizotte, Director Aquatic Research Laboratory c/o Department of Biology and Microbiology University of Wisconsin Oshkosh 800 Algoma Boulevard Oshkosh, WI 54901 Report to the Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District October 2008 Special Thanks to: David Bartz (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources) Dr. Mamadou Coulibaly (GIS assistance) (UW Oshkosh Dept. of Geography) Paul Gettelman (Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District) Derek Kavanaugh (Green Lake County Department of Land and Water Conservation) Dr. Robert Pillsbury (data analyses) (UW Oshkosh Dept. of Biology and Microbiology) William Rose (United States Geological Survey) Randy Schmidt (Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District) Mark Sesing (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources) Dr. Robert Stelzer (data analyses) (UW Oshkosh Dept. of Biology and Microbiology) Data Availability : All data and sources obtained for the purpose of writing this report have been compiled. Along with this report, the Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District was given a full set of printed materials (returned originals or copies from other sources) and digital files (data compilations in Microsoft Excel and Word files and original or scanned electronic documents) preserved on compact disks and flash drives. • Data with a source label “EPA Storet” were acquired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s STORET Legacy Data Center or Modernized STORET System. These files were prepared by the EPA upon request and have been included on the flash drive. • Data with sources labeled with names similar to “USGS 04073140 FOX RIVER ABOVE PUCKAWAY LAKE NEAR MARQUETTE, WI” were obtained from the USGS National Water Information System: Web Interface. • Fish data was kindly provided by Dave Bartz of the DNR and other sources cited in the references. 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures................................................................................................................................ 4 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction................................................................................................................................... 6 Timeline for Lake Puckaway....................................................................................................... 7 Watershed of Lake Puckaway ................................................................................................... 13 Geology..................................................................................................................................... 14 The Sub-Watersheds.................................................................................................................. 14 Buffalo and Puckaway Lakes Watershed (UF10)................................................................. 15 Lower Grand River Watershed (UF11) ................................................................................ 17 Upper Grand River Watershed (UF12)................................................................................. 18 Montello River Watershed (UF13) ....................................................................................... 20 Neenah Creek Watershed (UF14)......................................................................................... 21 Swan Lake Watershed (UF15).............................................................................................. 22 Land Uses in Watersheds.......................................................................................................... 23 Wetlands in the Watersheds...................................................................................................... 25 Water Quality of the Watershed................................................................................................ 26 Lake Puckaway ........................................................................................................................... 35 Historical Degradation of Lake Puckaway............................................................................... 35 Historical Efforts to Protect Lake Puckaway ........................................................................... 39 Water Quality of Lake Puckaway ............................................................................................ 42 Water Levels.............................................................................................................................. 42 Biodiversity ............................................................................................................................... 48 Fish ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Northern Pike ........................................................................................................................ 50 Walleye .................................................................................................................................. 53 Panfish .................................................................................................................................. 56 Carp ...................................................................................................................................... 58 Waterfowl ............................................................................................................................. 60 Aquatic Plants ....................................................................................................................... 61 Algae and Invertebrates ........................................................................................................ 63 Exotic Species ....................................................................................................................... 63 3 Lake Management .................................................................................................................... 645 Assessment of Lake District ManagementActions .................................................................... 65 Suggested Actions ..................................................................................................................... 65 Nutrient Management ........................................................................................................... 65 Algae and Invertebrates ........................................................................................................ 66 Aquatic Plants ....................................................................................................................... 67 Fish........................................................................................................................................ 67 Waterfowl and Wildlife ........................................................................................................ 69 Invasive Species Management.............................................................................................. 70 Water Level Management..................................................................................................... 70 Recreational Use Management ............................................................................................. 70 Shoreline Management ......................................................................................................... 72 Watershed Management........................................................................................................ 72 Public Opinion ...................................................................................................................... 73 Bibliography................................................................................................................................ 75 Appendix: Color Map of Land Use in the Lake Puckaway Watershed ...................................... 75 List of Figures Figure 1. Map of the Fox River Watershed. ............................................................................. 8 Figure 2. The dynamics of ecosystem response. ...................................................................... 9 Figure 3. U.S. Census Population data for Green Lake, Marquette and Columbia Counties. ... 9 Figure 4. Geographical location of the five watersheds that feed water to Lake Puckaway.... 15 Figure 5. Buffalo and Puckaway Lakes Watershed (UF10)..................................................... 16 Figure 6. Lower Grand River Watershed (UF11). ................................................................... 17 Figure 7. Upper Grand River Watershed (UF12)..................................................................... 18 Figure 8. Heavy gully erosion just west of the city of Markesan in 1959 (Thompson 1959).. 19 Figure 9. Montello River Watershed (UF12). .......................................................................... 20 Figure 10. The Neenah Creek Watershed (UF14)...................................................................... 21 Figure 11. The Swan Lake Watershed (UF15)..........................................................................