PRELIMINARY DRAFT Mason Creek Watershed Protection Plan Executive Summary
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COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PLANNING REPORT NO. 321 Preliminary Draft MASON CREEK WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN MASON CREEK WATERSHED REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION PROTECTION PLAN WORKING GROUP KENOSHA COUNTY RACINE COUNTY DaveArnot............................................................Rueckert Mielke Steve Bostrom Mike Dawson Jill Bedford ................................................Tall Pines Conservancy Aloysius Nelson James A. Ladwig Robert W. Pitts Peggy L. Shumway Susan Buchanan .......................................Tall Pines Conservancy Dave Cox............................................................Village of Hartford MILWAUKEE COUNTY WALWORTH Karen Doyle......................................Waukesha County Parks and Brian R. Dranzik Charles L. Colman, Land Use Department William R. Drew, Vice Chairman Treasurer Nancy Russell Marilyn Haroldson............................................Town of Merton Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. Vacant Don Heilman.....................................................Concerned Citizen OZAUKEE COUNTY WASHINGTON COUNTY Jerry Heine..................................North Lake Management District Thomas H. Buestrin Jeffrey D. Schleif Jennifer Rothstein Daniel S. Schmidt Perry Lindquist ..................................................Waukesha County Gus W. Wirth, Jr.’ David L. Stroik Secretary Maureen McBroom (Former) ..................Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources TomOasen .......................................................Natural Resources WAUKESHA COUNTY Conservation Service Michael A. Crowley, Vice Chairman Matt Otto ...........................................................Natural Resources Conservation Service José M.Delgado James T. Dwyer Mark Riedel ............................................Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Rachel Sabre........................................Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Jim Schneider .............................North Lake Management District Paul Sebo..............................Washington County Conservationist SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF TomSteinbach ..............................................City of Oconomowoc Michael G. Hahn, PE, PH .....................................Executive Director MASON CREEK WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Kevin J. Muhs............................................................Deputy Director Stephen P.Adams.........................................Public Involvement and Andrew Craig .........................................Wisconsin Department of Outreach Manager Natural Resources Nancy M.Anderson,AICP ......................................Chief Community Jayne Jenks .....................................Waukesha County Parks and Assistance Planner Land Use Department Christopher T.Hiebert, PE. .................Chief Transportation Engineer Perry Lindquist ................................................. Waukesha County Laura L. Herrick, PE, CFM ..................Chief Environmental Engineer Maureen McBroom (Former)..................Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ElizabethA. Larsen, SPHR...................................Assistant Director- Administration Matt Otto ..........................................................Natural Resources Eric D. Lynde .......................................Chief Special Project Planner Conservation Service Rob W. Merry, PLS .....................................................Chief Surveyor Mark Riedel............................................Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources DavidA. Schilling..........................................Chief Land Use Planner Rachel Sabre .........................................Wisconsin Department of Dr. Thomas M. Slawski, PhD.......................................Chief Biologist Natural Resources Special acknowledgement is due to Dr. Thomas Slawski, Chief Paul Sebo..............................Washington County Conservationist Biologist; Mr. Aaron W. Owens, SEWRPC Planner; Ms. Megan A. Beauchaine, SEWRPC Research Analyst; Dr. Joseph E. Boxhorn, TomSteinbach ..............................................City of Oconomowoc SEWRPC Senior Planner; and, Dale J. Buser PE, PH, SEWRPC Principal Specialist, for their contributions to the conduct of this study Andy Yencha (Former)...............................University of Wisconsin and the preparation of this report. Extension PRELIMINARY DRAFT COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PLANNING REPORT NUMBER 321 MASON CREEK WATERSHED PROTECTION PLAN Prepared by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission W239 N1812 Rockwood Drive P.O. Box 1607 Waukesha, Wisconsin 53187-1607 www.sewrpc.org The preparation of this publication was financed in part through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources River Planning Grant Program. February 2017 $20.00 (This Page Left Blank Intentionally) 22 PRELIMINARY DRAFT Mason Creek Watershed Protection Plan Executive Summary The Mason Creek watershed which is located within Washington, Waukesha, and Dodge Counties, is an 8.2-square mile sub-basin within the upper part of the Oconomowoc River watershed. Mason Creek discharges to North Lake along with the Oconomowoc and Little Oconomowoc Rivers. Several lakes (Friess, Loews, Keesus, Beaver, and Pine) also contrib- ute flow to North Lake. Discharge from North Lake flows through Okauchee Lake, Oconomowoc Lake, Fowler Lake, and Lac La Belle before the Oconomowoc River flows into the Rock River. Historically, Native Americans were attract- ed to the area for its deep maple and basswood forests, wetlands, clear lakes and wild game. Europeans began to settle in the area in the early to mid-1800s, primarily where the Towns of Erin and Merton are now located, due to the area’s lakes and rivers and to experience a rural lifestyle. The settlers quickly began farming the high-quality soil, which result- ed in the clearing of forests and natural areas and building homes along the shorelines of the lakes. Over time, farming and associated stream channelization has greatly impacted the water quality and wildlife in this ecosystem. The Mason Creek watershed has been identified as an important contributor of sediment and phosphorus to both the Oconomowoc and Rock Rivers. Mason Creek has been listed as an impaired waterway by the U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency (USEPA) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Excessive sediment and nutri- Target Annual Nonpoint Source ent loading to North Lake have led to unnatural conditions Load Reduction Goals for Mason Creek: such as increased algal blooms, deep water oxygen deple- 92% or 5,355 (lbs) Total Phosphorus and tion, and water clarity issues. North Lake has been listed as impaired for high phosphorus loads. 93% or 883 (tons) Total Suspended Solids A significant amount of the nonpoint source loads of phosphorus and sediment to North Lake were found to be coming from the Mason Creek watershed. This fact, along with low dissolved oxygen, elevated water temperature, and degraded habitat prompted local units of government and organizations to partner with State and Federal agencies to improve the water quality in the Lake and watershed. Although these efforts have had had some success, the water quality in North Lake and Mason Creek continues to be a cause for concern. In response, the North Lake Management District and Tall Pines Conservancy worked with the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission to develop the Mason Creek Watershed Protection Plan in cooperation with the City of Oconomowoc, Towns of Erin and Merton, Washington and Waukesha Counties, the WDNR, USEPA, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Adult Brook Trout Mason Creek serves as an important nursery area that supports the fishery within North Lake Mason Creek is home to a small population of self-sustaining brook trout. *** Juvenile Brook Trout This sensitive gamefish species is like a canary in the coal mine, so it is an indicator of good water quality & fish community conditions. Mason Creek high quality instream and floodplain buffer reference reach PRELIMINARY DRAFT Mason Creek Watershed Protection Plan Executive Summary 2 Strategy for Improvement In addition to establishing recommended pollutant load reductions, this plan focuses on reducing instream water temper- ature and protecting/preserving groundwater discharge to mitigate against a warming climate and/or reduced precipita- tion and to promote the “resistance” and “resilience” of the Mason Creek system. “Resistance” is the ability of a system to remain unchanged in the face of external forces. “Resilience” is the ability of a system to recover from disturbance. The overall strategy of this plan is to identify adaptation approaches that promote resistance and build ecological resili- ence to reduce the impacts of climate change and other stressors. More specifically, adaptation Mason Creek is strategies can be applied in the Mason Creek part of the watershed to increase landscape connectivity and Oconomowoc River corridors among habitats, restore degraded habi- Watershed tats, and remove other threats and stressors such as invasive species or upland erosion. The goals of the strategies are to enable Mason Creek to meet water quality criteria and maintain a sus- tainable naturally reproducing brook trout popu- lation and the associated coldwater biotic assem- blage for future generations . The Mason Creek Watershed Protection Plan provides