Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin Supplement to The State of the Sheboygan River Basin Publ# WR-669-01 May, 2001 Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Preparation of the Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin is an effort of the Department of Natural Resources’ Sheboygan River Basin Geographical Management Unit (GMU) personnel, with support from staff in the Southeast Region Water Division bureaus of Watershed Management, Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection, and Drinking Water. The Southeast Region Sheboygan GMU Lands team staff also contributed to this report. This has been a collaborative effort requiring contributions from many individuals by providing information, conducting analyses, reports, and reviewing its content. Their help was necessary and is greatly appreciated. Primary Authors: Steve Galarneau and John Masterson Contributors: John E. Nelson, Ken Denow, Dale Katsma, Missy Sparrow, Vic Pappas, Rhonda Volz, Bob Wakeman, Judy Gottlieb, Jim Fratrick, Ted Bosch, Kathy Patnode, Candy Schrank, David Heath, Pigeon River WAVs, Heidi Bunk, and the 1,000 other people I undoubtedly have forgotten to mention. Editor: Marsha Burzynski Maps: Department of Natural Resources BEITA-Geoservices Section, Marsha Burzynski, and John Wisniewski, SER and Heidi Bunk, SER. Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin CONTENTS CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................... 8 General Background.................................................................................................................................9 Methods...................................................................................................................................................10 Exotic Species Concerns .........................................................................................................................16 HOW TO USE THE LAKE TABLES.......................................................................................................19 how to use the stream watershed tables..................................................................................................22 SAUK AND SUCKER CREEKS WATERSHED (SHO1) ......................................................... 26 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................26 Streams of the Sauk Creek Subwatershed ...............................................................................................26 Sauk Creek Tributary Streams ................................................................................................................29 Sucker Creek Subwatershed Streams......................................................................................................35 Sucker Creek Tributary Streams.............................................................................................................36 Lake Michigan Tributary Streams ..........................................................................................................36 Lakes of the Sauk and Sucker Creek Watersheds....................................................................................37 References...............................................................................................................................................42 BLACK RIVER WATERSHED (SH02) ..................................................................................... 43 introduction.............................................................................................................................................43 Water Resources of the Black River Watershed......................................................................................43 BLACK RIVER TRIBUTARY STREAMS.................................................................................................46 LAKE MICHIGAN TRIBUTARY STREAMS...........................................................................................48 SHEBOYGAN RIVER WATERSHED (SH03).......................................................................... 55 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................55 Volunteer Monitoring – Testing The Waters Program ...........................................................................55 Streams of the sheboygan river watershed .............................................................................................57 Sheboygan River Impoundments.............................................................................................................77 Lakes Of The Sheboygan River Watershed ...........................................................................................100 ONION RIVER WATERSHED (SH04) ................................................................................... 123 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................123 Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin Streams Of The Onion River Watershed ...............................................................................................123 Onion River Impoundments ..................................................................................................................125 Tributaries to the Onion River..............................................................................................................127 MULLET RIVER WATERSHED (SH05)................................................................................ 147 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................147 Streams Of The Mullet River Watershed...............................................................................................147 TRIBUTARIES TO The MULLET RIVER.............................................................................................156 LAKES Of The Mullet River Watershed................................................................................................159 PIGEON RIVER WATERSHED (SH06) ................................................................................. 163 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................163 Streams Of The Pigeon River Watershed..............................................................................................163 Lakes Of The Pigeon River Watershed .................................................................................................176 References.............................................................................................................................................188 Water Resources of the Sheboygan River Basin LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. SHEBOYGAN RIVER BASIN WATERSHED SUMMARY .....................................................................................10 TABLE 2. GUIDELINES FOR INTERPRETING OVERALL IBI SCORES (LYONS 1992)..........................................................12 TABLE 3. BIOTIC INDEX RATING DESCRIPTIONS (HILSENHOFF 1987) ..........................................................................13 TABLE 4. SAUK CREEK FISH COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS 1995 - 1999........................................................................27 TABLE 5. HILSENHOF BIOTIC INDEX (HBI), AND INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY (IBI) RESULTS FOR SAUK CREEK, 1994 - 1999..................................................................................................................................................................28 TABLE 6. LUDOWISSI, HOLY CROSS, AND HICKORY GROVE BRANCHES OF SAUK CREEK FISH COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS - 1999...........................................................................................................................................31 TABLE 7. HILSENHOFF BIOTIC INDEX (HBI), INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY (IBI) AND HABITAT QUALITY RESULTS FOR LUDOWISSI BRANCH, HOLY CROSS BRANCH AND HICKORY GROVE BRANCH SAUK CREEK FROM 1999 ASSESSMENTS. .....................................................................................................................................................32 TABLE 8. SPRING CREEK FISH COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT, 1999...................................................................................32 TABLE 9. HILSENHOFF BIOTIC INDEX (HBI), INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY (IBI) AND HABITAT QUALITY RESULTS FOR SPRING CREEK FROM THE 1999 ASSESSMENTS. ...................................................................................................33 TABLE 10. SEDIMENT SCREENING RESULTS FOR SPRING CREEK, 1998........................................................................33 TABLE 11. SUCKER CREEK FISH COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS, 1995 AND 1999. ..........................................................35 TABLE 12. HILSENHOFF BIOTIC INDEX (HBI) AND INDEX