Water Resources of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Northern Wisconsin
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WATER RESOURCES OF THE APOSTLE ISLANDS NATIONAL LAKESHORE, NORTHERN WISCONSIN By William J. Rose WATER-RESOURCES INVESTIGATIONS REPORT 87-4220 Prepared by UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY In cooperation with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Madison, Wisconsin 1988 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL HODEL, SECRETARY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas. L. Peck, Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey, WRD Books and Open-File Reports Section 6417 Normandy Lane Federal Center, Box 25425 Madison, WI 53719 Building 810 Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Page Abstract................................................................................ 1 Introduction............................................................................. 2 Background .......................................................................... 2 Purpose and scope..................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments..................................................................... 2 Physical setting.......................................................................... 2 Topography .......................................................................... 2 Vegetation........................................................................... 2 Geology and soils..................................................................... 3 Watershed and stream-channel characteristics............................................. 4 Hydrologic conditions during study period. ............................................... 4 Data-collection methods................................................................... 5 Surface-water resources................................................................... 8 Mainland streams..................................................................... 8 Flow characteristics................................................................ 8 Water quality..................................................................... 10 Chemical characteristics......................................................... 10 Sediment loading............................................................... 10 Phosphorus loading.............................................................. 10 Island streams........................................................................ 13 Flow characteristics................................................................ 13 Water quality..................................................................... 15 Island lagoons........................................................................ 19 Outer Island Lagoon................................................................ 19 Description of arbitrary datum.................................................... 19 Physical characteristics and setting................................................ 20 Relation to Lake Superior and ground water........................................ 20 Water-budget components........................................................ 20 Chemical quality................................................................ 20 Michigan Island Lagoon.............................................................23 Description of arbitrary datum.................................................... 23 Physical characteristics and setting. .............................................. .23 Relation to Lake Superior and ground water. ...................................... .25 Water-budget components........................................................ 25 Chemical quality................................................................ 28 Lake Superior........................................................................ 29 Deep-water characteristics........................................................... 29 Water quality. ................................................................ .29 Bottom sediment................................................................ 30 Benthic macroinvertebrates....................................................... 33 Shallow-water characteristics........................................................ 33 Water quality.................................................................. 36 Bottom sediment................................................................ 36 Benthic macroinvertebrates....................................................... 36 Ground-water resources. ..................................................................41 Availability .......................................................................... 41 Chemical quality...................................................................... 41 Summary and conclusions................................................................. 43 References cited......................................................................... 44 III ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Map showing location of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. .................... .3 2. Map showing location of Bayfield Peninsula watersheds draining into the National Lakeshore area of Lake Superior..................................... 5 3. Map showing location of stream watersheds and stream data-collection sites on Oak and Stockton Islands. .............................................. .6 4-14. Graphs showing: 4. Comparison of precipitation, Lake Superior stage, and streamflow during study period with long-term averages, for water years 1980-84......... 7 5. Daily mean base and total flow at the Sand River at Highway 13 during water year 1981................................................. 8 6. Comparison of 100-year recurrence-interval discharges of Sand and Raspberry Rivers and Red Cliff Creek with discharges of other Wisconsin streams having similar-size drainage basins...................... 9 7. Constituent proportions of total phosphorus and nitrogen during storm or snowmelt runoff in Sand and Raspberry Rivers and Red Cliff Creek........ 12 8. Relation of suspended-sediment discharge to water discharge at Sand River at Highway 13............................................. 13 9. Particle-size distribution of suspended sediment at Sand River at Highway 13....................................................... 14 10. Relation of phosphorus discharge to water discharge at Sand River at Highway 13....................................................... 15 11. Relation of phosphorus concentration to suspended-sediment concentration at Sand River at Highway 13........................................... 15 12. Relation of 100-year recurrence-interval discharge to drainage area for selected Oak and Stockton Island streams................................ 17 13. Major chemical constituents in base flow of Oak Island streams on June 23, 1983........................................................ 18 14. Map showing location of Outer Island Lagoon in relation to Lake Superior, watershed, and data-collection points....................... 19 15. Bathymetric map of Outer Island Lagoon in July 1983........................... 21 16. Transverse sections of bar separating Outer Island Lagoon from Lake Superior...... 22 17. Section view showing relation of lagoon water surface to water table and Lake Superior on July 28, 1983............................................. 23 18. Diagrammatic sketch showing Outer Island Lagoon's water-budget components in relation to geology........................................... 23 19. Map showing location of Michigan Island Lagoon in relation to Lake Superior and data-collection points. ................................... .25 20. Typical transverse section of: (a) bar separating Lake Superior from Michigan Island Lagoon and wetland, and (b) relation of lagoon to ground water and Lake Superior. .......................................... .26 21. Diagrammatic sketch showing Michigan Island Lagoon's water-budget components in relation to geology........................................... 26 22-26. Graphs showing: 22. Temperature and dissolved-oxygen profiles at Michigan Island Lagoon sampling sites on August 24, 1984...................................... 27 23. Comparison of major chemical constituents in Michigan and Outer Island Lagoons and Lake Superior. ............................... .28 24. Temperature and dissolved-oxygen profiles for four Lake Superior deep-water monitoring sites............................................ 31 25. Particle-size distribution of bottom sediment at Lake Superior deep-water monitoring sites............................................ 32 IV Page FIGURE 26. Relation of phosphorus concentration to percentage of fine-grained sediment at Lake Superior deep-water monitoring sites..................... 33 27. Map showing location of Lake Superior shallow-water heavy-use area sampling sites in Presque Isle Bay off Stockton Island.......................... 35 28. Map showing location of Lake Superior shallow-water heavy-use area sampling sites between Rocky and South Twin Islands......................... 35 29. Temperature and dissolved-oxygen profiles for sampling sites in Presque Isle Bay heavy-use area of Lake Superior on July 27, 1982. ............ .37 30. Temperature and dissolved-oxygen profiles for sampling sites in the Rocky-South Twin Island heavy-use area of Lake Superior on July 25, 1983....... 38 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Watershed characteristics for selected Oak and Stockton Island streams. ........... .8 2. Chemical constituent analyses of water