National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Water Resources Division Fort Collins, Colorado Assessment of Coastal Water Resources And Watershed Conditions at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Technical Report NPS/NRWRD/NRTR-2006/361 Cover photos: Upper left, Arch at Chapel Rock Upper right, AuSable Lighthouse Lower left, Chapel Creek Lower right, Legion Lake Bog Photographs by Kristen Keteles Assessment of Coastal Water Resources and Watershed Conditions at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Technical Report NPS/NRWRD/NRTR-2006/361 Christine Mechenich Center for Watershed Science and Education College of Natural Resources University of Wisconsin –Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 54481 George J. Kraft Center for Watershed Science and Education College of Natural Resources University of Wisconsin –Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 54481 Stanley W. Szczytko Center for Watershed Science and Education College of Natural Resources University of Wisconsin –Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 54481 David J. Mechenich Center for Watershed Science and Education College of Natural Resources University of Wisconsin –Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI 54481 This report was prepared under Task Order J238005086 of the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (agreement H6000C02000). U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Water Resources Division Natural Resource Program Center 1201 Oak Ridge Dr. Fort Collins, CO 80525 The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the man- agement of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner. The Natural Resource Technical Reports series is used to disseminate the peer-reviewed re- sults of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advance- ment of science and the achievement of the National Park Service’s mission. The reports pro- vide contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. Current examples of such reports include the results of research that addresses natural resource management issues; natural resource inventory and monitoring activities; resource assessment reports; scientific literature reviews; and peer re- viewed proceedings of technical workshops, conferences, or symposia. Views and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect policies of the National Park Service. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. Printed copies of reports in these series may be produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is also available from the Natural Re- source Publications Management Web site (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM) on the Internet, or by sending a request to the address on the back cover. Mechenich, C., G.J. Kraft, S.W. Szczytko, D.J. Mechenich. 2006. Assessment of Coastal Wa- ter Resources and Watershed Conditions at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Wisconsin. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRWRD/NRTR—2006/361. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS D-124, December 2006 Contents Figures 7 Acknowledgements 10 Commonly Used Abbreviations 10 Executive Summary 12 Introduction and Park Description 15 Size, Boundaries, Location, Climate, and Regional Setting 15 Key Features 15 Land Use and Vegetative Cover 20 Historic and Current Human Uses 21 Geology and Soils 24 General Hydrology and Water Budget 31 Water Resources of Lake Superior 34 Physical Characteristics 34 Biological Resources 35 Water Resources of Inland Waters 40 Physical and Chemical Characteristics 40 Biological Resources 44 Watersheds and Limnological Characteristics 47 Assessment of Park Water Resources 58 Sources of Pollutants 58 Surface Water Quality 72 Groundwater Quality, Quantity, and Use 82 Other Areas of Concern 87 Conclusions 96 Open Waters of Lake Superior 96 Inland Lakes 96 Streams 96 Recommendations and Rationale 99 Works Cited 102 Personal Communications 116 Appendices 118 Figures Figure 1. Location of Pictured Rocks National Figure 19. Shoreline sensitivity to spills classifica- Lakeshore in the Upper Great Lakes region of tions for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. the United States. 16 66 Figure 2. Land ownership in the shoreline zone Figure 20. Locations of on-site waste disposal and IBZ, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. systems and vault toilets operated by Pictured 17 Rocks National Lakeshore. 70 Figure 3. Land management and ownership in Figure 21. Total nitrogen for most recent sam- the Pictured Rocks area. 18 pling dates for waterbodies in the Pictured Rocks area. 77 Figure 4. Key features and water resources of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 19 Figure 22. Total phosphorus for most recent sam- pling dates for waterbodies in the Pictured Rocks Figure 5. Vegetative cover map for Pictured area. 78 Rocks National Lakeshore. 22 Figure 23. Alkalinity for most recent sampling Figure 6. IFMAP land cover for the Pictured dates for waterbodies in the Pictured Rocks area. Rocks area. 23 80 Figure 7. Municipal boundaries in the Pictured Figure 24. Exceedences of aquatic life and hu- Rocks area. 25 man health criteria in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 81 Figure 8. Bedrock geology of the Pictured Rocks area. 26 Figure 25. Water supply wells in and near Pic- tured Rocks National Lakeshore. 84 Figure 9. Glacial landforms of the Pictured Rocks area. 27 Figure 26. Number of private household wells at various depths in Munising and Burt Townships Figure 10. Pleistocene and Holocene landforms near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 85 in the Pictured Rocks area. 29 Figure 27. Nitrate, VOC, and arsenic samples in Figure 11. General soil association map (STATS- the Pictured Rocks area. 86 GO) for the Pictured Rocks area. 30 Figure 28. Population of areas that border Pic- Figure 12. Lake Superior bathymetry in the Pic- tured Rocks National Lakeshore, 1900-2003. tured Rocks area. 32 87 Figure 13. Shoreline types for Pictured Rocks Na- Figure 29. Numbers of visitors (in 100,000s) to tional Lakeshore. 33 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from 1995 to 2004. 90 Figure 14. National Wetlands Inventory for the Pictured Rocks area. 42 Figure 15. Areas of Alger County, MI where gla- cial deposits are the principal source of water to wells. 43 Figure 16. Watersheds for inland waters of Pic- tured Rocks National Lakeshore. 48 Figure 17. Sources of air emissions and locations of NPDES discharge permits in the Pictured Rocks area. 60 Figure 18. Lake Superior shipping lanes. 64 Tables Table i. Water quality indicators and current and Table 14. Parameters detected in wastewater, potential stressors of aquatic resources in Pic- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (now Neenah Pa- tured Rocks National Lakeshore. 14 pers), Munising, MI. 62 Table 1. NPS vegetation classifications for Pic- Table 15. Routine water quality monitoring re- tured Rocks National Lakeshore shoreline zone sults, Kimberly-Clark Corporation (now Neenah and park (shoreline plus inland buffer zone). 20 Papers), Munising, MI. 63 Table 2. Land cover for Pictured Rocks National Table 16. Locations of on-site waste disposal sys- Lakeshore shoreline zone, park (shoreline plus tems at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 69 inland buffer zone), and entire park watershed (shoreline plus inland buffer zone plus other Table 17. Number of sampling dates for streams lands within the Lake Superior watershed drain- and inland lakes in Pictured Rocks National ing to the park). 21 Lakeshore, 1949-2005. 74 Table 3. Soils of Pictured Rocks National Lake- Table 18. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitro- shore. 28 gen to phosphorus ratios, and most recent sam- pling dates for waterbodies in Pictured Rocks Table 4. Lake Superior shoreline types, lengths, National Lakeshore. 76 and USEPA shoreline sensitivity classifications. 34 Table 19. Total alkalinity and most recent sam- pling date for waterbodies in Pictured Rocks Table 5. Classification of Lake Superior fisheries National Lakeshore. 79 habitats by Lake Superior Technical Committee and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 34 Table 20. Cadmium levels and exceedences in streams, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 82 Table 6. Ecological roles of important Lake Su- perior fish species, including non-native species. Table 21. Number of people served by drinking 36 water wells, and methods of wastewater disposal, in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. 83 Table 7. Fish species and numbers identified in a survey of Lake Superior waters <9 m in depth in Table 22. Activities of park visitors, Pictured Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 2002. 37 Rocks National Lakeshore, July and August, 2000, and summer, 2001. 89 Table 8. Selected physical, chemical, and biologi- cal characteristics of some inland lakes in Pic- Table 23. Commercial harvest of Lake Superior tured Rocks National Lakeshore. 38 fish from 1867-2000. 90 Table 9. Selected physical characteristics of Table 24. Water quality indicators and current named streams in Pictured Rocks National Lake- and potential stressors of aquatic