SUMMARY OF BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS RELATING TO WATER QUALITY IN THE WESTERN LAKE MICHIGAN DRAINAGES, WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN By Barbara C. Scudder, Daniel J. Sullivan, Stephen J. Rheaume, Scott R. Parsons, and Bernard N. Lenz U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4263 NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM Madison, Wisconsin 1996 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Gordon P. Eaton, Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geolog cal Survey U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services 6417 Normandy Lane Box25286 Madison, Wl 53719 Denver, CO 60225-0286 FOREWORD The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey Describe how water quality is changing over (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the time. earth resources of the Nation and to provide informa­ Improve understanding of the primary natural tion that will assist resource managers and policymak- and human factors that affect water-quality ers at Federal, State, and local levels in making sound conditions. decisions. Assessment of water-quality conditions and This information will help support the development trends is an important part of this overall mission. and evaluation of management, regulatory, and moni­ One of the greatest challenges faced by water- toring decisions by other Federal, State, and local resources scientists is acquiring reliable information agencies to protect, use, and enhance water resources. that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's The goals of the NAWQA Program are being water resources. That challenge is being addressed by achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource of 60 of the Nation's most important river basins and agencies and by many academic institutions. These aquifer systems, which are referred to as study units. organizations are collecting water-quality data for a These study units are distributed throughout the host of purposes that include: compliance with permits Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. and water-supply standards; development of remedia­ More than two-thirds of the Nation's freshwater use tion plans for specific contamination problems; opera­ occurs within the 60 study units and more than two- tional decisions on industrial, wastewater, or water- thirds of the people served by public water-supply sys­ supply facilities; and research on factors that affect tems live within their boundaries. water quality. An additional need for water-quality National synthesis of data analysis, based on information is to provide a basis on which regional- aggregation of comparable information obtained from and national-level policy decisions can be based. Wise the study units, is a major component of the program. decisions must be based on sound information. As a This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics society we need to know whether certain types of using nationally consistent information. Comparative water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, studies will explain differences and similarities in whether there are significant differences in conditions observed water-quality conditions among study areas among regions, whether the conditions are changing and will identify changes and trends and their causes. over time, and why these conditions change from The first topics addressed by the national synthesis are place to place and over time. The information can be pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and used to help determine the efficacy of existing water- aquatic biology. Discussions on these and other water- quality policies and to help analysts determine the quality topics will be published in periodic summaries need for and likely consequences of new policies. of the quality of the Nation's ground and surface water To address these needs, the U.S. Congress appropri­ as the information becomes available. ated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot pro­ This report is an element of the comprehensive gram in seven project areas to develop and refine the body of information developed as part of the NAWQA National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Pro­ Program. The program depends heavily on the advice, gram. In 1991, the USGS began full implementation of cooperation, and information from many Federal, the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an State, interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS, as public. The assistance and suggestions of all are well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. greatly appreciated. The objectives of the NAWQA Program are to: Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams, rivers, and aquifers. Robert M. Hirsch Chief Hydrologist FOREWORD III CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................ 1 Introduction............................................................................................^ 1 Purpose and scope....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area............................................................................................................ 2 Historical water-quality and biological conditions ..................................................................................................... 4 Aquatic communities in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages................................................................................ 5 Biota as water-quality indicators................................................................................................................................. 7 Summary of biological investigations relating to water quality............................................................................................ 10 Populations and community structure of aquatic biota............................................................................................... 10 Health of aquatic biota................................................................................................................................................ 15 Chemical concentrations in tissues of aquatic biota.................................................................................................... 16 Toxicity to aquatic biota.............................................................................................................................................. 20 Conclusions......................................................................................................^^ 22 References cited .............................................................................................................................^^ 23 Appendix A. Aquatic biota of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area............................................................ 62 Al. Aquatic macrophytes of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ................................................ 63 A2. Aquatic invertebrates of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area............................................... 70 A3. Amphibians and aquatic-associated reptiles of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area............ 75 A4. Fishes of streams of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area...................................................... 77 A5. Aquatic birds of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area............................................................ 82 A6. Federal-listed endangered and threatened aquatic biota of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area................................................................................................................................ 85 A7. State-listed endangered and threatened aquatic biota of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area................................................................................................................................ 86 FIGURES 1. Map showing the five subbasins of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area: (1) Ford/Escanaba Subbasin, (2) Menominee/Oconto/Peshtigo Subbasin, (3) Fox/Wolf Subbasin, (4) Sheboygan/Manitowoc/Twin Subbasin, and (5) Milwaukee Subbasin........................................................ 3 2-6. Graphs showing: 2. Number of studies according to subbasin for populations and community structure of aquatic biota, health of aquatic biota, chemical concentrations in tissues of aquatic biota, and toxicity to aquatic biota................................................................................................................................................ 11 3. Number of studies of populations and community structure of aquatic biota from the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area according to spatial scale, all subbasins .................................................. 12 4. Number of studies of the health of aquatic biota from the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area according to spatial scale, all subbasins ..................................................................................................... 17 5. Number of studies of chemical concentrations in tissues of aquatic biota from the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study area according to spatial scale, all subbasins .................................................