13 November 1970 ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT LA FARGE LAKE KICKAPOO RIVER, WISCONSIN prepared by U.S. ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 13 November 1970 LA FARGE LAKE, KICKAPOO RIVER, WISCONSIN ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1962 (P.L. 8 7-8 7^). The plan consists of a multiple-purpose lake for flood control, enhancement of fish and wildlife resources and recreation; possible future channel enlargement at downstream restrictive points; and local flood pro­ tection works at the downstream communities of Soldiers Grove and Gays Mills, Wisconsin. The damsite and lake are located on the Kickapoo River about 1 mile north of La Farge in Vernon County, southwestern, Wisconsin. The dam will be an earth-fill structure with an overall length of 3,96*0 feet ... and a maximum height of 103 feet. The conservation or 'recreation pool at elevation 8*10 impounds about 3 3 ,0 0 0 acre-feet of water with a surface area of about 1,780 acres. The project as originally authorized provided for an earth-fill structure with the conservation or recreation pool limited to an elevation of 822 and a surface area of about 800 acres. Recognizing the need for greater water area for recreational purposes in the southwestern part of the State and a possible future pumped storage hydroelectric power develop­ ment, the conservation pool was raised to elevation 8^0. This higher ele­ vation also obviated the need for several proposed impoundments for fish propagation on Weister Creek as recommended earlier by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING WITHOUT THE PROJECT " ‘ r 1 - T 1 GENERAL AREA The Kickapoo -River originates in Monroe County 7 miles south of Tomah and flows southwesterly for 106 miles through parts of Vernon, Richland, and Crawford Counties. It enters the Wisconsin River below Wauzeka, ap­ proximately 17 miles above the confluence of the Wisconsin River with the Mississippi River. In the headwaters, the stream falls about U00 feet in the first 11 miles. The lower and flatter reach has a gradient of about 250 feet in 95 miles. The river meanders in a narrow floodplain and varies in width from 60 feet in the upper portion to 100 feet in the lower reaches. The Kickapoo River drainage basin, consisting of 766 square miles of coulee-type terrain, is approximately 60 miles long and 8.5 to 18 miles wide. Except for the rolling country along the western and northern rim of the area, the watershed generally is extremely hilly. The maximum variance in elevation from the highlands of the northern sector to the lowlands of the southern portion is about 770 feet. West Fork, with a drainage area.of 118 square miles, is the largest tributary. Pine, Taintor, Weister, Brush, Morris, Billings, Warner, and Big Bear Creeks are the other principal subdrainages, varying in size from 21 to 53 square miles. In addition to these branches, there are 25 smaller subwatersheds ranging in size down to four square miles. The average flow of the Kickapoo River at La Farge is l6l cfs (cubic feet per second). The minimum recorded flow, which occurred on 2 h Mar 51» was 1.8 cfs. The maximum discharge of 6,750 cfs, on U Apr 5 6 , is recorded . as a devastating flood. Overbank flooding normally occurs in March, April May, and June although it may occur in any month. The entire length of the main-stem floodplain is subject to inundation during periods of heavy precipitation. The floodplain of the main stem, which varies in width from one-fourth to three-fourths of a mile, is largely confined by ridges that rise 300 to 500 feet above the valley floor. Rock outcroppings and rocky promontories are common. Numerous springs flow from the lowest exposed sandstone strata. The floodplain is cultivated or pastured except for areas too narrow or craggy to make farming feasible. Most of these areas, and the steeper slopes, are covered with hardwood timber and white pine. Remnant stands of hemlock occur on the north and northeast slopes and around spring holes and seeps. The Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,has been active in the basin since 1935 providing technical services to individual farmers and soil and water conservation districts. Thus, many land treat­ ment measures such as waterways and strip cropping have been installed. Additionally, three watersheds within the basin, encompassing an area of about 265 square miles, have been planned, under P.L. 5 6 6 , to include conservation measures for watershed protection and structural measures for flood prevention and recreational developments. Of the three watershed projects, one is nearing completion and the remaining two were approved for operations in April 1 9 6 9 . Two State highways intersect at La Farge. In addition, there are two Federal and six State highways, and several county roads within a 15-mile radius of the lake area. The ten Wisconsin counties lying within a 50-mile radius of the project have a total population of 358,700. La Crosse (population about 5 1 »^5 0 ) is the only town within this ten-county area having over 10,000 inhabitants. The economy of Vernon County, in which La Farge Lake would be located, is dependent upon agricultural products. It is the principal tobacco- producing county in Wisconsin and is one of the principal dairying counties. There are two hydroelectric power plants on the Kickapoo River. These are located at Ontario and La Farge. Fishing end hunting opportunities are not abundant in the project area and pressure on these resources is relatively light. However, there are about 30 State-owned or leased public hunting and fishing areas, one State forest and one wildlife refuge within a 50-mile radius of the lake site. Wildcat Mountain State, Park (2,175 acres), is located east of the river and three miles from Ontario, adjacent to the upper limits of the flood control pool. There are also numerous roadside parks, rest areas, and scenic look-out sites in the general vicinity of the project. LAKE SITE The lake area is typical of the rugged terrain and picturesque bluffs found throughout much of the Kickapoo River basin. Characteristically rounded to nearly flat-topped ridges lie one-quarter mile back from the main stem and rise 300 feet or more above the valley floor. Small stands of white pine cover the upper face of some of the rock bluffs along the river. As the river winds through the proposed reservoir area, it is joined by several tributaries, the largest of which are Weister Creek, which enters from the west, and Billings and Jug Creeks which join the Kickapoo River from the east. These tributaries and many of the smaller feeder streams are spring fed and have permanent flows. The entire stream system in the lake area is in deplorable physical condition. Flash floods, their severity increased by land abuse, occur in all seasons of the year and have left denuded and eroded banks, new channels, cuts and heavy deposits of silt and sand. Even though the spring-fed feeder streams are usually clear, the main stem is permanently clouded with suspended silt. The pools and riffles of past years are gone and in their place are shallow holes and shifting beds of sand and,silt which blanket the channel bottom. Approximately ^0 percent of the project area is wooded; 25 percent is open grass or pastureland; 25 percent is cropland, including tame hay; 2 percent is wetland, marsh, and ponds; and the remainder includes mis­ cellaneous uses such as farmsteads, villages, and public roads. The upland soils in the lake area axe derived primarily from the sedimentary bedrock although on the higher and more level ridge tops there is a layer of fertile wind-borne soil. The alluvial deposits of the flood- plain are composed largely of soils washed from upper levels. Most of the level land has been farmed for the last one hundred years. Cropland is confined primarily to the second-terrace bottom soils and loess soils of the ridge tops and to a lesser extent to the accessible hillsides. Strip cropping is common. Most of the corn, oats, and tame hay crops are fed to the dairy herds and tobacco is the chief cash crop. Because of the generally rough topography and periodic flooding, few prosperous farms are found in this viciruty. The "bottomland soils adjacent to stream courses are normally too vet to cultivate. They are marked by wet pastures, small lagoons and marshes, formed in old river channels. Bottomland hardwood timber is found in limited quantities along the sandstone outcroppings and, in the deeper sub-valleys, white pine and hemlock trees are common. 3. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED ACTION a. The proposed plan would dedicate about 1,780 acres of water sur­ face area and about 8,000 acres of land to public ownership for the benefit of present and future generations. Currently, 13 recreation areas are planned involving about 1,1+00 acres including access points. However, the actual number of sites and acreage will be dependent on the proposals made by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which has indicated its intent to maintain and operate the recreation sites in conjunction with the adjacent Wildcat Mountain State Park. The State has also indicated its intent to manage the remaining land not required for project operation for wildlife purposes. The fishing habitat of the river would benefit from a more uniform flow during the recreation season, from land stabilization which would re­ duce stream turbidity, and from the real estate acquisition policy that would make more bank fishing area available to the public.