STREAM MONITORING IN 2026
As we begin the 2026 stream monitoring season, this is a good opportunity for you to get involved.  We have two categories of stream monitors.
1.  Targeted Streamkeepers- TCTU has stream monitoring teams that are taking chemical tests on nine streams around the metro area.  The TCTU streams include Belle Creek, Brown's Creek, Eagle Creek, Hay Creek, Ike's/ MOA Creek, Little Cannon River, South Branch Vermillion, South Branch Whitewater River, and Trout Brook.  Our targeted teams for 2026 are complete.
2.  General Streamkeepers.  These are members that are randomly monitoring streams during the season at times and locations of their choosing.  We invite and encourage any TCTU member to join our general streamkeeper group.
The chemical monitoring season begins in April and concludes at the end of October. 
If you have an interest in becoming a General Streamkeeper in the upcoming season, please contact me at:  jim.sauter@twincitiestu.org
We plan on conducting on-stream training in April.  Be sure to check the events page on our website in the coming month to sign up.  More information will also be in the March newsletter.
TCTU STREAMKEEPER TRAINING
We will do on-stream water quality chemical training for new Streamkeepers, current Streamkeepers that need some refresher training, and anyone that has interest in learning more about taking chemical water tests.  We will follow the Izaak Walton League Save Our Stream (i.e. SOS) protocol and learn about taking measurements including water temperature, clarity, nitrates, nitrites, pH, alkalinity, hardness, phosphate, and salt.  We will also discuss the updated Google Form that we will use to record the data.
Date:  Saturday, April 18, 2026
Time:  10:00 am
Location:  TBD. An event link with the location will be available soon.

If you want to see some of our monitoring results from prior years, you can create an account and log into the Clean Water Hub at:
https://www.cleanwaterhub.org/account/login
1.  Log in with email address and password
2.  Scroll down and click “Search Sites” and enter TCTU
3.  Scroll down and click “My Organizations"
4.  Select either “Non Target Waters TCTU” or “TCTU-Target Streams”
5.  Please note that we have two pages of streams for Targeted Streams
6.  Click SOS Chemical to find our data from prior years.  We also have the biological test results that we gathered at Eagle Creek and the Whitewater River on the Clean Water Hub.
​
SALT WATCH, JANUARY 2026
Special thank you to Abby Hileman from the Izaak Walton League of America for her contributions as we recently completed the Salt Watch at the end of January.  Results and a more detailed report from our partner organization, the Izaak Walton League, will be  forthcoming in future newsletters.
Source:  Abby Hileman, Salt Watch Coordinator, Izaak Walton League of America
"Did you know that one teaspoon of salt has the potential to permanently pollute five gallons of water? Once salt enters the environment, there is no feasible way to remove it. As it does not break down, salt continually builds up in our soils, groundwater, and surface waterways. Most water utilities also do not have the funding or infrastructure to remove salt from drinking water.
Readings like Harold Swalik's (i.e., see results below) at the Mall of America stream are over the chloride threshold (230mg/L) of what the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be chronically toxic to freshwater aquatic life. These concentrations are expected to rise as increasing temperatures cause snowmelt and rainfall to wash even more salt into our streams, putting further strain on aquatic life.
Monitoring our waterways and sharing results are both crucial steps to starting the conversation about smart salting practices, as we can always do better when it comes to balancing the scale on environmental protection and public safety." 
Thank you to all our Streamkeepers for your great work in helping to monitor our streams! 
 SALT/ CHLORIDE READING 2026
OBSERVER: Harold Slawik
OBSERVER NOTES:  The habitat work from last summer on MOA Creek is progressing well.
LOCATION:  MOA/ IKE'S CREEK
DATE:  February 6, 2026
Chloride Reading:  283 mg/l, Better than usual but still very high
Water temperature was 46.2 degrees C
Chloride (Cl), mg/L readings

• excellent= 0-20
• good= 21-50
• fair= 51-250
• poor>250

CHLORIDE TESTING- A DEEPER DIVE FOR MEANING
Streamkeeper Harold Slawik did an AI query about our chloride testing, and this is what he discovered:
"I am using a Quantab brand chloride test strip kit provided by the Izaak Walton League of America to measure the chloride levels in a local stream. What chloride compounds will the test strip detect in addition to sodium chloride (salt)?
AI Response:  Great question — and the chemistry behind the Quantab strip is key to answering it. The strips work by reacting with chloride ions (Cl⁻) in solution. The strip is impregnated with silver dichromate (Ag₂Cr₂O₇). When dipped in water, chloride ions react with silver ions from the silver dichromate to precipitate insoluble silver chloride, turning the strip from brown to white. The length of the white region indicates chloride concentration. 
The critical point is that the strip detects the chloride ion itself, not any specific chloride compound. This means it will respond to the dissolved Cl⁻ ions released by any soluble chloride salt in the water, regardless of what cation (positive ion) is paired with it. Common chloride sources in streams that would be detected include:

• Sodium chloride (NaCl) — road salt, the most common source
• Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) — also widely used as a road deicer and dust suppressant
• Magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) — another road deicer, common in liquid anti-icing products
• Potassium chloride (KCl) — found in water softener discharge and some fertilizers
• Ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl) — can appear in some industrial discharges or fertilizers
• Ferric/ferrous chloride (FeCl₃/FeCl₂) — used in water treatment and industrial processes
• Hydrochloric acid (HCl) — industrial runoff, though uncommon in streams

In the context of the Izaak Walton League's stream monitoring program, road salt (i.e., NaCl and CaCl₂) is typically the dominant source of elevated chloride in freshwater streams, especially in regions where winter road treatment is common. The strips won't distinguish between these sources — they simply measure the total dissolved chloride ion concentration from all sources combined."
That's all for now.
Tight lines.
Jim Sauter
TCTU Streamkeeper Coordinator
PHOTOS
MOA/ IKE'S CREEK HABITAT WORK, May 12, 2025
Relocating Brook Trout During Habitat Work
Photos by Jim Sauter

Just because the fishing is better now doesn’t mean it will stay that way.  Along with climate change, we are seeing more pressure on groundwater resources, high and increasing levels of Nitrates in our streams, and pervasive use of neonicotinoid insecticides that have led to a 48-fold increase in the toxicity load to insects between 1992 and 2014.  I don’t want to be a member of the generation that "lost the Driftless" and find myself talking to my grandchildren twenty years from now about the “good old days”.  There is a lot of depressing news out there and I have to admit to a couple of days in the past few weeks where I just felt like climbing back into bed—especially since I couldn’t go fishing.  But inaction is not going to improve things, and if you go fishing you are just going to make me jealous, so please consider getting involved! There are countless ways to make a difference, but here are my top 3 as of today:
Nitrates.  You  may have read in the January edition of MNTU’s Monthly Cast that the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture has published a public comment opportunity in the State Register on the adequacy of the Groundwater Protection Rule, the state's framework for commercial fertilizer management. Take a minute to read the article and see how you can get involved.
S Branch Vermillion River.  If you attended our chapter meeting in December, you may remember hearing geologist Carrie Jennings talk about the threat to the South Branch of the Vermillion River by a proposed data center in the stream’s headwaters.  Click here to get involved in a grassroots effort to oppose this project.
Neonics.  It is official:  our coalition has a name:  Campaign for Cleaner Seed.  Join us for a day at the Capitol on March 9th.  Register here.

The long term weather predictions for 2026 at this stage are speculative at best.  According to Paul Douglas from the Minnesota Star Tribune, El Niño will again impact our weather for the coming year.  Paul recently stated, "Weather? 2025 was the 13th-warmest year in state history, dating back 152 years. It was a warm, wet and volatile year with 56 (mostly small) tornadoes and serious flash flooding near Morris and Ely, but we saw persistent drought up north. A brewing El Niño in 2026 may keep us warmer and wetter again this year. Seems to be a trend." 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2026 STREAMKEEPER SEASON
Preparations are under way for the TCTU Streamkeeper monitoring season for 2026.  In the coming weeks we are finalizing our Targeted teams for our nine streams.  We will also be taking an inventory of our supplies, and training will be set up on a Saturday in late April or early May. 
 
The training will be both for new stream keepers and our veteran monitors that might want a refresher.  Not interested in joining a team? You can still participate as a General Stream Keeper by getting some test strips, taking the training, and taking readings on a more random basis during the year.
 
The date, time, and location for training will be determined in our next newsletter.
 
JOIN THE SALT WATCH
Our partner organization, The Izaak Walton League (i.e., IWL), is again sponsoring the 2026 Winter Salt Week on January 26-30, 2026.  If you are interested in participating, you can request a Salt Watch kit and take some readings in area streams, ponds, or lakes.  You have the option of entering the salt/ chloride data to our TCTU Google Form or directly to the Clean Water hub.  Once you have the kit, the testing on a stream takes about ten minutes.
 
According to IWL, road salt helps keep us safe on roads and sidewalks during winter, but too much of it is harmful. Collectively, we spread an estimated 10–20 million tons of salt each year, much of which is washed away by melting snow and rain into storm drains, streams, and even drinking water, while also damaging infrastructure.  Let's work together to get the salt out!
 
Trivia question:  Let's say you want to use salt-based deicer for a 20-foot driveway. How much should you use?
 a. A tablespoon
 b. A 12-ounce mug
 c. A three-gallon bucket
 d. Just use the whole bag
 
Answer:  b.  Yes! A little bit goes a long way. If you feel the crunch of salt underfoot, you applied too much.
 
Free Salt Watch kits are available here:

2026 DRIFTLESS SYMPOSIUM IS COMING IN FEBRUARY
Interested in learning more about the trout science?  The 2026 Driftless Symposium may be for you!
 
There will be a full agenda with speakers on trout science, current management & policy challenges, emerging threats, project activities and more! Tickets for the conference and meals are available now. Feel free to book a room on the 25th with instructions and discount code below. 
 
You are invited to attend the 2026 Driftless Symposium. The symposium, hosted by the Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort, will be held in-person Wednesday Feb. 25 and Thursday Feb. 26 at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Event Center in Onalaska, WI.

• Presentations will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and conclude at 5 p.m. 
• Presentations will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday and conclude at 5 p.m. 
• Your registration fee covers attendance at all presentations, dinner Wednesday evening and breakfast and lunch on Thursday. If you wish to stay overnight, we have reserved a block of rooms at a discounted rate at Stoney Creek. When you contact Stoney Creek, please mention code EC2026
• Click here for your Driftless Area Stream Restoration Symposium tickets and registration.
• Click here to book your Stoney Creek Hotel reservation.

 
The 2026 symposium will feature a tremendous slate of presenters who are on the forefront of research and management of our Driftless Area watersheds. In January, watch our Facebook feed for spotlights on individual presentations. A complete list of presenters and topics will be published on our event page when our lineup is set. One of the reasons the Driftless is thriving is the army of scientists, restoration specialists, and nonprofit and agency partners working to study, care for and recover our fabled streams. The symposium features some of the most powerful and important voices in the partnership.
 
For more information regarding the symposium, you can reach out to Sara Strassman at Sara.Strassman@tu.org. We hope to see you at this year's Driftless Symposium.
 
PHOTOS
Woolly Bugger, Paul Johnson, Laughing Trout Fly Fishing Club
Tying instructions on You Tube:  https://youtu.be/4x2vAbXNDM0?si=86jGm-nAIk0UwZdp

​Photo of a JQ Streamer, formerly the CQ Streamer.  Source:  River Run Outfitters, Branson, MO
Tying Instructions:  https://www.riverrunoutfitters.com/fly-recipes/cq-streamer-2/

​Sponsored by the U of M extension, the Forum brought together close to 100 researchers, farmers, local seed companies, and concerned citizens, with the same number attending by Zoom.  Over a dozen of the “concerned citizens” were TU members.
The seminar was equal parts disturbing and hopeful.  Disturbing because Neonicotinoid insecticides from treated seeds are entering our lakes and streams at levels that have serious, chronic effects on insect populations, with the hardest hit areas being the Twin Cities Metro and the Driftless Area.  Disturbing because treated seeds are exempt from regulation, and we may not have yet reached peak contamination levels.  Perhaps most disturbing, evidence is mounting that Neonic metabolites damage the nervous, metabolic and reproductive systems of mammals, including humans.  Hopeful because evidence is also mounting that alternative, less toxic methods of Integrated Pest Management deliver better financial results to farmers. Hopeful because Neonics are not “forever chemicals”—recovery will be measured in months and years, not decades.  Hopeful because places like New York, Ontario and Quebec have shown a path to dramatically reducing Neonic usage.  And hopeful because of the tone of the meeting:  respectful, fact-based and inclusive.  Even when a researcher from the University of Wisconsin mentioned that after the Packers were beat by the Bears, he now knew how Vikings fans felt, he was not booed.  After all of the crazy stuff that has happened in Minneapolis this week, it was a relief.
The Minnesota Legislative session starts in five weeks, and we are working on a bill to regulate Neonic-treated seeds, modeled after a bill that was passed in New York.  It is not going to be easy to get a hearing, let alone a vote, but I am more hopeful than I was yesterday.  As the session approaches, we will be providing more updates and asking for help. Meanwhile, another great way to relieve stress is to go trout fishing.  With winter returning tomorrow, I can pretty much guarantee you will be the only one on the stream.

Who did TCTU partner with?
●      Dakota Parks
●      The Vermillion Watershed Joint Powers Organization
●      Boy Scouts of America
●      Red Wing High School
●      City of Red Wing
●      City of Farmington
●      Multiple private landowners
●      Friends of the Mississippi River
●      Brown’s Creek Watershed District
●      MNTU
●      US Fish & Wildlife Service
●      Hiawatha, Win-Cres and Kiap Tu Wish TU Chapters
●      MN DNR
 
What type of work did we do?
●      Cut, stacked, treated buckthorn, boxelder
●      Pulled fencing
●      Helped safely eradicate wild parsnips
●      Pulled garlic mustard
●      Picked up lots of trash
●      Did streamwalks to scout out winter damage
●      Electrofished and moved trout for in-stream work
●      Assisted in landowner assessments
●      Planted natives on a stream restoration project
●      Participated in a 2 day rare plants survey
●      Adopted a parcel to help eradicate buckthorn and other invasives
●      Strengthened relationships w/multiple partners
●      Participated in park department planning
●      Participated in forming a 10 yr plan for a watershed
●      Project MACHETE-a buckthorn experiment
●      Project REPEATER-a macroinvertebrate survey
 
What streams did we positively impact?
●      Brown’s Creek
●      Bullard Creek
●      Eagle Creek
●      Hay Creek
●      Ike’s/Mall of America Creek
●      Little Pickwick
●      Trout Brook-Miesville
●      Whitewater-South Fork
●      Vermillion-Cambodia Pond
●      Vermillion-Mainstem
●      Vermillion-South Branch
●      Vermillion-South Creek
 
 
What’s coming up in 2026?
Plenty. We have 15 events in development and more to come! Keep clicking the  TCTU Events page to learn more!
 
Thank you to all volunteers for your generosity!

TCTU will be working over the coming months to advocate for common-sense legislation to regulate Neonicotinoid Pesticides.  If you are interested in joining this effort, please fill out this brief survey.  And, if you have time, please join us at the Minnesota Neonic Forum on January 15, in person in Waseca or via Zoom.  You can find details and a registration link here.
Finally, here are the secret shopping links to the sweater we advertised last night (no, not Bob Luck's ridiculous Christmas Cat sweater; you have to go to Walmart for that).  TCTU members and supporters get $100 off, and $25 from each sweater purchase goes to the Friends of the Boundary Waters!
Trout Sweater Secret Link
Moose Sweater Secret Link​

November 28th, Black Friday, was clear and sunny, a perfect day for spotting fish.  After we finished our morning trash pickup on Hay Creek and the more responsible members of our crew headed home to do Christmas shopping or spend time with their families, I drove upstream to the easement on 325th Street, and put on my polarized glasses and an orange baseball hat (it was the last day of deer hunting season). I walked half a mile downstream, and slowly worked my way up.  In two hours, I saw fish in about 15 holes, the largest being about 12”.  Not nearly as well as my wife would do, but many more than I usually see. 
I was hoping to get some good photos and videos to share, but most of the fish I spotted were fleeing the scene.  The sunny skies and low clear water were ideal conditions for fish to spot people, and despite my efforts to move slowly and avoid casting shadows, they were not interested in modeling. I did manage to get a couple of videos that are inserted at the bottom of this post.  Hopefully you don’t need an arrow to find them, but if you need help, let me know.  If you have any fish-finding photos or videos that you would like to share, please let me know that, too!   We'd like to post them on our Instagram page, omitting any details you prefer not to share. You can email me at bob.luck@twincitiestu.org

The EPA has recently proposed regulations that would gut Clean Water Act protection for wetlands and tributary streams threatening the safety of drinking water for one in three Americans and the $1 trillion outdoor recreation economy.  Hearings will be held in Washington in January 2026, and TU will be providing input.  We will continue to monitor developments in the coming weeks and months.  If the spirit moves you, please consider taking action by contacting your legislators.  Included in the attached link is a "template" letter from the Izaak Walton League.  TU recommends customizing any letters so that it better gets the attention of our representatives.  The link can be found here:  Action Alert 
 
Have a great holiday season.  We are looking forward to all your collective efforts in helping our streams and trout fisheries in 2026.
 
Wishing you the best,        
 
Jim Sauter
TCTU Streamkeeper Coordinator
 
STREAM KEEPERS AND DRAIN KEEPERS (Thank you to Ginger Flaten for some of her contributions to this article)
Skyler, the grandson of Streamkeeper Ginger Flaten, gave a wonderful presentation at our last TCTU Chapter meeting about his Eagle Scout project.  His project, entitled the Storm Drain Stenciling Project, involved stenciling 65 storm drains in the Farmington and Vermillion watershed area.
 
Why is this so important?  Skyler went on to explain the negative environmental impact of dumping pollutants down storm drains that empty directly into a stream.  Tons of pollutants are going down our storm drains.  Skyler's efforts helped reduce pollution in the Vermillion stream system, but more importantly, gave us all a better perspective of the bigger problem. 
 
In Minnesota, drain water from homes goes through a network of pipes to regional treatment plants, like the huge Metropolitan Wastewater Plant in St. Paul for the Twin Cities, where it's cleaned and released into rivers (like the Mississippi or Minnesota River).
Meanwhile, stormwater (rain/snowmelt) usually goes into separate drains, flows untreated into local lakes, rivers, and creeks (like Minnehaha Creek, Mississippi River), though newer systems use ponds and filters before release. A third of the state uses septic systems, which treat water in the soil. 
 
Doug Moran, TCTU Board Member, Habitat Coordinator, and Streamkeeper provided valuable insights and assistance for Skylar's project.  Doug has been working extensively on the Adopt a Drain program that attempts to address this pollution problem.  Bob Luck, Past President of TCTU, also provided help and assistance.  Many others made contributions in making this project a major success.
 
According to Ginger, "Skyler spray-painted stencil messages as a reminder that storm drains flow into streams."  This raises awareness to community members, students, and to us about the importance of keeping pollutants out of our waterways.
 
Enjoy the slideshow from Skyler's project.

WINTER SALT WEEK IS COMING
Winter Salt Week will be held on January 26-30, 2026.  If you are interested in participating, you can request a Salt Watch kit and take some readings in area streams, ponds, or lakes.  You have the option of entering the salt/ chloride data to our TCTU Google Form or directly to the Clean Water hub.  Once you have the kit, the testing on a stream takes about ten minutes.
 
Free Salt Watch kits are available here:  request a Salt Watch kit 
 
Data can be submitted to our Google Form here:
Option 2 is to submit data directly to the Clean Water Hub here by signing up and posting here:  Clean Water Hub 

Thanks to photographer Rich Femling!

There was even a recent report in the Minnesota Star Tribune on November 2 about a woman walking out to the Grand Marais Lighthouse and being swept into Lake Superior.  Water temperatures in the area were about 39 degrees F.  To put that in perspective, that is about equal to the coldest stream temperature reading we had this year from last April.  Luckily, an angler was in the area.  Below is a snippet of the article from the Tribune:

"An angler is getting the hero’s treatment for rescuing a woman who was overwhelmed by a wave and swept 50 feet from a North Shore breakwater into the frigid waters of a Lake Superior harbor. The brief but harrowing scenario played out late Sunday afternoon as the woman and three fellow campers made their way toward the lighthouse in Grand Marais, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said. The 21-year-old woman was in the water for three to four minutes before she was back on shore, enduring a headache and weakness that required others to get her to an ambulance for a trip to a nearby hospital, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The woman struggled toward shore but had a way to go before a 29-year-old fisherman from Duluth called 911 and used his 20-foot-long pole net to pull the woman the rest of the way, the Sheriff’s Office said." 

The lesson learned is to always respect the water.  Also, we may need to get a longer net.
 
Some of my highlights on the water this past summer included doing a macro study on the Whitewater, fishing with my grandchildren on Gull Lake, fishing with one of my daughter's and catching my first bone fish in Belize, fishing with friends where one member caught a Tiger trout, adding a couple of dozen new bird species to my life list, watching a Trumpeter Swan fly directly overhead on Winnebago Creek during the fall migration in October, and catching and releasing an Northern water snake on the Rush.  The Tiger trout was caught by Scott Wagner on a wet, dark, weighted nymph on October 13 in a driftless Wisconsin stream.  See the attached photo.  I hope many of your 2025 fishing experiences were also memorable.
 
II.  SEASON SUMMARY
The 2025 TCTU Streamkeeper chemical monitoring season is officially over.  Here is a quick overview of our monitoring season.
This year we became Nitrate and Salt "organizational partners" with the Izaak Walton League and continued posting our data on the Clean Water Hub.  We hope to make this data more accessible to our members in the future, but for now, you can follow these steps to o access our readings:
1.  Go to the SOS Clean Water Hub at:  https://www.cleanwaterhub.org
2.  Sign up for an account or log in
3.  Click "My Organizations" on the tool bar at the top of the page
4.  Type in TCTU in the search area
5.  Our two organizations can be found by scrolling down the page.  These are TCTU Target Waters and Non Target Waters (TCTU)
6.  Scroll down and click on a river or stream
All our data readings from 2024 and 2025 can be found at that site.
 
Please note that many other streams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and across the country can be also accessed at this Save Our Stream (i.e., SOS) Clean Water site.
 
This year our streams benefited from some nice summer rains to help replenish water levels.  The air temperatures continued to be warmer than normal with over a dozen 90 degree days. 
 
Below are some results that you might find to be interesting.
 
Water Clarity:  Many of our streams had very clear conditions with readings over 100 cm.  Our lowest reading was on the South Branch of the Vermillion with a murky 70 cm reading following heavy rains.
 
Water Temperature:  Our coldest water temperature reading was a brisk 3.9 degrees C (i.e., 39.02 degrees F) on April 3rd on the South Branch of the Vermillion.  Our warmest water temperature was a sizzling 22.5 degrees C (i.e.,  72.5 degrees F) on June 24th at Little Cannon.  Some of our streams were a bit cooler and others were warmer than last year.
 
Nitrate: Several of our streams had excellent readings of 0 ppm of nitrate.  The highest nitrate reading of the season was again Trout Brook with a reading of 40 ppm.  This is extremely high but a bit lower than last year.  High nitrate levels continue to be a problem on some of our area streams, and TCTU and MN TU are committed to efforts in addressing this issue.
 
Nitrite:  High nitrite levels usually appear after high nitrate levels.  We recorded a high of .5 ppm of nitrite in April on the Little Cannon.
 
pH:  These levels overall were good.  Our pH range this season was from a low of 6.0 on Trout Brook to a high of 9.0 on Little Cannon.
 
Phosphates:  Most phosphate levels were good although we had some isolated high readings on Hay and the South Branch of the Whitewater. 
 
Chloride:  Almost all our streams had low salt levels.  Only one of our streams had very high salt levels in the 300 and 400 ppm range- the Mall of America Creek.  Since the recent habitat work this summer, the numbers have come slightly down.  We will continue to monitor this closely.
 
Special thanks to our stream monitoring volunteers for their efforts this year!
 
Biological Testing.  We conducted one macroinvertebrate test this year on the South Branch of the Whitewater.  This was a "repeater" study where we looked at the same sites that were tested back in 2004 and 2005 era.  At the first location, we documented two taxa that were not there in the previous study.  The good news is that we found a great abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates.  We hope to have a more detailed analysis of our findings later this year.
 
We will be updating and coordinating our stream teams again in the new year, so if you have interest in joining our TCTU stream monitoring efforts, please contact me at:  jim.sauter@twincitiestu.org
 
III.  SPLASH CHALLENGE
For the 2025 TCTU Splash Water Monitoring Challenge, we had 29 chemical monitoring readings during the last two months of our monitoring season.  Our 4 prize winners for the Splash Challenge were: 

• $25 Ovis Gift Certificate- Keith Ketchmark, Hay Creek Team
• TCTU T Shirt-  Ginger Flaten, Little Cannon Team
• TCTU Mug-  Monta Hayner, Whitewater/ South Branch Team
• TCTU Glass Cleaner-  Todd Christenson, Eagle Creek Team 

IV.  STREAM REPORTS FROM OCTOBER
Here are some stream monitoring reports from October.  Enjoy!
 
BROWN'S CREEK, Monitored by Fred Schulze, October 29, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Secchi= 100 cm, Clear
Water Temperature:  8.5 degrees C,  47.3 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  80 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8.0 Good
Phosphate:  100 ppb, Poor
Chloride:  Not recorded
Stream Disturbances:  Pipe/ drain outflow
Notes:  None
 
EAGLE CREEK, Monitored by Todd Christenson, October 31, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Steady rain
Water Clarity:  Clear, 100 cm w/ Secchi Tube, Excellent
Water Temperature: 10.4 degrees C, 50.72 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  7.5, Excellent
Phosphate:  0 ppb, Excellent
Chloride:  60 ppm, Fair
Notes:  Beaver dam being constructed 30 feet from monitoring site
 
HAY CREEK 305th St, Monitored by Mitch Abbett, October 6, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Murky
Water Temperature: 12.5 degrees C, 54.5 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  5 ppm, Fair
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  240 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH: 8, Excellent
Phosphate:  100 ppb, High
Chloride:  25 ppm
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  Perfect color. Beautiful shape. Fish abundant and frisky.
 
 
HAY CREEK 320th St, Monitored by Mitch Abbett, October 6, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Murky
Water Temperature: 12.6 degrees C, 54.68 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  2 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH: 7.5, Excellent
Phosphate:  100 ppb, High
Chloride:  25 ppm
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  Perfect color, excellent flow
 
HAY CREEK 325th St, Monitored by John Kohler, October 25, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Intermittent Rain
Water Clarity:  Clear
Water Temperature: 8.7 degrees C,  47.66 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  5 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  120 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8, Excellent
Phosphate:  0 ppb
Chloride:  Not recorded
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  None
 
LITTLE CANNON, Monitored by Mike Stinson, October 31, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Overcast
Water Clarity:  Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature: 7.44 degrees C,  45.39 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8, Excellent
Phosphate:  Not recorded
Chloride:  Not recorded
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  Water is crystal clear.  Saw several fish and even a lunker...
 
SOUTH BRANCH VERMILLION, Monitored by Rowe Winecoff, October 4, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Secchi= 100 cm, Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature: 14 degrees C,  57.2 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  5 ppm, Fair
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  7.5, Excellent
Phosphate:  .5 ppb, Excellent
Chloride:  275 ppm, High
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  Water level is low but free flowing
 
SOUTH BRANCH WHITEWATER, Monitored by Mike Tanguay , October 3, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature: 14.22 degrees C,  45.39 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  10 ppm, Poor
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8, Excellent
Phosphate:  0 ppb
Chloride:  25 ppm
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  None
 
WINNEBAGO CREEK, Monitored by Jim Sauter, October 7, 2025
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Secchi= 100 cm, Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature: 10.5 degrees C,  45.39 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  2 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8, Excellent
Phosphate:  Not recorded
Chloride:  25 ppm
Stream Disturbances:  None
Notes:  Beautiful day.  Spotted a Trumpeter Swan overhead

Do you want to join the effort?  Easy.  You can simply take one or more readings on a stream in the coming weeks in October and enter the data on our Google form.  If you do not have a kit, you can still enter by just taking the water temperature and water clarity observations and leaving the other entries blank.  The form is here
 
As a bonus, if you monitor a stream one or more times in September or October, you will be eligible to win a prize.  Once you have submitted an entry on the Google Form, you are eligible.  The prizes will include a $25 gift certificate from Orvis and some TCTU merchandise.  
 
A drawing will be held in early November, and winners will be notified by email.  Prizes include a $25 gift card from Orvis and some TCTU merchandise.
 
Let's end our 2025 monitoring season with a Splash!  
 
(Credit to Dan Dauwalter, Sara Strassman, the Hiawatha Chapter of TU, and Carter Borden for coming up with a similar idea with the September Blitz using the WiseH2O app)
 
STEAMKEEPER READINGS
The 2025 stream monitoring season is about 90% complete.  Currently, we have 111 chemical readings for the year.

• Water Temperatures.  Our TCTU streams are cooling down.  All stream temps were near or below 60 degrees F except for Browns Creek that came in at a whooping 71 degrees F on September 17.  The 90 degree air temperature days in October are becoming more common.
• Nitrate Levels.  The nitrate levels continue to be a concern with the numbers ticking up slightly at Belle Creek, Hay Creek, and the South Branch of the Whitewater. 
• Salt/ Chloride Levels.  We had high levels at the MOA/ Ike's Creek and South Branch of the Vermillion.
• Phosphate, Alkalinity, and Hardness.  All numbers are looking good.

 
BELLE CREEK
Observer:  Dean Albrecht, 9/22/25
·      Weather=  Overcast
·      Water Clarity= Muddy
·      Water Temperature=  16.1 degrees C, 61 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  5 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  240 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8
·      Phosphate=  0 ppm
·      Chloride=  Not recorded
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= Pipe/ Drain Outflow
·      Notes=  1.5 inches of rain previous evening
 
 
BROWNS CREEK
Observer:  Fred Schulze, 9/17/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Clear, 80 cm
·      Water Temperature=  21.5 degrees C, 71 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  0 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  180 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8
·      Phosphate=  50 ppm
·      Chloride=  Not recorded
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= Pipe/ Drain Outflow
·      Notes=  Stream level way down
 
EAGLE CREEK
Observer:  Todd Christenson, 9/26/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Clear, Secchi tube= 100 cm
·      Water Temperature=  15.1 degrees C,  59 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  0 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  220 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8.0
·      Phosphate=  0 ppm
·      Chloride=  60 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  None
 
HAY CREEK- 305th St
Observer:  Mitch Abbett, 10/6/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Murky
·      Water Temperature=  12.5 degrees C,  54 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  5 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  240 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8.0
·      Phosphate=  100 ppb
·      Chloride=  25 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  Perfect color. Beautiful shape. Fish abundant and frisky
 
HAY CREEK- 320th St
Observer:  Mitch Abbett, 10/6/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Murky
·      Water Temperature=  12.6 degrees C, 55 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  2 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  180 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  7.5
·      Phosphate=  100 ppb
·      Chloride=  25 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  Perfect color, excellent flow
 
HAY CREEK- 325th St
Observer:  Mitch Abbett, 10/6/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Murky
·      Water Temperature=  11.5 degrees C, 53 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  5 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  180 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  7.5
·      Phosphate=  0 ppb
·      Chloride=  25 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  Beautiful shape
 
LITTLE CANNON RIVER
Observer:  Ginger Flaten, 9/30/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity= Murky
·      Water Temperature= 17.22 degrees C, 63 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  3 ppm, Improved over last month
·      Nitrite=  .0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  240 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8
·      Phosphate=  0 ppb
·      Chloride=  25 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= Erosion
·      Notes= Water was much clearer than previous visits. Small amount of trash
 
MALL OF AMERICA/ IKE'S CREEK
Observer:  Veronica Bauer, 10/4/25
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity=  Clear, Secchi Tube= 60 cm
·      Water Temperature=  15 degrees C, 59 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  2 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  240 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8.0
·      Phosphate=  0 ppb
·      Chloride=  264 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  None
 
TROUT BROOK
Observer:  Brian Siemens, 9/17/25
·      Weather=  Overcast
·      Water Clarity= Clear
·      Water Temperature=  11 degrees C, 52 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  0 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  240 ppm
·      Hardness=  60 ppm
·      pH=  6
·      Phosphate=  200 ppb
·      Chloride=  Not recorded
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  None
 
 
VERMILLION RIVER, SOUTH BRANCH
Observer:  Rowe Winecoff, 10/4/25 
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity=  Clear, Secchi Tube = 100 cm
·      Water Temperature=  14 degrees C, 57 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  5 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  180 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  7.5
·      Phosphate=  .5 ppb
·      Chloride=  275 ppm
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None
·      Notes=  Water level low but stream is free flowing
 
WHITEWATER, SOUTH BRANCH
Observer:  Mike Tanguay, 10/3/25 
·      Weather=  Sunny
·      Water Clarity=  Clear
·      Water Temperature=  14.22 degrees C, 58 degrees F
·      Nitrate=  10 ppm
·      Nitrite=  0 ppm
·      Alkalinity=  180 ppm
·      Hardness=  180 ppm
·      pH=  8
·      Phosphate=  0 ppb
·      Chloride=  Not recorded
·      Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
·      Stream Disturbances= None

• Notes=  None

 
That's all for now.  Tight lines.
 
Jim Sauter, TCTU Streamkeeper Coordinator
 
Photos #1:  Bycatch!
​Photo by Jim Sauter, Common Northern Water Snake accidently caught on a back cast using a #18 Primrose & Pearl midge on the Rush River, Wisconsin on 9/8/25.  Non- venomous, will bite, saliva contains a hemotoxic anticoagulant which can cause more bleeding to occur but generally poses little risk to humans.

Photos #2:  Fall Colors
Photos by Jim Sauter.  Fall colors are starting to pop!  The pre-spawning colors of Brown and Brook trout are amazing this time of year!