October Streamkeepers Report

Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers.  Welcome to October!

In my last outing I noticed the water levels on the Kinnickinnic River were very low.  While sight fishing, I spotted several very large trout.  One almost jumped in my net!  I was unable to lure them to a dry fly or nymph but was successful in netting many very nice size browns.  I also managed to catch a few leaves both on the water and on the branches as the trees start showing their fall colors and brilliance.  In this month’s report, I am sharing a Streamkeeper tip and observations from targeted and general Streamkeepers.

Our targeted streamkeepers will wrap up our scheduled monitoring efforts during October as our air temperatures flirt with freezing levels.  The accuracy of our tests decreases when the air temperature is below freezing.  We encourage our general and targeted Streamkeepers to visit our streams during the off season.  Water temperatures and general observations of stream health can still be made and are valuable.  We do have the ability to make more limited observations, such as water temperatures, water levels, water quality, etc., during the winter months.  And of course, the winter season is the preferred time to be doing some habitat work.

Streamkeeper Monitoring Tip of the Month…

Recording Stream Disturbances on the WISEH2O app.

Stream disturbances are physical, chemical, and biological deviations from natural stream conditions that potentially impact fisheries habitat. In the WiseH2O mApp, choose one or more Stream Disturbances that apply to an observation location. If no disturbances are present, choose “None”, as that observation also provides important data for understanding site conditions. 

Tip: In addition to noting Stream Disturbances, photographing and adding comments about these disturbances is a great way to further characterize and document them. It is often helpful to note the source of the disturbance in the comments if it is not readily apparent in the photo(s). 

Fish Barrier: A structure or condition that prevents movement of fish. Barriers include dams, levees, weirs, culverts, diversions, and low flow conditions. 

Bank Erosion: Exposed soil on the streambank that is being scoured (eroded away by water); or a streambank that is likely to or has collapsed, creating a bare and near-vertical face. 

Trash: Significant litter that has been carelessly cast about, or illegally dumped trash on the streambank. This also includes collections of litter/trash that have been deposited on the stream bed and banks by river flow. 

Pipe/Drain Outflow: Water (effluent) flowing into a water body from a pipe or drain ditch. The effluent water quality can range from clear and odorless to brown, muddy, and odiferous. 

Livestock in Water: Livestock (e.g. cows, goats, sheep, pigs, buffalos, llamas) within the stream or its banks. 

Algal Bloom: A green or blue-green discoloration of the water by an overabundance of algae. 

Fish Kill: Multiple dead fish are present in a river reach (segment), beyond that expected from normal mortality. The cause is typically poor water quality (e.g. high-water temperature, excess chemicals, lack of dissolved oxygen), often associated with a manure spill and/or herbicide/pesticide use. Measurements with the 5-in-1 and 2-in-1 test strips and phosphate test kit may be helpful to identify this cause. Also make some basic observations of fish species, approximate number of dead/dying fish, and any apparent cause. Fish kills should be immediately reported to the state natural resource management agency, for their investigation of the full impact and cause. 

MN: State Duty Officer: 1-800-422-0798
WI: 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367
IA: Contact local field office or call 1-515-725-8694 IL: https://www.ifishillinois.org/contact/contact.php 

Below are our more recent stream observations…

TARGETES STREAMKEEPER REPORTS

MOA Creek, Harold Slawik
MOA creek has been real stable throughout the summer season. The water levels and clarity have been consistently good. The temperature maxed out at 62, is now in the mid 50s. Nitrates were the most volatile, and were the only measurement that hit the red or yellow zone on the monitoring app.

HAY CREEK, Mike Stinson
Observation on 10/8/2022
Stream water temperature= 45 degrees, Phosphorous= 100.0.   Nitrate levels were a bit high.

BELLE CREEK, Dean Albrecht
Observation on 10/8/2022
Water temperature= 66 degrees, Phosphorous= 100.0.  Most numbers are looking good.

TROUT BROOK, Matthew Lowe
Observation on August 10, 2022.  Phosphorous= 100.0.  Temperature= 55 degrees.  Nitrates and nitrites were high.

SOUTH BRANCH VERMILLION, Thomas Walkington
Observation on October 1, 2022.
​Water temperature= 55 degrees.  Phosphorous= 200.0.  We had a high nitrate reading.

LITTLE CANNON, Hilary Penella 
Observation on August 22, 2022.
Water temperature= 76 degrees.  Phosphorous= 100.0.  Numbers looking good except for high water temps.​

GENERAL STREAMKEEPERS

LOWES CREEK (NEAR EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN)
Observed on 10/3/2022
pH= 6 (Fair, trout habitat is susceptible to acidic shocks)
Alkalinity= 80 (Good)
Hardness= 60 (Good)
Water temperature= 56 degrees (Good)

OTTER CREEK (NEAR EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN
Observed on October 4, 2022
pH= 6.0 (Fair)
Alkalinity= 80 (Good)
Hardness= 60 (Good)
Water temperature= 58 degrees (Good)

MIDDLE FORK WHITEWATER
Observed on September 26, 2022
pH= 8 (Good)
Alkalinity= 180.0 (Good)
Hardness= 180 (Good)
Nitrate= 5.0 (Fair)
Nitrite= .15 (Fair)
Phosphorous= 0 (Good)

EAST INDIAN CREEK
Observed on 10/1/2022
pH= 8 (Good)
Alkalinity= 180 (Good)
Hardness= 120 (Good)
Nitrate= 5.0 (Fair)
Nitrite= 0 (Good)
Phosphorous= 0 (Good)

SPRING VALLEY CREEK
Observed on 10/9/2022
pH= 7 (Good)
Alkalinity= 40 (Fair)
Hardness= 120 (Good)
Nitrate= 1.0 (Good)
Nitrite= 0 (Good)
Phosphorous= 0 (Good)
Temperature= 60 degrees (Good)

BEAR CREEK (IOWA)
Observed on 9/20/2022
pH= 7 (Good)
​Alkalinity= 180 (Good)
Hardness= 120 (Good)
Nitrate= 50 (Dangerous)
Nitrite= 0 (Good)
Temperature= 55 degrees (Good