Streamkeeper Report - November 2024

​by Jim Sauter

Welcome to November! 

The 2024 TCTU Streamkeeper chemical monitoring season is officially over after our first frost.  Typically, we begin doing chemical monitoring of streams in April and conclude at the end of October.  Some random salt testing of streams may continue over the winter months.  Biological testing for macroinvertebrates is done in the spring and fall.

This year we made the successful transition from the WISEH2O app to the Save Our Stream (i.e., SOS) protocol used by the Izaak Walton League.  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

Please note that many other streams from across the country can be also accessed at this SOS Clean Water site.

This year our streams benefited from some nice summer rains to help replenish water levels.  We hope this pattern continues over the winter months.

Below are some results that you might find to be interesting.

Water Clarity:  Some of our monitors started using Secchi tubes to measure water clarity this year.  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 14 cm reading following heavy rains.

Water Temperature:  Our coldest water temperature reading was 6.4 degrees C (i.e.,43.5 degrees F) on April 7th on Trout Brook.  Our warmest water temperature was 19.9 degrees C (i.e., 67.8 degrees F) on July 28th at Belle Creek.  Our streams were a bit cooler this summer. 

Nitrate: Several of our streams had excellent readings of 0 ppm of nitrate.  The highest nitrate reading of the season was 50 ppm in April on Trout Brook.  This is extremely high.  High nitrate levels continue to be a problem on some of our area streams, and TCTU is committed to efforts in addressing this issue.
 
Nitrite:  High nitrite levels usually appear after high nitrate levels.  We recorded a high of 3 ppm of nitrite in April on the South Branch of the Vermillion.

pH:  These levels overall were good.  Our pH range this season was from a low of 6.5 on Trout Brook to a high of 9 on Hay Creek.  A pH reading of 9 is considered poor.

Phosphates:  Most phosphate levels were good.  We had a high reading of 300 ppm on Hay Creek in June.

Chloride:  Only one of our streams has a very high salt level- Mall of America Creek.  We plan to continue to monitor this and determine the source.  The level does not seem to be related to road salt.

Special thanks to our stream monitoring volunteers for their efforts this year!

Biological Testing.  We conducted two macroinvertebrate tests this year.  One was on Eagle Creek as part of our Save Our Stream training.  We found the stream health to be "fair" based on bug life.  Our test results are available on the Clean Water Hub.  We hope this improves after habitat work is done on Eagle Creek next year.  The other test was conducted with camp students in St. Paul at Harriet Island park  We found the Mississippi bug life to be poor.  

Future Streamkeeper plans involve conducting a REDD survey in December on the South Branch Vermillion River.  If there is enough interest, we may offer an additional Save Our Stream training session next spring.

I 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:  [email protected]​

Belle Creek, Photo by Jim Sauter

FEATURED STREAM OF THE MONTH- BELLE CREEK
Belle Creek is a small creek near Welch on the edge of the Driftless region.  About an hour from downtown Saint Paul, this becomes an easy day trip getting yourself on true classic trout water.  

Belle Creek picks up water from various tributaries and becomes a mixed species stream.  It has a self-sustaining population of trout (Catch and Release), as well as norther pike and rough fish, and it eventually dumps into the Cannon River, which is itself a decent smallmouth bass stream.  Access is excellent in the spring along CTY 7, but the underbrush really becomes a challenge by June.  Source:  Bob Trevis, Trout Fishing in the Driftless

Belle Creek has been managed as a trout stream for over 15 years. It supports a self-sustaining population of brown trout, and special regulations were put in place in 2004 to provide a trophy trout opportunity. MPCA has indicated that they plan to classify Belle Creek as a cold water stream with regards to water quality and aquatic life standards.  Source:  Minnesota DNR

Belle Creek is a lovely stream, and I caught five browns there in May of 2024, all on a Primrose & Pearl midge.  I hooked a larger fish on a maroon midge that broke my 6X tippet line.  
 
STREAM REPORTS FROM OCTOBER
Here are some stream monitoring reports from October.  Enjoy!

EAGLE CREEK, Monitored by Todd Christenson, October 12, 2024
Predominate Weather:  Overcast
Water Clarity:  Clear, 100 cm w/ Secchi Tube, Excellent
Water Temperature: 12.5 degrees C, 54 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  200 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  7.5, Excellent
Phosphate:  0 ppb, Excellent
Chloride:  66 ppm, Fair

LITTLE CANNON, Monitored by Ginger Flaten, October 13, 2024
Predominate Weather:  Overcast
Water Clarity:  Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature: 11 degrees C, 52 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, Good
Chloride:  25 ppm, Good
Stream Disturbances:  Erosion

MOA/ IKE'S CREEK, Monitored by Veronica Bauer, October 4, 2024
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Clear, Over 60cm clarity with Secchi tube, Excellent
Water Temperature:  10 degrees C,  50 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  2.0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  240 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8.5 Good
Phosphate:  0 ppb, Excellent
Chloride:  332 mg/l High 
Notes:  Erosion 

MOA/ IKE'S CREEK, Monitored by Harold Slawik, October 23, 2024
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature:  12.4 degrees C,  54 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  1.0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8.0 Good
Phosphate:  0 ppb, Excellent
Chloride:  400 mg/l High 
Notes:  Last reading of the season.  Water level is low

TROUT BROOK, Monitored by Rick Varco, October 18,2024 
Predominate Weather:  Sunny
Water Clarity:  Clear,Excellent
Water Temperature:  11 degrees C,  52 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  0 ppm, Excellent
Nitrite:  0.15 ppm, Good
Alkalinity:  180 ppm, Normal
Hardness:  120 ppm, Normal
pH: 7.0.Excellent
Phosphate:  9 ppb, Excellent
Notes:  Normal water level

BELLE CREEK, Monitored by Dean Albrecht, October, 2024
Predominate Weather:  Overcast
Water Clarity:  Clear, Excellent
Water Temperature:  13 degrees C,  54 degrees F, Excellent
Nitrate:  5 ppm, Good
Nitrite:  0 ppm, Excellent
Alkalinity:  2 ppm, Fair
Hardness:  180 ppm, Normal
pH:  8.4 Good
Phosphate:  0 ppb, Excellent
Notes:  Trash