Streamkeeper Report - October 2023

By Jim Sauter

Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers.

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” – Oscar Wilde  

The fall "switch" has been flipped with much cooler temperatures.  We will continue to monitor our streams through the end of October or when the temperatures drop below 32 degrees, whichever comes first.  The test results below freezing begin to be less reliable.

We recorded stream water temperatures in the 52 (i.e. Hay Creek) to 65 degrees (i.e. South Branch Vermillion) range over the last month.  

In addition to monitoring streams, we assembled a small team to take part in the Rush River Bio Study.  We will be taking bio/ macroinvertebrate samples in October at six of the sixteen sites on the Rush River.  Members of KiapTUWish will do the rest of the sites.  Below are some of the early observations for all of you bug enthusiasts...

1. On average, it has taken about 90 minutes per site to complete our observations including taking three riffle samples per site with a kick net and other measurements such as temperature, stream velocity, canopy density, and stream substrate.
2. Site #4 (2000m below Hwy 10) yielded some interesting results, with a number of the big Paragnetina stoneflies.  
3. Site #12 (Stonehammer") turned up a bunch of dobsonflies (hellgrammites.) Site #16 (CTH Y in St Croix Cty) turned up three species of darters, including rainbow darter, an indicator of high water quality. This site also had an incredible number of hydropsyche caddisflies.
4. At Site #4, we observed a milky discharge from a tributary, which actually had discolored the river all the way down to Site #3 (385th St.)  We shared this information with the KiapTUWish Chapter. 
5. The velocity meter has been somewhat temperamental. Fortunately the earlier successful measurements made at our sites gave us the ability to classify the flow velocity as slow, medium, or fast based on our judgement.

We are thankful to our TU colleagues from KiapTUWish for inviting us to help with the Rush River Bio Study.  Data will be compared to an earlier study done on the Rush in 2004 at many of the exact same locations.  A similar bio study is also being conducted on the Kinnickinnic River, so data comparisons will also be made with that stream.  Our TCTU Streamkeepers are hopeful that we will be able to use some of the knowledge gained to do some bio studies on our TCTU streams in the future.  Thank you to TCTU bio study team members Mark Peerenboom, Mitch Abbett, and John Klesch for your help with this project.

Targeted Streamkeepers
Our “targeted” Streamkeepers are monitoring Belle Creek, Eagle Creek, Hay Creek, Little Cannon, Mall of America Creek, South Branch Vermillion, and Trout Brook.  Below are some recent chemical readings on these streams.
 
Belle Creek

• Team of Dean Albrecht (Captain), Paul Frank, and Todd Hustad  
• August 22, 2023. Water quality: pH= 6.5 (trout are happy), Alkalinity=0.0 (Low reading), Hardness= 0.0 (low reading), Nitrate= 20.0 (High), Nitrite= 0 (Good), Phosphorous= 0 (good), Temperature = 61 degrees (high). Water clarity was very clear, water level was baseflow, and there were no significant weather conditions to report. 

Eagle Creek (Photos above by Jim Sauter, including some trash cleanup on the creek)

• Team of Thor Benson and Southwest Christian High School students
• September 29, 2023.  Water quality:  Ph= 8.0 (Trout are happy), Alkalinity= 0 (low), Hardness= 30.0 (low), Nitrate= 1.0 (trout are happy), Nitrite= 0 (trout are happy), Phosphorous= 0 (good), Water temperature= 59 degrees (trout are happy).  Water clarity was clear.  Water level was mid-stage.  There was a recent thunderstorm.
• September 30, 2023.   Water quality:  Ph= 7.5 (Trout are happy), Alkalinity= 180 (good), Hardness= 180.0 (good), Water temperature= 59 degrees (trout are happy).  Water clarity was clear.  Water level was mid-stage.  There was a recent thunderstorm.
  
  
  

Hay Creek (pictured above, photos by Mike Stinson)

• Team of Mike Stinson (Captain), Keith Ketchmark, Josh O’Tool, Larry Olson, and Mitch Abbett
• Mike’s report: "If one were to fantasize about trout fishing in SE Minnesota this was the year. Stream temperatures remained below 70 degrees, at least on Hay Creek, all summer. The picture I sent had rising trout and overall a beautiful day to be out fishing."
• September 25, 2023, 325th St.  Water quality:  pH= 7.5 (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 120 (good), Hardness= 120 (trout are happy), Nitrate= 20 (high), Nitrite= 0.0 (good), Phosphorous= 200 (fair), Temperature= 53 degrees (trout are happy).  Clear water.  Bankfull stage level.  Regional rainfall.
  
• October 4, 2023, 320th St.  Water quality:  pH= 9.0 (high), Alkalinity= 0 (fair), Hardness= 30 (fair), Nitrate= 2.0 (trout are happy), Nitrite= 0.0 (good), Phosphorous= 0 (good), Temperature= 52 degrees (trout are happy).  Clear water.  Bankfull stage level.  Regional rainfall.
  

Little Cannon

• Team of Hillary Pennalla (Captain), Rick Phetsavong, Ron Richardson, and Ginger Flaten
• October 5, 2023.  Water quality:  Ph= 7.0 (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 0 (low), Hardness= 60 (good), nitrate= 1.0 (good), nitrite= 0 (good), phosphorous= 0 (good), temperature= 57 degrees (moderately high), water clarity is murky, water level is bankfull, and there was regional rainfall.

Mall of America Creek

• Team of Harold Slawik and Veronica Bauer
• September 9, 2023.  Water quality:  Ph= 7.0 (Good), Alkalinity= 180 (Good), Hardness = 120 (Good), Nitrate= 1.0 (Good), Nitrite= 0 (Good), Phosphorus= 0.0 (trout are happy), Temperature= 56 degrees (trout are happy), the water clarity was clear, the banks were at baseflow, and there was no recent weather event.

South Branch Vermillion

• Team of Doug Moran (Captain), Thomas Walkington (Captain), John Klesch, Matt Kleinheinz, Rowe Winecoff, and Joe Page
• The TCTU Trash Pickup Day Event of the South Branch of the Vermillion River will be held on Saturday October 28.  Thanks to all that have signed up for this event!  
  
• September 2, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 7.0, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 180 (trout are happy), Hardness= 30.0 (fair), Nitrate= 5.0 (fair), Nitrite= 1.0 (trout are happy), Phosphorus= 200.0 (fair), Temperature= 65 degrees (trout are happy).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there was no recent weather event.
  

Trout Brook

• Team of Matt Lowe (Captain), Dan Erickson, Andy McRae, and Rick Varco.
• August 7, 2023.  Water quality:   pH= 7.0 (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 40.0 (fair), Hardness= 0 (fair), Phosphorus= 100.0 (fair), Temperature= 54 degrees (trout are happy).  Water was clear with baseflow water level.

General Anglers
“General” Streamkeepers are busy conducting more random and spontaneous monitoring of streams in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

General Streamkeepers - Minnesota

Whitewater State Park

• September 15, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 7.0, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 80 (good), Hardness= 60.0 (trout are happy), Phosphorus= 0.0 (good).  Temperature= 57 degrees (trout are happy). The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there was regional rainfall.

Rice Creek

• September 30, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 7.5, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 180 (trout are happy), Hardness= 180.0 (trout are happy), Nitrate= 10.0 (high), Nitrite= 0.3 (fair), Phosphorus= 0.0 (good).  Temperature= 60 degrees.  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there were no recent weather events.

Watson Creek

• September 30, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 7.5, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 180 (trout are happy), Hardness= 180.0 (trout are happy), Nitrate= 10.0 (High), Nitrite= o (good), Phosphorus= 0 (good), Temperature= 66 degrees (ok).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there were no recent weather events.

General Streamkeepers - Wisconsin

Kinnikinnic River

• September 22, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 8.0, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 120 (trout are happy), Hardness= 120.0 (trout are happy), Nitrate= 10.0 (high), Nitrite= .3 (fair), Phosphorus= 0 (good), Temperature= 59 degrees (good).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there was no recent weather event.

Little Lacrosse Rover

• September 23, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 7.5 (good),  Alkalinity= 0 (fair), Hardness= 60 (good), Nitrate= 10.0 (high), Nitrite= 0 (good), Temperature= 62 degrees (trout are happy).  The water clarity was muddy, level was baseflow, and there was regional rainfall.  Water was clear, level was baseline, and there was no major weather event.

Reeds Creek

• October 5, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 8.0, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 180 (trout are happy), Hardness= 120.0 (trout are happy), Nitrate= 20 (high), Nitrite= 1.0 (high), Phosphorus= 0 (good), Temperature= 53 degrees (good).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there was no recent weather event.​

General Streamkeepers - Iowa

Upper Iowa River Tributary

• September 9, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 8.5, (trout are happy), Alkalinity= 80 (trout are happy), Hardness= 180.0 (trout are happy), Temperature= 62 degrees (ok).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there were no recent weather events.
  

Hickory Creek

• September 10, 2023.  Water quality:  pH= 8.9 (good), Alkalinity= 120 (good), Hardness= 180 (good), Nitrate= 10 (high), Nitrite= 0 (good), Temperature= 52 degrees (trout are happy).  The water clarity was clear, level was baseflow, and there were no recent weather events.