Streamkeepers Update: June 2025

by Jim Sauter
Greetings from TCTU Streamkeepers.
To date our Streamkeeper volunteer monitors have conducted 37 chemical observations on 10 streams and two macroinvertebrate samplings on the South Branch of the Whitewater River.  Our thirty plus Streamkeeper volunteers, along with the over 2,000 of our TCTU members who are fishing and hiking in the area, are providing a small army of "eyes and ears" on streams in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and beyond.  
Our stream chemistry numbers are looking good so far this spring.  We still have elevated chloride numbers on the Mall of America/ Ike's Creek, and the nitrate level on Hay Creek was "fair".  Little Cannon River was experiencing some erosion from our spring rains.
BUGS AND BUFFERS, THE REPEATER PROJECT
I believe there is a rare breed of people that get really excited about bugs.  Some folks hate bugs, some are indifferent, and then there are those of us that love them and get excited to see them.  

Recently, at the Minnetonka Bird Club Meeting,  the presenter was Gerald (i.e., Gerry) Hoekstra. He is a retired Professor of Music at St Olaf, photographer and birder, and lives in Northfield.  Gerry shared pictures of terrestrial insects that many times are end up as snacks or meals for birds and fish.  Yes, the room was filled with over 100 bird lovers that admired pictures of bugs for over an hour.  Some of the bugs were so ugly that they were even cute or beautiful.    
On June 6th our TCTU Macroinvertebrate Team conducted a study on two sites at the South Branch of the Whitewater River in search of aquatic bugs (i.e., macroinvertebrates).  We captured hundreds of bugs from two sites and are sending them to the lab for analysis.  I hope to share our results in a future newsletter.  
Our macroinvertebrate team was comprised of Jennifer Biederman, Mitch Abbett, Doug Moran, Carl Nelson, Mark Peerenboom, and Jim Sauter.  My brother Dave Sauter,  a retired large animal veterinarian from Lynden Washington, also joined us as a participant and observer.
Here are some comments from one of our volunteers, Doug Moran.  I can't say it any better...
"What a great day!!
Macroinverts were collected, we yakked, laughed, ate a delicious lunch and did good things for the wild places we love.
And I got to catch fish.
My 2nd most favorite part of the day was at the 2nd station, when I was upstream fishing, and I heard someone yell something like "WOW! Look at all these bugs!"
The 1st most favorite part of the day was being around like-minded people who do this kind of work not for some transactional reason, but because you give a s_ _ _.  And all were funny!"
  
All in all, this was a great day. 
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The "Repeater Project" is designed to determine if recent Minnesota buffer laws along the banks are impacting aquatic bug life on two sites of the South Branch of the Whitewater River.  We will compare our data to previous studies.
For all of you aquatic bug nerds out there, this link is to information from prior studies conducted by Neal Mundahl, Winona State University.  

2004-2006 Study:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Aquatic-macroinvertebrates-collected-from-22-sites-on-the-South-Fork-Whitewater-River_tbl1_358342749

2022 Study:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358342749_Aquatic_community_structure_and_stream_habitat_in_a_karst_agricultural_landscape
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STREAMKEEPER READINGS
Below are some of our more recent chemical readings on our streams:

Belle Creek
Observer:  Dean Albrecht, 5/7/25 
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Clear
• Water Temperature=  15 degrees C
• 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= None
• Notes=  None

Browns Creek
Observer:  Gunnar Carlson, 5/31/25
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Clear, 100 cm
• Water Temperature=  11.7 degrees C
• Nitrate=  0 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  120 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  7.5
• Phosphate=  0 ppm
• Chloride=  Not recorded
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= Pipe/ Drain Outflow
• Notes=  It's just the culvert pipe to take the creek under the road.

Eagle Creek
Observer:  Robert Logelin, 6/5/25 
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Clear, 100 cm
• Water Temperature=  12.5 degrees C
• Nitrate=  0 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  240 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  7.5
• Phosphate=  9 ppm
• Chloride=  43 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  Stream looks good with test results consistent

Hay Creek
Observer:  Mitch Abbett, 6/7/25
• Weather=  Overcast
• Water Clarity= Clear
• Water Temperature=  14.0 degrees C
• Nitrate=  10 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  240 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  8.0
• Phosphate=  Not recorded
• Chloride=  25 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  Many midge nymphs under rocks   

Little Cannon River
Observer:  Ginger Flaten, 5/23/25
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Muddy
• Water Temperature=  13.3 degrees C
• Nitrate=  20 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  180 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  8.5
• Phosphate=  0 ppb
• Chloride=  30 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Note recorded
• Stream Disturbances= Erosion
• Notes=  The river was running fast and muddy and water levels high after two days of heavy rain this week.   Bank erosion north of access area.  Saw a baby snapping turtle float by in the fast water.  Picked up a bag of trash around the area.  Testing was done on Sogn Valley Trail Bridge access because water was too high and covered bank on 63rd bridge access  

Mall of America/ Ike's Creek
Observer:  Wade Johnson, 5/15/25
• Weather=  Intermittent Rain
• Water Clarity= Clear
• Water Temperature=  12.4 degrees C
• Nitrate=  0 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  240 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  8.0
• Phosphate=  0 ppb
• Chloride=  378 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  None 

South Branch of the Vermillion River
Observers:  Rowe Winecoff, 5/30/25  
• Weather=  Overcast
• Water Clarity=Clear, 92 cm
• Water Temperature=  13.6 degrees C
• Nitrate=  5 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  2400 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  7.5
• Phosphate=  0 ppb
• Chloride=  25 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  Stream is free flowing and clear

South Branch of the Whitewater- 2 Readings at 2 Sites
Observers:  Jim Sauter, Dave Sauter, 6/6/25
• Weather=  Overcast
• Water Clarity-  Very clear.  100 cm with Secchi Tube
• Water Temperature=  14.2 degrees C, 15.8 degrees C 
• Nitrate=  3 ppm, 15 ppm
• Nitrite=  .1 ppm, 0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  190 ppm, 210 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm, 145 ppm
• pH=  8.0, 8.0
• Phosphate=  100 ppb, 0 ppb
• Chloride=  28 ppm, 31 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  9 ppm, 11 ppm
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  This was part of the Repeater Macroinvertebrate Project

South Fork of Crooked Creek
Observer:  Gary Moore, 5/8/25
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Clear
• Water Temperature=  15.6 degrees C
• Nitrate=  2 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  240 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  Not recorded
• Phosphate=  0 ppb
• Chloride=  Not recorded
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  South Fork of Crooked Creek

Trout Brook
Date:  5/7/25  
• Weather=  Sunny
• Water Clarity= Murky, 12 cm
• Water Temperature=  11.9 degrees C
• Nitrate=  0 ppm
• Nitrite=  0 ppm
• Alkalinity=  200 ppm
• Hardness=  180 ppm
• pH=  7.5
• Phosphate=  30 ppb
• Chloride=  5 ppm
• Dissolved Oxygen=  Not recorded
• Stream Disturbances= None
• Notes=  Oxygen test not performed 

That's all for now.  Tight lines.
Jim Sauter
TCTU Streamkeeper Coordinator