NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
Watershed Planning and Implementation Restores Cold Water Fishery
in Little Hay Creek
\A/ t h H I H Excess sedimentation and nutrients from agricultural sources
VVa DOOy I >rOVea degraded water quality in Little Hay Creek. As a result, one
segment of the creek (miles 0.0-1.8) was added to Wisconsin's 1998 Clean Water Act (CWA)
section 303(d) impaired waters list for low dissolved oxygen, degraded habitat and elevated
water temperature. Control of pollutants from agricultural nonpoint sources through efforts
headed by the Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management Department led to
water quality improvement. As a result, this nearly 2-mile-long segment of Little Hay Creek was
removed from the state impaired waters list in 2008.
Problem
Little Hay Creek is a tributary to Duncan Creek
(Figure 1). Assessments of Little Hay Creek in the
1980s and 1990s found that one segment of the
stream did not meet its fish and aquatic life use.
A 1980 fish survey conducted by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) at
three sites along the stream found only three adult
brook trout in segments totaling 2,200 feet, along
with numerous forage fish. As a result, Little Hay
Creek was not designated as a trout stream. The
limited number of trout appeared to be the result of
degraded fish habitat due to sediment deposition in
the stream and lack of woody debris. Streambank
erosion from excessive livestock pasturing along the
stream and soil erosion within the watershed were
the likely sources of the deposited sediment and
associated increased phosphorus.
Another assessment by the WDNR in the early 1990s
conducted as part of the planning for the Duncan
Creek Priority Watershed Project found similar condi-
tions. A fish survey at two of three previously moni-
tored sites found only one brook trout in segments
totaling 1,800 feet. Continuous dissolved oxygen
monitoring in the summer of 1990 found dissolved
oxygen concentrations well below the state's water
quality criterion of 5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for five
consecutive days, with levels as low as 2 mg/L for
extended periods of time. An assessment of aquatic
insects near the mouth of Little Hay Creek found 15
species and a Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) value of 4,
which indicates very good water quality, but includes
the possibility of slight organic pollution.
Restored segment (WI-2151400-1)
HUC-12 watershed boundaries
Waterbodies
Figure 1. Little Hay Creek is in northwest Wisconsin's
Duncan Creek watershed.
As a result of these assessments, Wisconsin
placed a 1.8-mile segment of the stream (segment
WI-2151400-1) on its 1998 CWA section 303(d) list of
impaired waters for low dissolved oxygen, degraded
habitat and elevated water temperature.
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Project Highlights
Through the Nonpoint Source Control Plan for the
Duncan Creek Priority Watershed Project (1990-
2005), the Chippewa County Land Conservation and
Forest Management Department accelerated their
efforts to work with agricultural producers in the
watershed, including those in the Little Hay Creek
subwatershed. Department staff members assessed
the nonpoint sources of pollution in the watershed
and guided implementation of best management
practices (BMPs). The plan was consistent with EPA's
"nine key elements" for watershed-based planning.
WDNR provided cost-sharing grants and WDNR
and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade
and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) provided local
assistance grants to Chippewa County to lead and
administer the project. The BMPs implemented in the
Little Hay Creek subwatershed include:
• Reduced tillage - 294 acres
• Nutrient management-357 acres
• Rotational grazing - 346 acres
• Barnyard runoff management, including diversions
- 5 barnyards
• Green manure crop - 9 acres
• Stream crossing - 1 crossing
• High residue management- 1,731 acres
Results
After stakeholders installed BMPs within the Little
Hay Creek subwatershed, the WDNR conducted
another set of water quality assessments. In July
2004 the continuous dissolved oxygen monitoring
found no exceedances of the dissolved oxygen
criterion. Fish surveys in 2005 at all three of the sta-
tions found 41 brook trout in 900 feet of stream. The
brook trout found consisted of multiple year classes,
including young of the year, indicating natural repro-
duction. High numbers of mottled sculpin, a species
intolerant of low dissolved oxygen levels and requir-
ing cold water, were also found. Aquatic insect
metrics also showed improvement: the HBI value
decreased to 3.5 (scores ranging from 0.0 to 3.75
are considered "excel-
lent"), and the number of
species increased to 25.
Based on the evaluation
monitoring results, the
WDNR removed the
segment of Little Hay
Creek from the CWA
section 303(d) list of
impaired waters in 2008
for all impairment causes
(dissolved oxygen, habitat
and temperature). In
addition, WDNR staff
recommended that the
designated use subcat-
egory be changed from
a warm water forage
fish community to a cold
water fish community.
Per this recommendation,
in 2013 WDNR identified
Little Hay Creek as a Class
I trout water (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Little Hay Creek
was designated as a Class I
trout water in 2015, thanks to
watershed restoration efforts that
improved water quality.
Partners and Funding
The restoration of Little Hay Creek was supported
by programs for BMP implementation including
the (1) Duncan Creek Priority Watershed Project
funding (through WDNR), (2) Wisconsin Farmland
Preservation Program cross-compliance require-
ments and the Wisconsin Farmer's Fund (both
through WDATCP), (3) Chippewa County Animal
Waste Ordinance compliance, (4) U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency's
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, and
(5) USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's
Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The
total cost of BMPs implemented in the Little Hay
Creek portion of the Priority Watershed Project was
$180,065. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CWA section 319 grant funding, awarded from 1991
to 2005, helped to cover the cost of WDNR Nonpoint
Source Program staff, BMPs and monitoring costs
associated with the project.
E1
Ill
o
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001GGG
December 2015
For additional information contact:
Mark Hazuga, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
715-839-1603 • mark.hazuga@wisconsin.gov
Dan Masterpole
Chippewa County Land Conservation & Forest Management Dept
715-726-7920 • dmasterpole@co.chippewa.wi.us
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