The Sheboygan River Basin encompasses nearly 615 square miles of land in Sheboygan County and portions of Ozaukee, Fond du Lac, Calumet and Manitowoc Counties. The basin contains six watersheds. The Mullet River and Onion River Watersheds Drain to the Sheboygan River in the Sheboygan River Watershed before entering Lake Michigan. The Pigeon River, Black River and Sauk and Sucker Creeks Watersheds drain directly to Lake Michigan. The Sheboygan River Basin has 21 lakes and six river impoundments greater than 10 acres.

The topography of the basin ranges from low, flat moraine in the east to a central area of kettle moraine landscape. The western portion consists of abundant wetlands interspersed between the low rounded hills of the basin. Elevation of the basin varies from 50 feet to 150 feet above Lake Michigan. The basin is generally graded to the east with slopes ranging from 0 feet to 21 feet per mile with a 7 feet per mile average. Soils of the eastern basin are generally heavy clays that have low permeability and tend to promote runoff of soil and animal wastes. The central moraine area has the associated till or gravely soil while the western soils are generally loamy and light textured.

Land uses in the basin are generally agricultural or rural and include pasture land, cropland and vacant fields. Natural areas, including open water, woodlands, wetlands, parklands and undisturbed non-agricultural lands are the second most dominant land uses in the basin. Urban, residential and transportation uses make up the remainder of land uses. The Sheboygan River Basin contains 15 cities, towns and villages. The major urban areas (the Cities of Sheboygan and Sheboygan Falls, and the Village of Kohler) are located in the east-central portion of the basin.

Runoff from both specific and diffuse sources, contaminated sediment, habitat modifications (such as channelization and dams) have degraded water quality throughout the Sheboygan River Basin. Construction site erosion and impervious surfaces (roads, roofs, parking lots) are emerging threats to water quality as the Sheboygan River Basin grows increasingly urban.

Sheboygan River GMU Land and Water Partners

The Partner Team was formed in 1998 to give citizens, environmental and conservation groups, businesses and local governments the ability to directly participate in setting priorities for work conducted throughout the Sheboygan River Basin. Table 1 lists the partner team members) lists the WDNR Land and Water staff for the Sheboygan River Basin. Through a group process the Partner Team defined the following Sheboygan River Basin Goal and Objective as their partnership philosophy.

Resource Issues and Priorities

Below are land and water resource issues and priorities identified by the Partner Team. The partners are still in the process of defining and prioritizing critical natural resource issues in the basin. The next steps for the Partner Team are to develop a plan of action for specific issues. Plans of action may include specific physical resource enhancement projects, natural resource education programs, and review of institutional land use controls and of federal state and local natural resource and land use policies.

Prioritized List of Land & Water Resource Issues Developed by the Sheboygan River Land & Water Partners – June 16, 1998

Black River Watershed

The entire Black River Watershed is located within Sheboygan County. The southern portion of the City of Sheboygan, most of the Village of Cedar Grove and the entire Village of Oostburg are located in the watershed. The watershed encompasses 36 square miles and contains 3 named streams, the Black River, Barr Creek and Fisherman’s Creek and 32 unnamed streams. There are no lakes or impoundments in the watershed.

Land uses in the watershed are mainly rural, characterized as natural lowlands with adjacent agricultural areas. Fisherman’s Creek, which flows through the southern portion of the City of Sheboygan, is characterized as urban.

Water quality in the watershed is considered poor. Rural and urban runoff, industrial and municipal point sources, channel modifications and construction site erosion all contribute to flashy flows, increased nutrients, bacteria and sedimentation.

Purple loosestrife infestations in the wetland areas are severely affecting the natural environment. This plant competes with the native vegetation in the wetland areas. The Jerving Conservancy, located near the mouth of the Black River was once a highly valued migratory bird site, but is now degraded by purple loosestrife overgrowth.

A summary table with general information about the watershed follows. For more detailed information about the Black River Watershed, please refer to the complete Sheboygan River Basin State of the Environment Report.

Recommendations for the Black River Watershed

Following is a list of actions recommended by WDNR staff for monitoring and management in the Black River Watershed.

1. WDNR biologists should conduct stream assessments on Black River and its’ tributaries.
2. WDNR biologists should conduct stream assessments on Barr Creek and its’ tributary streams.
3. WDNR biologists should conduct a sediment survey to determine the source and extent of the contamination on the unnamed tributary to Barr Creek in Cedar Grove.
4. WDNR biologists should conduct stream assessments on Fisherman’s Creek in the aftermath of the very large storm in 1998.
5. WDNR biologist should evaluate the effectiveness of the biological control agents released in Kohler-Andrae State Park for the control of the exotic plant, purple loosestrife. The evaluation should include the spread of the control agent to determine whether the abundant population of purple loosestrife at the Jerving Conservancy property is being controlled.
6. The Black River Watershed should continue to be considered as a high priority for selection of nonpoint source management projects and funding.
7. WDNR should assist the Sheboygan County Land Conservation Department staff in obtaining stream bank buffers along all of the streams in the county.
8. WDNR should encourage all communities to adopt construction site erosion and stormwater management ordinances.

The Sheboygan River originates in east-central Fond du Lac County and flows generally southeastward into the City of Sheboygan where it enters Lake Michigan. The Sheboygan River Watershed is the largest and possibly the most diverse watershed in the basin, covering about 245 square miles. The major tributaries to the Sheboygan River are the Onion and Mullet Rivers. Other named warm water streams tributary to the Sheboygan River are Otter, Gooseville and Weedens Creeks. Millhome, Schuett and Feldner’s Creeks are trout streams located in the Sheboygan River Basin. There are also ten dams in the Watershed: Sheboygan Marsh, Kiel, Rockville, Millhome, Franklin, Johnsonville, Sheboygan Falls, Waelderhaus, Riverbend and Mischo’s.

Land use in the watershed is primarily agriculture, but the downstream most reaches are entirely urbanized. Water quality is good in the headwaters and fair to poor in the lower reaches. Water and habitat quality are affected by contaminated sediments in the lower 14 miles of the river, agricultural and urban runoff, industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges, stream channelization, dams, and construction site erosion. These pollution sources lead to contaminated fish and wildlife populations (in the lower 14 miles), high stream turbidity, excess sediment, flashy flows, excess nutrients and nuisance algae, dissolved oxygen fluctuations, and fish migration barriers.

Some municipalities in the Sheboygan River Watershed have been designated to receive a municipal stormwater discharge permit to control contaminated runoff from urban areas. These communities include the City of Sheboygan, the City of Sheboygan Falls, the Village of Kohler, the Town of Sheboygan and the Town of Wilson. The City of Sheboygan is required to submit their permit application in March, 1999. The other communities must submit their applications by June, 2000. The stormwater permits require these communities to identify stormwater pollution sources, create plans and implement practices to eliminate or reduce stormwater runoff.

The Sheboygan River Watershed is definitely the most studied watershed in the Sheboygan River Basin. Many researchers have conducted studies to determine the effects of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) uptake in fish and wildlife in the lower 14 miles of the Sheboygan River. This section of the river is listed as a Federal Superfund site. The U.S. EPA and others are currently evaluating clean up alternatives for this site.

Otter Creek has also been the focus of many studies throughout the years to evaluate the effects of agricultural runoff, and the performance of best management practices installed to reduce the

runoff. A State Threatened Species of mussel, the slippershell mussel, resides in Otter Creek.

A summary table with general information about the Sheboygan River Watershed follows. For more detailed information regarding these studies and others, please refer to the full Sheboygan River Basin State of the Environment Report.

Recommendations for the Sheboygan River Watershed

Following is a list of actions recommended by WDNR staff for monitoring and management in the Sheboygan River Watershed.

1. WDNR should continue to work with the U.S. EPA, NOAA, U.S.F&WL, and Tecumseh to effect sediment clean-up activities in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern/Superfund Site.
2. WDNR Fisheries biologist and Wildlife biologist should complete a feasibility study and master plan for the Kiel Marsh area.
3. WDNR Fisheries biologist and Wildlife biologist should work with the Sheboygan County Planning and Resource Department staff to update the Sheboygan Marsh area Master Plan.
4. WDNR Wildlife biologist should restore wetland basins on state lands on the Sheboygan Marsh.
5. WDNR should assist the Sheboygan County Land Conservation Department staff in obtaining stream bank buffers along all of the streams in the county.
6. WDNR should encourage all communities to adopt construction site erosion and stormwater management ordinances.
7. WDNR should encourage lakeshore owners to maintain and/or establish riparian buffers.
8. WDNR biologists should conduct water quality and fisheries assessments on Sheboygan Lake, Big Elkhart Lake, and Little Elkhart Lake as part of the Base-Level Monitoring Project.
9. WDNR biologists should conduct water quality and fisheries assessments on Crystal Lake as part of the Trend Monitoring project.
10. WDNR biologist should continue to conduct water quality assessments on the Sheboygan River at Esslingen Park as part of the Trend Monitoring project for streams.
11. WDNR biologists should conduct water quality and fish surveys on the Sheboygan River impoundments.
12. WDNR biologist should evaluate the distribution of zebra mussels in the Sheboygan River downstream of Big Elkhart Lake and impacts to native mussels in the lake and river.
13. WDNR Wildlife biologists should continue to collect waterfowl, small mammals, turtles, and swallows, for tissue analyses to determine toxic contaminant levels and health effects associated with the Sheboygan River Superfund Site.
14. WDNR biologists should collect and analyze fish for PCBs, pesticides, and mercury throughout the watershed.
15. WDNR biologist should encourage volunteers to start a Self-Help monitoring program on Little Elkhart Lake, Gerber Lakes, Wilke Lake, Shoe Lake, Graf Lake, Praeder Lake, Giltner’s Lake, Sy Lake, Little Sy Lake, Pauly’s Lake, and Bullet Lake.
16. WDNR should remove the Franklin Dam and restore the free-flowing river.
17. WDNR should determine the status of the Johnsonville dam and investigate the potential for removal.
18. WDNR should conduct a point source assessment after the Lakeland College discharge is relocated to the Sheboygan River.

The Onion River Watershed covers about 100 square miles. The Onion River flows southerly for about half its length before turning northward, entering the Sheboygan River in Rochester Park in the City of Sheboygan Falls. Belgium Creek is the only major tributary to the Onion River. There are two dams on the Onion River, which form the Waldo and Hingham impoundments.

Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural. The entire Village of Waldo, most of the Village of Belgium, and small portions of the Village of Cedar Grove and the City of Sheboygan Falls comprise the urban areas of the watershed.

Water quality in the Onion River Watershed ranges from excellent to good in the headwater areas to fair to poor in the lower sections. Sources of pollution degrading stream water quality are agricultural and urban runoff, and point source discharges. Excessive sedimentation and channelization limit stream habitat quality. Heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) contamination is found in the sediments in the East Branch of Belgium Creek. Impoundment of headwater areas for fish hatcheries negatively impacts water quality, trout and other aquatic life.

The Onion River Watershed was one of the very first watersheds targeted under the Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Abatement (Priority Watershed) Program. A follow up report found that the watershed continues to be affected by nonpoint pollution sources. The upstream reaches (above the Village of Waldo) continue to exhibit excellent to good water quality, while the downstream reaches continue to be heavily affected by agricultural runoff.

A summary table with general information about the Onion River Watershed follows. For more detailed information about the watershed, please refer to the complete Sheboygan River Basin State of the Environment Report.

Recommendations for the Onion River Watershed

Following is a list of actions recommended by WDNR staff for monitoring and management in the Onion River Watershed.

1. WDNR Wildlife biologist and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel should continue the restoration of wetlands along Belgium Creek in conjunction with the Conservation Reserve Program.
2. WDNR Wastewater and Water Resources biologist should determine the source(s) and extent of contaminated sediment in the East Branch of Belgium Creek and Onion River.
3. WDNR should assist the Sheboygan County Land Conservation Department staff in obtaining stream bank buffers along all of the streams in the county.
4. WDNR should continue land acquisition within the Onion River Stream Bank Protection Area as part of the Stewardship Program.
5. WDNR should encourage all communities in this watershed to adopt construction site erosion and stormwater management ordinances.
6. WDNR biologists should assess the impacts of the fish hatcheries at the headwaters Mill Creek.
7. WDNR Fisheries biologist should continue to implement stream habitat improvements on the Onion River in the Town of Lyndon.
8. WDNR biologists should conduct a water quality and fish survey on Hingham Millpond.
9. WDNR biologist should conduct a stream assessment on the Lima Tributary to the Onion River.

The Mullet River Watershed drains about 98 square miles in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan Counties. The Mullet River originates at the outlet of Mullet Lake in Fond du Lac County and runs generally east before joining the Sheboygan River in the City of Sheboygan Falls. The two named tributaries to the Mullet River are La Budde Creek and Jackson Creek. The watershed contains nearly 2 miles of Class I trout water, 10 miles of Class II trout water and nearly 35 miles of streams supporting a warm water sport fish community.

Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural. The City of Plymouth is the major urban area in the watershed. About half of the land area of the Village of Glenbeulah rests in the watershed, as well as small portions of the Village of Elkhart Lake and the City of Sheboygan Falls. Water quality ranges from good to fair in the watershed, and is affected by agricultural and urban runoff, point source discharges in the urban areas, stream channelization and dams.

The effects of dams and their associated impacts on stream water quality are well documented, especially in the Mullet River Watershed. The table below lists the environmental concerns associated with dams and their associated impoundments.

The WDNR conducted a study on the Mullet River near the Old Wade House State Park to determine the possible impacts of placing a dam on that section of the river. The Wisconsin State Historical Society, in conjunction with the Kohler Foundation is actively pursuing the reconstruction of the Robinson/Herrling Dam and sawmill as realistically as possible without actually impounding the Mullet River as a result of concerns about the affects upon water quality. The plans call for building a pond adjacent to the river from which the mill would be operated. Extensive water quality monitoring will be required for the evaluation of biological, physical, and chemical conditions in the Mullet River if this project comes to fruition. Including long-term assessments of the endangered mussel population present in the Mullet River.

A summary table with general information about the watershed follows. For more detailed information about the Mullet River Watershed, please refer to the complete Sheboygan River Basin State of the Environment Report.

Recommendations for the Mullet River Watershed

Following is a list of actions recommended by WDNR staff for monitoring and management in the Mullet River Watershed.

1. WDNR biologists should conduct a stream assessment on Jackson Creek.
2. WDNR biologists should evaluate the monitoring conducted by the State Historical Society for the Old Wade House Project on the Mullet River if the project comes to fruition.
3. Endangered Resources, Fish biologists, and Water Resources biologist should monitor the water quality and biological communities in the Mullet River for potential impacts associated with the Old Wade House Project.
4. WDNR biologists should assess the potential impacts to the Mullet River from the groundwater discharge by the Northern Kettle Moraine Utility Commission.
5. WDNR biologists should conduct a comprehensive stream assessment in the Mullet River from the Old Wade House State Park downstream through the New Paris impoundment.
6. The Mullet River Watershed should continue to be considered as a high priority for selection of nonpoint source management projects and funding.
7. WDNR should assist the Sheboygan County Land Conservation Department staff in obtaining stream bank buffers along all of the streams in the county.
8. WDNR should encourage all communities to adopt construction site erosion and stormwater management ordinances.
9. WDNR should encourage removal of dams on the Mullet River.

The Pigeon River Watershed is the northernmost watershed in the Sheboygan River Basin. Nearly half of the 100 square mile drainage area is located in Manitowoc County, while the other half is located in the northern portions of Sheboygan County. The Pigeon River originates from an outlet of Pigeon Lake in Manitowoc County. Many small tributaries converge on this outlet to form the larger Pigeon River. The river flows generally south and east to its’ confluence with Lake Michigan in the City of Sheboygan. Tributaries to the Pigeon River include the Meeme River, Fisher Creek, Grandma Creek and 9 unnamed tributaries. There are four named lakes in the watershed (Pigeon, Horseshoe, Spring and Jetzers) and many small, unnamed lakes.

Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural, but urbanization is proceeding. The Village of Howards Grove is completely contained in the watershed. Portions of the Village of Kohler and the City of Sheboygan also fall within the watershed. Water quality in the watershed is considered good in the headwaters area, and fair to poor in the lower reaches. High turbidity, nuisance algae and vegetative growth, low dissolved oxygen, high fecal coliform bacteria counts, and sedimentation all contribute to the poor water quality conditions in the watershed. Factors causing these effects include agricultural and urban runoff, construction site erosion, stream channelization and point source discharges.

Volunteer monitoring in the watershed is flourishing, and sets the Pigeon River Watershed apart from the other Sheboygan Basin watersheds. Area students are participating in the Testing the Waters Program, and young and old alike make up a team of water quality monitors as part of the Water Action Volunteers (WAV) program. Volunteers monitored throughout the watershed in 1998. The following maps show the macroinvertebrate and habitat rating scores recorded by WAV volunteers during the 1998 field season. These data benefit the WDNR by enabling more extensive and ongoing coverage of the waters in this watershed than what could otherwise be accomplished.

The monitoring results provided in the hard copy of the summary are not available electronically at this time. If you would like to become a volunteer monitor, or are just interested in more information about the Water Action Volunteers Program, please contact Pam Packer, WAV Coordinator at (608) 264-8948 or via email at packep@dnr.state.wi.us.

The summary table below has general information about the Pigeon River Watershed. For more detailed information regarding the Pigeon River Watershed, please refer to the full Sheboygan River Basin State of the Environment Report.

Recommendations for the Pigeon River Watershed

Following is a list of actions recommended by WDNR staff for monitoring and management in the Pigeon River Watershed.

1. WDNR biologists should evaluate the efficacy of using an Alum treatment on Jetzers Lake to isolate nutrients from the water column.
2. WDNR biologists should complete stream bank stabilization measures for the Pigeon River.
3. WDNR biologists should continue to work with the Water Action Volunteers in conducting water quality monitoring throughout the Pigeon River Watershed.
4. WDNR should assist in the implementation of the Pigeon River Nonpoint Source Control Plan.
5. WDNR should assist the Sheboygan and Manitowoc Counties Land Conservation Departments staff in obtaining stream bank buffers along all of the streams in the counties.
6. WDNR should encourage all communities to adopt construction site erosion and stormwater management ordinances.
7. WDNR should conduct Signs Of Success monitoring as best management practices get implemented as part of the Priority Watershed project.
8. WDNR should conduct a stream assessment of the unnamed tributary to Fisher Creek after the Lakeland College discharge is relocated to the Sheboygan River.