Explore how Dane County's watersheds fit into the regional context. Surface water quality is influenced by watershed land cover; vegetative land cover will retain stormwater runoff more efficiently than developed or impervious surfaces, thereby reducing pollutants reaching local waterways. Learn more about the relationship between land cover & land use and notable water resources across the region.
Rock River Basin
- The Upper Rock River basin, in the northeastern corner of Dane County, is primarily agricultural. Many streams have been ditched and straightened and many wetlands drained to accommodate farming. Principle crops include corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. Agriculture can be linked with increased nutrient concentrations in surface water.
- The Lower Rock River encompases the Yahara River and its chain of lakes (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa) and much of the metropolitan Madison area. Urban and agricultural runoff water quality issues are prevalent in the basin, with the conversion of agricultural lands to urban development shifting stressors on water resources. Increasing developed areas leads to increasing runoff volumes from impervious surfaces. Groundwater contamination and withdrawal within this dense urban area also place pressure on groundwater resources.
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The Rock River is polluted, and the region is implementing a plan for improving the river's water quality. The Rock River Recovery is the project for the river's total maximum daily load (TMDL) of pollutants, as determined by the US EPA and WDNR. The goal of the TMDL is to restore the designated uses of impaired waters within the Rock River basin.
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Badfish Creek is a 13.2 mile stream which originates in Dane County, and flows east to the Yahara River which discharges to the Rock River. The creek is the recipient of effluent from the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and Village of Oregon sewage treatment plants. To reduce phophorus loading to the Rock River, MMSD established the Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (Yahara WINS).
- The East Branch of Starkweather Creek is 3.7 miles long and near the east side of Madison and discharges to the northeast side of Lake Monona at Olbrich Park. The Creek has been listed with chronic aquatic toxicity due to unspecified metals, degraded habitat due to sediment, low dissolved oxygen, and high concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Click here to learn more about efforts to reduce chloride sources in the watershed.
- The Waubesa Wetlands are the most studied wetlands in the state, located at the southwestern tip of Lake Waubesa. Click here to learn more.
Lower Wisconsin River Basin
- The Lower Wisconsin River is located in northerwestern Dane County and features cropland, forests, and grasslands. The basin drains to the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, which begins south of Prairie du Sac and flows southwest towards the Mississippi River. Agricultural land use and hydrologic modifications to streams and wetlands contribute to minor water quality problems in the basin.
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Black Earth Creek is a Class 1 trout stream in western Dane County and northeastern Iowa County. The Creek is prized for recreation by local community members and visitors, but it also presents flood hazard to the surrounding municipalities. The Black Earth Creek Watershed Green Infrastructure Plan works to provide flood protection and improve water quality in the Creek.
Sugar-Pecatonica River Basin
- The Sugar-Pecatonica basin is located in the southwestern portion of Dane County. The Sugar and Pecatonica Rivers flow south into Illinois before joining the Rock River in Rockton. Dane County is located in the headwaters of the East Branch Pecatonica, West Branch Sugar River, and Upper Sugar River. The Upper Sugar River Watershed Association is an active conservation group that works collaboratively with the farming community, gathers watershed data, conducts restoration projects, and educates the public about water quality issues.
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Badger Mill Creek is a Class 2 trout stream on the southwest side of Madison and bisects the City of Verona. The Creek's watershed is approximately 34 square miles of predominantly residential and agricultural land uses. The Creek is included on the state 303d list of impaired due to high phosphorus levels. Since 1998, the MMSD has discharged a small percentage of highly treated effluent from the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant as a means of maintaining baseflow in the Creek.