Manitowoc River Guide - Wisconsin Maritime Museum

What is a watershed?
“The land area that drains water to a particular
stream, river, or lake. It is a land feature that
can be identified by tracing a line along the
highest elevations between two areas on a map,
often a ridge.” http://water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html
Manitowoc
River
Guide
The Manitowoc River watershed is all the land
area that drains to the mouth of the River and
into Lake Michigan.
Why are watersheds important?
Watersheds support a wide variety of plants and
wildlife, supply drinking water, provide
recreation, and sustain life. Watersheds cross
city, county, and state boundaries, making
management of the watershed more complex.
What is the Manitowoc River Watershed?
The Manitowoc River Watershed is 542 square
miles, all of which drains into 7 rivers and
eventually into Lake Michigan. The watershed
includes land in Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac,
and Manitowoc Counties.
City
of
Manitowoc
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Please tell us about your experience
along or on the Manitowoc River!
Your constructive comments will help in our
pursuit of grant funding and sponsorships that
will continue to improve the River Guide
brochures and your experiences on or along
the river.
Visit Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed’s
webpage to share your story or comments.
The Manitowoc
River Watershed
http://bit.ly/GuideSurvey
Or share your story on the
Friends of the Manitowoc
River Watershed Facebook page!
A list of references for the sources of the information provided in this River Guide is available
on the Friends of the Manitowoc River
Watershed’s website.
http://bit.ly/GuideSources
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THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE OUR
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WATERSHED A HEALTHIER AND MORE
Lake
Michigan
Map of the Manitowoc River Watershed
identifying the 6 rivers that flow into the
Manitowoc River.
• Main branch of the Manitowoc River (1)
• South Branch Manitowoc River (2)
• North Branch Manitowoc River (3)
• Branch River (4)
• Tributaries—Pine Creek (5), Mud Creek (6), Killsnake
River (7)
BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE!
To find out more about how you can help keep our river
and lakes clean, please email
fmrwinfo@gmail.com
Mud Creek, pictured in the
foreground, flowing from left to
right to join the Manitowoc River,
seen in the background.
What is Runoff?
Manitowoc River Characteristics
Downstream
North Branch
• Rocky, shallow, quick
flowing, drops 12 feet
each mile.
• Paddling is best in the
spring and fall.
• Starts near Brillion
Marsh
• Flows slowly for 10 miles.
• During dry periods,
there is no measurable
flow.
Clarks
Mills
All of the water draining the 542 square mile
watershed eventually exits the Manitowoc River in Lake
Michigan. Along with the water are pollutants and
sediment washed off the land.
Point Source (can point to source) — Industrial and
Waste Water Treatment Plants
Non Point Source (from across the landscape) —
Farm Fields, Yards, Construction Sites, Streets
In the City, the
river is deep
enough for
large Lake
Michigan boats.
South Branch
Upstream
• Originates in northeastern Fond
du Lac County
• There are 2 impoundments (water
held back by a dam or confined in
an enclosure such as reservoir),
Hayton Pond and Chilton
Millpond, on this river.
• Wide, sluggish, and
marshy, drops only
1 foot/mile
• Good paddling in
spring, summer, and
fall.
Why is the Manitowoc River Water Brown?
In addition to sediment in the water, the
Manitowoc River water is brown colored due to
tannic acid. The decomposition of wetland
plants in the watershed leads to incompletely
dissolved organic materials (tannins) in the
water. The coloration is not harmful.
Average Streamflow (cubic feet per second)
Monthly Average Streamflow at the Michigan Avenue
USGS stream gauge. Seasonal patterns related to
snowmelt and spring rains, followed by lower flow in
River Average Streamflow
dry months,Manitowoc
are shown.
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Month
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Contaminants
Runoff may contain fertilizers, pesticides, manure,
herbicides, toxins, and sediment. It is estimated that
21,000 tons of sediment (1,000 dump trucks full) and
74 tons of phosphorus are washed into the Manitowoc River System every year.
Land Use in the Manitowoc
River Watershed
Why is Land Use Important?
• Land use influences the types and amounts of
pollutants that may be washed into the river.
• Estimated that 50% of the wetlands in the watershed have been lost. Wetlands absorb floodwaters to help prevent flooding, reduce sediment,
absorb nutrients, and provide important habitat.
• Historically, the watershed was covered in
hardwood forests dominated by sugar maples,
basswoods, and beech trees. Today, only 7% of
the watershed is forested.
Sources of phosphorous include fertilizers,
organic matter, and animal manure. Large additions
of phosphorus can stimulate the production of algae
blooms.
Fish in the Manitowoc River System
• Fish assemblages change in response to
habitat changes in the river system.
• Near the mouth, anglers can catch migrating
trout and salmon, as well as river residents
like northern pike, catfish, and panfish.
• The impoundments of the watershed (areas
where water is held back with a dam to form a
reservoir) are home to species found in ponds
and lakes, like bass and panfish.
• In addition to sportfish, the watershed is also
home to many species of small fish, such as
minnows and darters.
• Before eating your catch, check the fish
consumption advisories for the area you are
fishing.
http://bit.ly/eatyourcatch
Photo Courtesy of the
City of Manitowoc
Photo of the mouth of the Manitowoc River. The
brown, sediment laden water from the river can
be seen mixing into Lake Michigan.
Sediments wash into the river from soil erosion
off fields and construction sites. Sediment
suspended in the water reduces aquatic plant
life and affects the ability of fish to see and feed
properly. Sedimentation destroys fish spawning
beds, clogs streams, and makes costly filtration
necessary for municipal water supplies.