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Pine River, Willow Creek and
Poygan South
Priority
Watershed Project |
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General Watershed Characteristics
The Pine River/Willow Creek/Poygan South Watershed covers 308 square
miles, 49.3 of which are located in Winnebago County. Most of the
watershed lies in Waushara County with a very small portion in Waupaca
County. The west half of the village of Winneconne is the only
incorporated community in the watershed.
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Project
Goals
Sediment
Reduction: 34%
Phosphorus Reduction:
34%
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Stream habitat in the western half of the watershed is generally in
good condition. Streambank erosion and cattle access appears to be
minimal. Bank vegetative cover is generally good with diverse trees,
shrubs, and grasses. Habitat in the eastern half of the watershed is
generally fair to poor. Many of the tributaries, especially those having
direct drainage to Lake Poygan, have been ditched and straightened to
quickly convey water coming off the landscape. |
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Farming is of vital importance to this area, as agriculture comprises
nearly 65% of the overall land use in the watershed with the average farm
size being approximately 214 acres. Dairy farming is the predominant land
use at the present time, although cash grain farming is increasing with
corn, and soybeans being the principal crops grown. |
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Project
Status
The Pine River/Willow Creek/Poygan
South Watershed was selected as a priority watershed in 1995 and entered
the planning phase in 1996. An extensive inventory was performed to
determine the extent of impairment to the watershed due to non-point
sources of pollution. The inventory results were used to set pollution
reduction goals and eligibility criteria for the project. The watershed
plan was approved by the Land and Water Conservation Board in December
1997 and received authority to begin signing cost-share agreements in
1998.
To date there
are 83 signed cost-share agreements in the Pine River/Willow Creek/Poygan
South Watershed. This represents 4,909 acres that are signed up for
high residue management. Once implemented, these acres result in
sediment reduction of 4,318 tons per year and 6,477 pounds of phosphorus
saved each year.
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For more information, please contact Melanie Leet, PWR Project Manager,
at (920) 232-1950. |
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