The Watershed
Image Credit: PublicCo on Pixabay.com
What Is a Watershed?
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that drains or “sheds” off of it goes into the same place—a river, stream or lake.
(National Geographic Encyclopedia – Watershed)
Each small watershed is part of a more extensive watershed for a larger stream or lake in the vicinity. These larger watersheds are, in turn, part of even larger drainage networks, and so on.
(Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)
Diagram Credit: Wolf River Conservancy
Map Credit: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
in Total Maximum Daily Loads Final Report (2020).
Upper Fox-Wolf Watershed
The Upper Fox and Wolf River Basins are two separate basins that converge within a series of pool lakes in Winnebago County before finally flowing into Lake Winnebago.
All the surface water drainage to Lake Winnebago is contained within these two basins. Lake Winnebago then outlets into the Lower Fox River Basin, where it eventually flows into Green Bay.
Map Credit: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
in Total Maximum Daily Loads Final Report (2020).
The Problem
Surface waters in the Upper Fox-Wolf Watershed are impaired by excessive phosphorus and sediment loading. These impairments adversely affect fish and aquatic life, drinking water supplies, recreation, and potentially navigation.
(WI DNR – Upper Fox and Wolf Rivers TMDL)
How Water Pollution Happens
Water Quality Standards
and Guiding Legislation
“Water quality” is a complex and dynamic term that is influenced by a wide range of factors. However, it is important to recognize that water health is influenced by different types of pollution from various sources.
Water Quality Standards
- The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972, dictates that states adopt water quality standards to protect, maintain and improve the quality of our nation’s surface waters.
- States identify waters within their boundaries that are not meeting those state water quality standards.
- Learn more about Wisconsin’s Water Quality Standards
Total Maximum Daily Load
- Defines the loading capacity, or the maximum amount of the pollutant that a waterbody can contain while continuing to meet water quality standards.
- Allocates the maximum allowable pollutant load incorporating both point and nonpoint sources of pollutants.
- Provides a framework for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and partner organizations to establish and implement pollution control and management plans.
- (US EPA – Impaired Waters and TMDLs)
Environmental Protection Agency Approval
The EPA approves, or rejects, states’ TMDLs. On February 27, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the Upper Fox and Wolf TMDL Report. This means the Upper Fox and Wolf Basins move into the implementation phase of the TMDL, where partners work to clean-up the waterways.
Want to Learn More?
The Upper Fox-Wolf Demonstration Farm Network is working to clean-up Wisconsin’s waterways. Explore the Non-Point Source Pollution our Network is addressing.
