Wisconsin has designated many of the state's highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters that provide outstanding recreational opportunities,…
The Pollutant Load Ratio Estimation Tool (PRESTO) is a statewide GIS-based tool that compares the average annual phosphorus loads originating from point and nonpoint sources within a watershed. The comparison provides a screening tool for…
The basin is divided from the Lower Chippewa basin for management purposes and includes portions of Iron, Ashland, Sawyer, Rusk, Price, Vilas, Chippewa and Taylor counties. Over 3,000 stream and river miles flow through the basin and with 156,200…
The mainstem Chippewa River is formed by the confluence of the West Fork Chippewa River (rising from the 14,500 acre Chippewa Lake, southeastern Bayfield County) and East Fork Chippewa River (rising from the wetlands of the Town of Knight in Iron…
Currently there are 39 species of mussels (commonly called clams) found along the Wisconsin portion of the Mississippi River. Their distribution varies between localized and rare populations to those that are more widely found such as the giant…
The Upper Mississippi River is home to over 119 species of fish -- more species than are found in any of Wisconsin’s inland lakes. Favorite sport fish include walleye, sauger, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, northern pike,…
Hunting Where is it legal to hunt with a Wisconsin license? You may hunt with a Wisconsin hunting license only in open hunting areas within Wisconsin. The commercial navigation channel, marked with large red or black buoys, is the state line in…
The Lower Rock River in south-central Wisconsin extends 48 miles from Fort Atkinson to the Illinois-Wisconsin border at Beloit. A large, low velocity, warmwater river, it is classified as warmwater sport fishery. The main stem only partially…
Groundwater is an important resource of the Lower Rock River basin. It is the source of almost all water used for domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial purposes in the basin. All of the basin's residents rely on groundwater for potable…
The Lower Rock River basin includes the portion of the Rock River below Fort Atkinson and its tributaries. The Bark River originates in Washington County and traverses the southern Kettle Moraine region before emptying into the Rock at Fort Atkinson…