Watersheds_Content Page_Black Buffalo Trempealeau basins

Black, Buffalo, Trempealeau basins

The Black, Buffalo, Trempealeau basin is a group of three distinct mainstem river basins - the Black, the Buffalo and the Trempealeau, which drain to the Mississippi. This basin is part of the Great Western Rivers area of Wisconsin. The ridgetop and valleys of this particularly beautiful area of the state host forests and agriculture, respectively. The driftless terrain drains to the Mississippi's wide floodplains that can be viewed for miles from the region's steep bluff overlooks.

The basin includes many unique and rare aquatic habitats. Over 400 hundred miles of trout streams, which are generally in good shape, but urban and rural stormwater runoff, barnyard runoff and inadequate sod cover on streambanks contribute to water quality problems.

The basin also includes many natural channel streams or streams whose paths have not been channelized at any point in their meandering. These streams are rare statewide, but many are located in the basin. Some of these natural channel streams are Outstanding and Exceptional Resource Waters (ORWs/ERWs).

Another rare waterbody type in the basin is the kettle lake. A few kettle lakes, sometimes called pothole lakes, were created in the basin by the glaciers thousands of years ago, all of them in Taylor County. Kettle lakes are important because they make up most of the natural lakes in the basin. Most other basin lakes have been created with dams and other impounding structures, some originally constructed as many as 150 years ago or more.

Water resource information for specific watersheds

Black River

Watershed name/view details Watershed size Lists (streams, lakes, bays & harbors) Counties Water management unit (WMU) Major drainage system
Beaver Creek and Lake Marinuka 160.31 mi 2 BR02 Water lists Jackson, Trempealeau Black River Mississippi River
Big and Douglas Creeks 210.33 mi 2 BR03 Water lists Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau Black River Mississippi River
Black and Little Black Rivers 160.81 mi 2 BR13 Water lists Taylor Black River Mississippi River
Cawley and Rock Creeks 168.79 mi 2 BR10 Water lists Clark Black River Mississippi River
East Fork Black River 305.93 mi 2 BR07 Water lists Clark, Jackson, Wood Black River Mississippi River
Fivemile and Wedges Creeks 143.17 mi 2 BR08 Water lists Clark, Jackson Black River Mississippi River
Halls Creek 115.13 mi 2 BR06 Water lists Clark, Jackson Black River Mississippi River
Lower Black River 189.82 mi 2 BR01 Water lists La Crosse, Trempealeau Black River Mississippi River
Morrison Creek 178.14 mi 2 BR05 Water lists Jackson Black River Mississippi River
O'Neill and Cunningham Creeks 161.85 mi 2 BR09 Water lists Clark, Wood Black River Mississippi River
Popple River 216.76 mi 2 BR11 Water lists Clark, Marathon, Taylor Black River Mississippi River
Trappers and Pine Creeks 134.31 mi 2 BR12 Water lists Clark, Taylor Black River Mississippi River
Trout Run and Robinson Creeks 216.93 mi 2 BR04 Water lists Jackson, Monroe Black River Mississippi River

Buffalo-Trempealeau

Watershed name/view details Watershed size Lists (streams, lakes, bays & harbors) Counties Water management unit (WMU) Major drainage system
Elk Creek 112.95 mi 2 BT03 Water lists Buffalo, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Lower Buffalo River 275.43 mi 2 BT07 Water lists Eau Claire, Pepin, Buffalo, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Lower Trempealeau River 177.1 mi 2 BT01 Water lists Buffalo, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Middle Trempealeau River 205.47 mi 2 BT02 Water lists Jackson, Buffalo, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Pigeon Creek 93.15 mi 2 BT04 Water lists Jackson, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Upper Buffalo River 194.36 mi 2 BT08 Water lists Eau Claire, Jackson, Buffalo, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Upper Trempealeau River 175.54 mi 2 BT05 Water lists Jackson, Trempealeau Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River
Waumandee Creek 221.97 mi 2 BT06 Water lists Buffalo Buffalo - Trempealeau Mississippi River

Watershed plans

One watershed plan has been updated in this basin, which is an update to the Black, Buffalo, Trempealeau basin plan.