Water Monitoring Project

The Friends of the Platte River Inc. recently trained six local families in water monitoring parameters as the first step in the implementation of a water monitoring program in the Platte River watershed. The families are affiliated with the Tri-State Homeschool Association. The families met in Memorial Park in Platteville in September 2010 to learn about becoming a Water Action Volunteer (WAV). The WAV training was performed by Kris Stepenuck, the volunteer stream monitoring coordinator, and Peggy Compton, the UW-Extension basin coordinator. The WAV training focused on 6 parameters that are used to establish the health of a river: temperature, turbidity, biotic index, habitat, stream flow, and dissolved oxygen. This was a hands-on learning opportunity where members of each family found themselves in the stream collecting water samples and testing for dissolved oxygen, filling up a tube with water and checking for water clarity, and scooping up macroinvertebrates and identifying the critters they found.

Besides learning how to collect the necessary data, the families were instructed on the implication of each parameter as an indication of stream health.

• Temperature is an important indicator of overall aquatic health. Warmer water tends to hold less oxygen than colder water and can cause higher plant growth and increase metabolic rates for organisms. Temperature fluctuation can make fish and insects more susceptible to environmental disturbances.  In addition certain fish require a specific temperature range in order to survive in a particular stream.
• Turbidity measures the transparency of water in a stream. Changes in clarity especially after a rain event can indicate runoff from construction sites, fields or other sources.
• Biotic Index is used to determine the presence or absence of certain macroinvertebrates in the stream. Macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones and different types respond differently to differing physical, chemical and biological stream conditions. The types of macroinvertebrates found can indicate the level of pollution in the steam segment.
• Habitat Assessment measures the overall conditions of the land adjacent to the stream. The land use will affect the water quality and the habitat.
• Stream Flow indicates the amount of water moving through the stream during a set period of time. Stream flow will affect the stream habitat as well as the types of organisms and plants that can grow in the stream.
• Dissolved Oxygen in the water is a requirement for the survival of both plants and animals and is influenced by temperature, turbidity, wave action and by both living and decaying plants in the stream.

Together, these indicators give a good picture of the health of the stream. The collection of such data can help decision-makers quantify stream quality and will assist in the determination of areas of the watershed in need of further action. The monitoring program also helps watershed residents learn more about the waters of the Platte River and how our behaviors can affect water quality.

The families were loaned supplies from the water education library and each family will monitor a stream segment in the Platte River watershed monthly over the coming year. For more information on becoming a Water Action Volunteer or for learning more about the process you can visit http://clean-water.uwex.edu/wav/.

"Hoppiness on the Platte" Event

On July 10^th Laura MacFarland, the Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator with the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and around 15 members of the River Alliance and Friends of the Platte River came to the Driftless Area to enjoy a few hours on the Little Platte River. Launching from the bridge on County O, they started their 2.5 hour journey.  Along the way, everyone was able to see how thick the Japanese hops are along the riverbanks. Everyone was also able to experience tight curves, riffles, pools and an area where a tree blocked about half of the river. This tree turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip because this obstacle was the cause of Tammy Enz and Mark Sethne going for a swim. Laura appreciated a couple of people from the Friends of the Platte River going for a dip to show everyone that there was nothing to fear in the water! After everyone exited the river at Church Road, we packed up the boats and headed to Potosi Brewery where we enjoyed appetizers, good conversation, and some of the finer hops in life. It was a fabulous day, with a wonderful paddle, and a great crew of people.

Japanese Hops Study and Control

The Friends of the Platte River have recently been awarded a $45, 050 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) grant from the Wisconsin DNR for the study and control of the aquatic invasive species—Japanese Hops in the Platte/ Little Platte watershed. The study will include a full-scale survey of the extents of the infestation throughout the Platte and Little Platte watersheds and exploration of eradication and control measures for Japanese Hops.

In August 2009 the Friends of the Platte River sponsored a Project RED (Riverine Early Detectors) training through River Alliance of Wisconsin. Participants learned to identify and catalog aquatic invasive species in the watershed. Through the training, Japanese Hops (Humulus japonicus) was discovered in many locations throughout the watershed.

Japanese Hops, native to Japan and eastern China, was introduced to the United States as an ornamental garden plant and is now found as an invasive species in many regions of the United Sates, including southern and western counties in Wisconsin. They reproduce by wind and water dispersed seeds. They form dense stands in floodplains and along stream banks and lakeshores but can also be found near roadsides and urban lots. Japanese Hops is a fast-growing, herbaceous annual vine. Its leaves are simple, opposite, and palmately divided into 5 lobes. Flowers are greenish and bloom in mid to late summer. Female plants contain oval seeds that remain viable in the soil for three years. Stems can be 8-35 feet in length and are covered with rough hairs. The plant can form a dense, almost solid, stand that outcompetes native vegetation and can displace native riverbank and flood plain vegetation, leading to bank destabilization and increased sedimentation in the streams of the watershed.

River Spirit Exchange Event

Forty students and young professionals from throughout the Midwest and beyond descended on Dickeyville on Tuesday, May 18 to learn about Japanese Hops and to participate in a pulling event. The project was part of a three-day event organized and hosted by the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students and Scholars, organized in 2006 and registered at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  The participants were involved in a camping and educational excursion in Wisconsin and Iowa to learn about working rivers and the potential of rivers as a cultural catalyst.  In the students’ words, the River Spirit Exchange is a cross-cultural event “to share our knowledge about rivers inherited from our ancestors and to explore new experiences that will connect us for the future.” The Exchange is a charter event for a people-to-people initiative called Rivers as Bridges that links the people of the Yangtze and Mississippi. Students from UW-Platteville and UW Madison participated. Other participants hailed from as far away as Harvard and University of Virginia Law School. About two thirds of the participants are from China and were anxious to learn about American culture, tradition and grassroots organization through this event.

The students were treated to a lunch served at the Dickeyville Community center provided by the Friends of the Platte River with snacks donated by local organic farmer, Darrel Hinderman. Mr. Hinderman also served as a lunch-time speaker, introducing the students to the field of organic farming. The Japanese Hops pulling event took place in the vicinity of Mr. Hinderman's farm south of Dickeyville. Cotton gloves used for the project were donated by Theisen’s in Dubuque.

The event served as a kick-off event for the Friends of the Platte River’s aquatic invasive species project. The invasive species project will also include a full-scale survey of the extents of the infestation throughout the Platte and Little Platte watersheds and exploration of eradication and control measures for Japanese Hops.

Lower Platte Sedimentation Study

In Fall 2008 UW-Madison graduate students—Benjamin Lee, Cory Anderson, Megan Corrado and Hoi Lai Tseung—taking a course in Sediment Processes and Engineering in Natural Channels under the direction of Professor John Hoopes undertook the problem of understanding the sedimentation in the Lower Platte River (LPR) and developing solutions to restore a stable channel in the lower Platte. This fall they completed their report with a historical account of the cause of excess sedimentation, an analysis of present sedimentation and flow rates and recommendations for establishing a stable channel in the lower Platte River. Important features of the LPR have been identified and used to propose a stable channel from the Hwy 61/35 Bridge to the Mississippi River:

• Instability in the Lower Platte River (LPR) was the result of a base level change introduced by Lock and Dam 11 in 1937;
• Low velocities in and excessive sediment supply to the LPR continue to cause sediment deposition and channel alteration principally downstream of the Banfield Bridge and probably upstream, though vertical accretion was not apparent in the field inspection;
• The channel width through the LPR appears relatively stable upstream of the Banfield Bridge and unstable downstream of the bridge, although the original LPR thalweg is evident downstream;
• The channel between the Banfield Bridge and the Hwy 61/35 Bridge cut itself off after the opening of Lock and Dam 11 to increase the bed slope and transport the sediment supplied to it;
• The slope of the LPR is about 0.000306;
• The low flow channel width at the Hwy 61/35 Bridge was 110 ft and 210 ft at the Banfield Bridge;
• The measured flow rate on November 15, 2008 was similar to the value obtained by scaling the flow at the Rockville gauge to the LPR by the ratio of drainage areas;
• The 100-year flood discharge is approximately 36,500 cfs;
• Suspended sediment is the dominant mode of transport, and medium silt is the median grain size;
• A yearly sediment supply of 80,759 tons is expected at the Rockville flow gauge, and a yearly supply of 196,211 tons is predicted to the LPR by scaling of drainage areas;
• The dominant discharge is approximately 5,500 cfs;
• A bankfull depth and width of approximately 7 ft and 140 ft, respectively, are expected for a stable channel cross section.

These data will be used to explore methods of attaining a stable channel (through methods such as parallel embankment or porous sediment fence)

Dredging of Banfield Boat Launch

Look for improvements at Banfield Park this spring when using the park and launching boats from the landing. Late last fall the boat launch area was dredged and access to the landing area was improved. This work was completed through the cooperative efforts of the Friends of the Platte River, UW-Extension, UW-Platteville students, Grant County Parks Commission and Paris Township.A

team of civil engineering students, Pat Gavinski, Brian Scott, and Pat Schultz from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville designed the improvements to Banfield Bridge Recreation Area.

The students evaluated  the launch site and erosion issues at the park and put together a very comrehensive plan to beautify the park and increase its useability. 

Well Testing Project

On the evening of May 29, 2008 over sixty local residents crowded into the commons of the Platteville Middle school to receive their individual results from our well testing project and participate in an educational program to learn about the results. Three levels of testing were offered in this program: a Basic Homeowners Package to give a good indication of overall water quality; a Heavy Metals package for those with concerns about the levels of metals in their drinking water, and a Triazine Screen which indicates the presence of pesticides in drinking water.

In total 76 Platte River watershed residents took part in the program.

The program was sponsored by The Friends of the Platte River, Southwest Badger RC&D, and UW Extension to provide residents of the watershed a ten dollar discount on their well testing.
Funding for the project was provided by the Wisconsin DNR through a River Planning Grant and a donation from Grant County Land Conservation.

Peggy Compton, our local basin educator explained the process of how water moves from the surface of the ground, into the ground, and through our wells using a ground water model.

Kevin Masarik, groundwater education specialist in the College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point explained the meaning of each of the tests and remedies for people with unsafe or undesirable results. He also mapped the results by general location throughout the watershed for comparative purposes.

In general, Kevin felt the ground water in the Platte River watershed was better than he expected for the geography and land use of our region when compared to results from other watersheds in the region—good news indeed!