Oregon and Badfish Creek Watershed's, Why care?

 

My hometown is Oregon, WI which is a small suburb South of Madison, it is currently connected within a local water shed called the Oregon Branch. The waterbody's that supply this watershed are in multiple stages including unknown, impaired and good. There are currently three impaired body's including the Keenans creek which aquatic life is impaired due to nitrogen and phosphorous from non-point sources likely being runoff from the areas agricultural history however there are currently no plants to protect or restore water quality. Another impaired river is the Oregon Br which fish consumption is impaired also from a non-point source and is threatened by PCB’s. To help restore this river the village has initiated implementation to improve biological integrity, phosphorus total and total suspended solids. The third water body is unnamed and is a nearly 4-mile river running through the village. Similarly, its fish consumption is impaired due to pcb’s in fish tissue from non-point sources like nutrient runoff of pesticides, herbicides however it has no plans to restore the water quality.  

Although the watershed has multiple issues mainly from nutrient runoff, there is not much being done to improve the situation. This is a problem because the Oregon Branch water shed flows into a bigger and more important source titled the Badfish Creek Watershed. The Badfish Creek watershed is in south Central Dane County and flows into the Yahara River. It covers 66 square miles in a predominately rural area where agriculture is the primary land use. However, it is decreasing steadily and has dropped from 75% land use in 1990 to 55% in 2015 which can be looked upon as unfavorable or favorable as it is the main threat to the watershed. As Oregon's watershed and water treatment facility discharge to the stream it can play a key role in other sources water quality. Classified by the DNR as a limited aquatic life stream and indicating poor water quality it is important that more is done to improve water quality and limit runoff which is causing PCBs in fish tissue and decreasing water quality as this not only affects the citizens of Oregon but all those that its water source connects.  

Sources:

“How's My Waterway?” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://mywaterway.epa.gov/.  

https://www.carpcwaterqualityplan.org/watersheds/bad-fish-creek/ “Badfish Creek.” Carpcwaterqualityplan.org, 4 Mar. 2019, https://www.carpcwaterqualityplan.org/watersheds/bad-fish-creek/. 

Picture:

https://www.carpcwaterqualityplan.org/watersheds/bad-fish-creek/ “Badfish Creek.” Carpcwaterqualityplan.org, 4 Mar. 2019, https://www.carpcwaterqualityplan.org/watersheds/bad-fish-creek/.