League of Women Voters Lake Michigan Region
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  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Join or Renew 2024-2025
    • Donate
  • About
  • Issues/Projects
    • Green Waters: Algae Blooms
    • Stormwater Education Project >
      • Useful Resources for All
      • Homeowner Solutions
      • Neighborhood & Regional Solutions
      • Manage Stormwater Protect Lake Michigan
    • Coal Tar Sealants
    • Native Plants
    • Watershed Education
  • Member Resources
    • League Administration
    • 2021 Annual Conference
    • 2020 Annual Conference
    • 2019 Annual Meeting Conference
    • 2022 Climate Forum
  • 2024 Annual MeetinG & Conference
  • New Page
  • Terms & Conditions: "Cruise for a Cause" Brunch 4.28.24

Lower Fox Watershed

hydrologic unit code 04030204
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The Highway 47 bridge over the Fox River in metro Appleton. Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WIS47BridgeOverFoxRiver.jpg
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Key challenges to the Pike-Root watershed

  • Fertilizer and pesticide runoff
  • Sediment, matter that collects at the bottom of waterways & the lake
  • Reduced stormwater holding ability due to urbanization & farmland expansion
  • eColi and other pathogens from farm animal and pet waste
  • Stream bank and bluff erosion
  • Invasive & non-native plants
  • Chloride pollution from road salt in street runoff
  • Loss of natural areas and wildlife habitat
  • Reduced groundwater levels and resulting higher levels of contaminants like radium
  • Several tributaries with higher levels of eColi, metals, sediments, and total suspended solids (very small particles that cause the water to look milky or muddy).
  • Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, IL is an Area of Concern, an area designated under the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in which beneficial uses are impaired due to human activities at the local level
Go to Full Fact Sheet (PDF)
The Lower Fox Watershed covers 638 square miles in Wisconsin. It encompasses Brown, Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties. The Lower Fox River originates at the outlet of the Lake Winnebago and flows northeast for 39 miles where it empties into the bay of Green Bay.

Unique Features of the Watershed

  • The Lower Fox Basin contains the highest concentration of dairy cows in the state of Wisconsin. There is currently not enough cropland available for land application of animal and other land applied waste.  
  • The watershed has the most paper mills in the world.
  • The main stem of the Fox River in the Lower Fox River Basin is fragmented by a series of 17 locks and 12 dams.

Significant Natural Features

Lake Michigan is the source of drinking water for the majority of the population in these counties. Community water utilities treat and distribute Lake Michigan water. These utilities report no contaminant levels exceeding US EPA quality standards.
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Waukegan Harbor

Needed Actions

Read More

  • Better target nutrient and pesticide applications to reduce runoff
  • Improve habitat and water quality with practices such as stream buffers and wetlands restoration.
  • Prioritize areas where sediments are entering waters from erosion and streams targeted in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource status reports
  • Study the impacts of dams on the Pike and Root Rivers
  • Factor changing climate and intensive storms into storm water management planning, and construct stream buffers, restore wetlands, and aim to retain runoff naturally
  • Support research on the movement of sediment and beach sand
  • Maintain and leverage the Clean Water Act's framework of State Water Quality Standards and Section #319 Watershed Planning
  • Maintain and leverage recent watershed projects of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
Wisconsin DNR Overview
USEPA
Watershed Central wiki

Watershed Plans

Pike and Root River Watersheds 
Pike River Watershed Plan
Root River Watershed Plan
Wind Point Watershed Plan
Oak Creek Watershed Plan
Waukegan River Watershed Plan
Kellogg Creek Watershed Plan
Dead River Watershed Plan
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
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Data Source: NOAA
League of Women Voters Lake Michigan Region
875 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 3100 PMB 239
Chicago IL 60611


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