Pike-Root Watershed

Racine Harbor lighthouse at the mouth of the Root River, Racine, WI. Image: © Jeremy Atherton, 2007

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

The Pike-Root Watershed covers 410 square miles in Wisconsin and Illinois. Streams and rivers in the watershed drain to Lake Michigan. It includes 113 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Significant Natural Features

Chiwaukee Prairie in WI. Source: http://www.visitkenosha.com/things-to-do/chiwaukee-prairie

The Chiwaukee Illinois Beach Lake Plain was designated a Wetland of International Importance by the US government. It straddles the Wisconsin-Illinois border on the Lake Michigan coast. The Plain includes area within Pleasant Prairie in Wisconsin and Winthrop Harbor, Zion and Waukegan in Illinois. It includes 6 globally rare wetland types. It is home to the piping plover, Blandings turtle, and the eastern prairie fringed orchid, which are on lists of threatened and endangered species.

Image sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanding%27s_turtle; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piping_plover; https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/plants/epfo/EPFOsurvey5May2014.html; accessed 1/16/18

Other important plant species found in the watershed include Pale False Foxglove, Fringed Aster, and Prairie White-fringed Orchid.

The watershed is an important stopover habitat for migratory birds.

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.

Waukegan Harbor

Needed Actions

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

Data Source: NOAA

More information is available on the full fact sheet. Click below to read, download or print.

Go to Full Fact Sheet (PDF)