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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Restoring Fish and Aquatic Organism Passage:A Milwaukee River Watershed Case Study
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Clean Rivers, Clean Lakes ConferenceMonday, April 30th, 2012Andrew Struck, M.S., Director
Ozaukee County (WI) – Planning and Parks Department
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Presentation Outline
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• Program Background• Aquatic Connectivity to Existing Habitat• Target Species - Native / Species of Concern• Impediment Types• Watershed-wide Conservation Approach
- Major Mainstem Dams- Large Scale “Public Works”- Small Scale “Conservation Corps”
• Environmental Monitoring• GIS Habitat Tool / Habitat Restoration• Lessons Learned – Adaptive Management
- Program Accomplishments and Setbacks- Stakeholder Coordination - Education and Outreach
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Planning and Parks
Department
Golf Division Tourism Division Planning Division
Ecological Division
Bird Conservation
Fish Passage Program
Fragmentation & Impediment Remediation
Monitoring Habitat Restoration
Education and Outreach Reporting
Invasive Species
Trails DivisionParks,
Recreation, and Culture Division
Ecological Division – Fish Passage & Habitat Program
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Program Location – Ozaukee County, WI
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Milwaukee River Basin
Map courtesy of http://basineducation.uwex.edu/milwaukee/resources/rivers.html
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Fish Passage Program Summary• $5.24 Million NOAA/ARRA Grant
Awarded (2009 & 2010): Restore Fish Passage in the Milwaukee River Watershed
• $1.48 Million USEPA GLRI Grant Awarded (2010): Enhancing Ecological Productivity
• $491,000 USEPA GLRI Grant Awarded (2010): Monitoring to Address 7 of 11 BUIs
• Program Scope• 18 tributaries • 4 main-stem dams• Develop GIS Model for
Prioritizing Habitat and Restoration Activities
• Water Quality Monitoring• Sediment Sampling• Fisheries Monitoring
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Theme – “Making Connections”
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Milwaukee River Basin
Map courtesy of http://basineducation.uwex.edu/milwaukee/resources/rivers.html
Renewing “Old” Connections….–Lake Michigan–Milwaukee River–Tributary Streams–Spawning and Rearing Habitats
….and Forming “New” Connections (Non-traditional Stakeholders) through…
Ozaukee County Elected Officials
MunicipalitiesBusinesses
SchoolsNGOs
Citizens / LandownersVolunteers
Collaborative Partnerships
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Primary Program Goals – Making Connections
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1. Removal of Fish Passage Impediments / Increased Connectivity to Existing High Quality Habitat
Measures: – Restored passability at inventoried impediments– Number of passable stream miles– Number of impediments removed– Presence of target species after impediment removal–Acres of existing wetland habitat made accessible
2. Support Career Development and Job CreationMeasures:– Labor hours created– Dollars expended
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Making the Most of What’s Left
• Desirable aquatic habitat has been lost or significantly altered
• Restored aquatic habitat is expensive to create and is commonly inferior to quality natural habitat
• Many pockets of quality natural aquatic habitat remain and are protected. However, many, if not most, are ecologically isolated
• Reconnecting isolated habitat restores its ecological function to the watershed and saves resources
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Fish Life Cycle – Aquatic Connectivity
Spawning
Critical passage barrier
Migrate up from Lake Michigan
Develop in wetlands
and streams
Fry
Larvae
Juveniles
Eggs
Adults
Critical passage barrier
Drift downstream to Lake Michigan
Milwaukee River Watershed Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Native Fish Swimming Performance
• Good for short distance “bursts” < 15 sec.
• Fair for “sustained” movements in velocities < 2 ft/s
• Poor for “prolonged” swimming
• Very Poor jumpers
• Require Low velocity (< 2 - 3 ft/s)
Short jumps < 8 inches Frequent rest areas
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Aquatic Species Passage
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Wisconsin Endangered Species• Striped Shiner
Source: pond.dnr.cornell.edu
Wisconsin Threatened Species•Greater Redhorse
Source: pond.dnr.cornell.edu
•Longear SunfishSource: library.marist.edu
•Ellipse MusselSource: library.marist.edu
Program Target Species•Northern Pike
Source: pond.dnr.cornell.edu
•WalleyeSource: utoledo.edu
•Lake Sturgeon (WI Special Concern)Source: pond.dnr.cornell.edu
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Target Species: Northern Pike• Valued Species• Historically Spawned in
Milwaukee River Tributaries• Require wetland
vegetation to spawn (e.g. sedges)
• “Burst Swimmers” – Vulnerable to Barriers
• Adults and Larvae Affected Differently
• Surrogate for a Wide Array of Organisms
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Impediment Examples• Major Dams• Poorly designed/ installed
culverts• Excessive water velocities• Pervious fill deposits• Channel-constricting bridge
abutments• Debris jams and channel
aggradation• Certain log jams• Sediment deposits• Invasive vegetation
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Watershed-wide Conservation Approach
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ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT
PROJECT Example PROGRAM Example
Planning Opportunity Landowner / Impediment
Measurable Outcomes
Metrics - Socioeconomic / Biological
Research / Design Immediate Needs
Permitting /Design & Engineering Criteria
Long term / Watershed Scale
Level of Effort / Priority – Inventories / GIS modeling
Implementation / Program Delivery
Objectives Construct Fish Passage / Remove Impediment
Multiple Objectives to Achieve Goal
Dams and Other Barriers (Public Works / Cons. Corps)
Monitoring / Evaluation
Demonstrate Success
Target Species
Identify Next Steps
Beneficial Use Impairments
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Milwaukee River Mainstem Dam Barriers
Newburg Dam Removal, Ongoing
Mequon-Thiensville Dam Passive “Nature-like” Fishway, 2010
Lime Kiln Dam Removal, 2010
Bridge Street Dam – Passive Fishway (Proposed)
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon-Thiensville Dam, Village of Thiensville
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon-Thiensville Dam – Fishway Construction• Fishway design
– Series of pools and riffles– Meandering stream channel– Less than 2% slope
• Entrance near face of the dam, exit through former millrace entrance
• Program electrofishing and underwater camera - passage success
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon Thiensville Dam – Nature-Like Fishway
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon-Thiensville Dam - Fishway Construction
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam, Village of Grafton
Map courtesy of Bing Maps
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam – Removal and Restoration
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam – Removal and Restoration– Removal incorporated slow draw-
down through historic raceway to minimize sediment transport
– Used blasting to fracture the dam structure – three separate blasts
– Long-term restoration strategies (e.g. seeding and tree planting)
– Planned educational signage and pedestrian bridge
– Budgeted Costs: $232,000
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Photo Credit: Jerry Kiesow
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam – Restoration11.19.10 – following removal 5.25.11 – 6 months after removal
6.16.11 – 7 months after removal 10.11.11 – 11 months after removal
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam – Public Access Amenities
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge Street Dam Passive Fishway Design
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge Street Dam, Village of Grafton
Map courtesy of Bing Maps
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge St. Dam – Potential Removal/Public Input– NOAA funds allowed option of removal or fishway construction– Public involvement process and April 2010 referendum – resident
support for keeping the dam
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge Street Dam Fishway Concept Design– Design required close
coordination with US Army Corps of Engineers, Wisconsin DNR, Ozaukee County, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Village of Grafton, Interfluve, Bonestroo, and local residents
– Design incorporates combination of “buried box” through dam at entrance and exposed naturalized channel daylighting upstream
– AIS, <2% slope, landowner preferences, upstream AND downstream considerations
– Budgeted Costs: $1.3 million
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge Street Dam Fishway Final Design
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Bridge Street Dam – Fishway Design
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Aluminum Stoplogs for AIS Control
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
AIS – Program Response Summary• Round goby
• Inconclusive ability to surpass existing downstream natural Milwaukee River gradient conditions or navigate fishway
• Predatory control increases as populations of various species improve
• Tiered Monitoring Approach and Plan• Sea lamprey
• USFWS criteria incorporated into fishway design
• VHSv• Bridge Street Dam not a full barrier to
fish / VHSv passage• Inconclusive evidence of VHSv prevalence
in watershed • Spread of VHSv by migrating fish far less
likely than by human introduction
“Given what we know to date, the most likely mechanism to infect new waters is through human actions that concentrate the virus in one location. Diffuse movement of the virus by fish movements does not seem to be moving the virus significantly."
"We also considered closing all of our fishways, but decided that the risk was much lower than human intervention vectors.“
- Michigan DNR Fisheries and USACE staff
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Aquatic Invasive Species – Conclusions• WDNR issued permit for “active” fishway,
requiring: • Construction of trap and sort facility• Only passage of lake sturgeon allowed• Fishway closure if impoundment water levels
rise within .25’ of spilling over western open channel wall
• V. Grafton (dam owner) rejected permit in 2011
“Take Home Messages”• Develop, publish and adopt objective, science-based
criteria for defining Great Lakes “boundary dams”• Recognize demonstrated value of passive fishway
designs for sustainable aquatic connectivity• Identify and involve regulatory “decision-makers”
early in the process
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Newburg Dam, Village of Newburg
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Newburg Dam - Structural Issues2009 WDNR dam safety inspection identified:
–Right abutment leakage
–Cracking present acrossentire crest
–Inoperable gates
–Embankment repairs
–Need for a detailedengineering study todetermine necessary repairs
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Newburg Dam – Removal Village of Newburg voted unanimously to remove the dam on 10/27/11
• Tight timeline – substantial completion by September 30, 2012
• Removal will reconnect 37.25 mainstem river miles (13 from Newburg Dam to Barton Dam in West Bend, 24.25 from Newburg Dam to Bridge Street Dam in Grafton), passively reconnect 33 upstream tributary miles
• Sediment characterization work completed
• Engineering and design ongoing
• Available NOAA funds - up to $650,000
• WDNR Dam Removal Grant $50,000
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Ozaukee County Road/Stream Crossing Barriers
• 644 Public Road / Stream Crossings
• Even More Private Road Crossings
• Even More Farm / Trail Crossings
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
“Large-Scale” ImpedimentsFredonia Creek – Low-Head Dam Trinity Creek– HWY 57
Lac Du Cours Creek– River Road
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
“Large-Scale” ImpedimentsFredonia Creek – Snowmobile Crossing
Ulao Creek – Stone Ford
Riveredge Creek – Utility Bridge
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
“Small Scale” Impediments
• 110 NOAA Sites• Up to 100 EPA Sites• Impediments Include
– Log Jams/Debris Jams– Sediment Aggradations– Invasive Vegetation– Pervious Fill Deposits– Railroad Ballast Deposits
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Unreliable Fish Passage Techniques
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Monitoring
Fish Surveys
Fyke Netting Creel Surveys Visual Surveys Electrofishing Larval Trapping eDNAFishway Camera
Water Quality
Continuous Monitoring
Discrete Sampling
Lab Analysis
Sediment Contamination
Coring
Lab Analysis
Fish Passage Program - Monitoring
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Fisheries - Fyke Netting and Larval Trapping• Fyke Netting (2010)
– Four Program streams– Six locations– 100 fish from 15 species
• Larval Trapping (2010/2011)– Nine Program streams and two
“control” streams– 36 pike larvae from one stream
(2010)– 34 pike larvae and young-of-year
from three streams (2011)
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Tributary and Milwaukee River Electrofishing• Tributary Electrofishing
(2010)– Five Program streams
and two “control” streams
– Over 2,800 fish– Confirmed upstream
passage at four of five remediation sites
• Milwaukee River E-fishing (2011)– Over 4,900 fish from six
sites– Over 400 fish tagged
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon-Thiensville Fishway Camera• Underwater Camera and PIT Tag
Readers• Since June of 2011:
– Thousands of fish– 30 species– 12 PIT-tagged fish– Other Wildlife (e.g. Beaver)
Beaver
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Environmental Monitoring – Tagged Fish
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Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Mequon-Thiensville Fishway Camera
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Water Quality and Sediment Contamination• Water Quality Sampling (2011/2012)
– Three continuous monitoring stations– 30 discrete sampling locations
• Baseflow and high flows
– Biological Impacts (Fish and Wildlife)
• Sediment Contamination Sampling (2011/2012)– Four sampling reaches
• Two impoundments• Two free-flowing reaches
– Biological Impacts
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
GIS Tool & Habitat Restoration: USEPA & WCMP
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• Program staff and partners will refine existing GIS Tools to:
• Overlap existing and potentially restorable pike spawning habitat with highest value riparian wildlife habitat to rank and direct restoration priorities
• Conduct habitat improvement demonstration projects (stream meandering, wetland restoration)
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Habitat Restoration – Wetland and Floodplain• GIS Tool Outputs
– Future wetland, in-stream, and/or floodplain restoration projects
• Sweet Property (Town of Fredonia)– Wetland enhancement and
floodplain connectivity project on Program stream (Sandhill Creek)
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
• Lime Kiln Dam Removal• M-T Dam Nature-Like Fishway• Bridge Street Fishway Engineering & Design• 35 Road/Stream Crossing Reconstructions,
22 Additional Planned• 138 Small-Scale Impediment Removals• Reconnection of 75 stream miles• 175+ Volunteers = 1,869 Volunteer Hours• Over 50,000 Labor Hours Created• Over $1.75 million Invested in Ozaukee
County Infrastructure Improvements• Info to over 5,251 people at 66 events• Agreements with 75 Different Landowners • National Awards & Recognition
Major Program Successes
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lessons Learned -- Stakeholder Buy-In is Crucial
• Program works closely with nine Cities, Villages and Towns
• 35 road/stream crossings & low-flow dams
• Three large dams
Improve fish passage AND meet infrastructure needs…….
NOAA/ARRA-Funded Expenditures, by Municipality (4/16/12)Municipality Conservation Corps* Public Works ** Dam Projects Totals
T of Fredonia $26,728 $56,521 $83,249
V of Fredonia $6,013 $106,636 $112,649
T of Saukville $61,706 $519,362 $581,068
C of Mequon $60,739 $453,054 $130,000 $643,793
V of Grafton $13,172 $110,273 $123,445
T of Grafton $6,082 $13,908 $19,990
T of Cedarburg $58,928 $58,928
V of Thiensville $867 $130,000 $130,867
Total $234,233 $1,149,481 $370,273 $1,753,987
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lessons Leaned -Stakeholder Support• NGO’s
– Develop/expand relationships, utilize mutually-beneficial efforts
• Landowners– Program staff working with
over 150 landowners throughout 2010-11
• Volunteers– Fulfilled time-intensive
environmental monitoring activities
• Universities– Internship opportunities and
student projects
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Education & Outreach – Awareness/Stewardship
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Fish Passage Program – Education & Outreach
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Lime Kiln Dam removal andfisheries featured in:
• Outdoor Wisconsin• Discover Wisconsin• On Wisconsin Outdoors• National and International Conferences
Media Coverage – Fish Passage ProgramMequon Thiensville Fishway featured in:
• Outdoor Wisconsin• Discover Wisconsin• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel• Aqua Kids• 2010 and 2011 Sturgeon Fest• National and International
Conferences• Underwater camera “live” on web
soon
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Fish Passage Program - Partners• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration• US Environmental Protection Agency• WI Department of Natural Resources• Milwaukee Community Service Corps• US Geological Survey - Conte Anadromous Fish
Laboratory • US Fish and Wildlife Service• Ulao Creek Partnership• Riveredge Nature Center• Mequon Nature Preserve• Carroll University• Concordia University• Marquette University• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee• University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point• University of Wisconsin Extension Service • University of Notre Dame• Milwaukee Area Technical College• Wisconsin Lutheran College• Great Lakes Sport Fisherman• Trout Unlimited• Milwaukee Riverkeeper• Inter-Fluve• Kapur and Associates
• Ozaukee County Tourism Council• Milwaukee Audubon Society• Wisconsin Youth Conservation Corps• Community High Schools• River Revitalization Foundation• Treasures of Oz• Urban Ecology Center• Ozaukee Washington Land Trust• Ozaukee County Land Conservation
Partnership• Ozaukee County (multiple departments)• Ozaukee County Volunteer Center• Ozaukee County Master Gardeners• Bonestroo • Environmental DNA Solutions• City of Mequon• Village of Thiensville• Village of Grafton• Town of Grafton• Town of Saukville• Village of Fredonia • Town of Fredonia• Town of Cedarburg• AECOM• Short Elliott Hendrickson
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Acknowledgements
Program OfficersJessica Berrio, NOAATerry Heatlie, NOAAJulie Sims, NOAARajen Patel, USEPAJennifer Conner, USEPA
2011 Ozaukee Fish Passage Program Staff
Matt Aho, Ozaukee County
Luke Roffler, Ozaukee County
Ryan McCone, Ozaukee County
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Acknowledgements - FundingNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration –
Great Lakes Program - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
US Environmental Protection Agency – Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
US Fish and Wildlife Service – Partners for Fish & Wildlife
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection – Soil and Water Conservation
Ozaukee Fish Passage Program -- Making Connections Across Our Watershed
Making Connections Across Our Watersheds
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QUESTIONS ?
Photo Credits: Larry Polenske
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