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Duck Creek, Wisconsin, USA

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All for your aquarium

United States, Wisconsin, Brown County

Duck Creek feeds into Green Bay, an arm of Lake Michigan. The creek supports the surrounding wetlands that circle the bottom of the bay. The greenery is most notably made up of cat tails, lily pads, duckweed, as well as various aquatic plants and macroalgaes. Decades ago the river was teeming with healthy game fish due to a rocky river bottom that supplied numerous sources of food.

However in the 2010s, an upstream dam was removed causing a high pressure flow of water. It wasn’t long before the current kicked up a significant amount of substrate producing a primarily muddy bottom. The river has gradually been settling over time, returning to its natural state. The dam removal project was intended to allow a clearer path for migrating fish, and appears to be paying off.

Submitted by
Luke Manty
Approved by
Fritz Rohde & Lawrence Kent
GPS
44.5618782, -88.0623932
Geographical region
Northern America
Drainage Basin
Green Bay
River catchment
Duck Creek
Water body type
Creek
Water body name
Duck Creek
Water body part
Marsh land
Water body course
Lower course
Water body: tributary of
Tributary name
Duck Creek

Videos above and below water


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Water Chemistry

Water information

Water type
fresh-water
Water color
Clear water
Water transparency
Medium
Concentration of sediments
Low
Water temperature
72 °C
Water flow/curent
Slow

Chemical parameters

pH
6.5
Conductivity
GH
dGH
KH
dKH
Dissolved Oxygen

Substrate in nature

Sand
Beige
Pebble/Gravel
Mixed
Stone
Grey
Stone form
Irregular
Silt/Mud
Brown
Leaves
Few
Driftwood
Few
Submerged terrestrial vegetation
Yes

Aquatic Biotope

Date of collecting
17 July, 2023
Collecting area
River bank
Water depth
0,2m
Air temperature
25 °C
Sunlight
Partial shade

Environment

Environment
Human settlements
Human settlements
Compacted
Surrounding area

Duck creek is a tributary of Green Bay. The area is surrounded by wetlands made up of cattails and pampas grass. Along the river banks are birch, maple, and oak trees as well as others.

The location experiences all 4 seasons reaching high 30s at times in the summers, then freezing over in the subzero temperatures of winter. Rainfall reaches about 88cm per year, during dry spells however the river will drop in level as water drains and stays out into the bay, this can also been seen in the spring when the ice thaws. Average year-round temperature is about 7°C.

Wetland plant:

  • Typha latifolia (Typhaceae) – cattail
Underwater landscape

The river is made up of large rocks and sunken trees in certain areas. It stays relatively shallow but has deep pockets that go past 3m. The floor is flat and muddy, dams upstream were modified and removed causing a new flow of sediment to be introduced creating a mucky almost slimy bottom. This has resulted in cloudy water that is gradually settling over time. Large bushels of aquatic vegetation can be found near the river banks.

Fish:

  • Micropterus dolomieu (Centrarchidae) – smallmouth bass
  • Perca flavescens (Percidae) – yellow perch
  • Percina caprodes (Percidae) – common logperch
  • Lepomis macrochirus (Centrarchidae) – bluegill

Crustacean:

  • Faxonius rusticus (Cambaridae) – rusty crayfish

Aquatic plant:

  • Cortaderia selloana (Poaceae) – pampas grass
  • Cortaderia selloana (Lemnaceae)– pampas grass
  • Salvinia minima (Salviniaceae)
Threats to ecology

The river serves as a channel for migrating fish and a place for feeding among its inhabitants. The wetlands surrounding the river also have a crucial role to the local ecosystem. The wetlands literally keep things from drying up during the hot seasons acting as a barrier between the water and dry upper land. It also hosts many species of animals from birds, frogs, and small mammals like muskrats.

Riparian zone

Trees near the aquatic habitat
Many -

Bibliography

Comment by the expert

Lawrence Kent: Personal connection to location is special.

Fritz Rohde: Not sure how much research was carried out based on bibliography etc. but designer knows the creek very well without it.