Oneida County Stream Crossing Project
In 2020, Oneida County Land & Water Conservation staff began a project to examine and assess roadway stream crossings in Oneida County. Primary goals were to prevent/minimize environmental damage, protect public safety, prioritize culverts that need repair or replacement, and to share this information with infrastructure managers. Surveys continued in 2021 and will be completed in 2022, covering the majority of roadway stream crossings within all 20 Towns of Oneida County.
In the first year, 105 stream crossings were surveyed in the Towns of Hazelhurst (n=7), Lake Tomahawk (n=2), Little Rice (n=32), Lynne (n=33), Minocqua (n=26), and Woodruff (n=5). In 2021, 92 surveys were completed bringing the total number to 197. These were located in Crescent (n=7), Enterprise (n=26), Monico (n=8), Pelican (n=25), Piehl (n=8), and Schoepke (n=16). Two additional culverts were examined due to special condition concerns. These were in the Towns of Cassian and Stella. Over 90% of river crossings are achieved through culverts.
The ideal crossing allows water and debris to move downstream unimpeded, does not obstruct fish and other aquatic life from moving up and downstream according to their needs, and allows water to flow downstream after major rainfalls. Important parameters to include when designing a culvert crossing:
Of the 197 crossings, nearly 65% posed at least a partial barrier to fish passage, with 14.6% creating a complete barrier. A portion of structures (16%) did not create a barrier to aquatic organisms. Condition of the structure is a common issue, with 32% showing major to severe deterioration. Erosion can have multiple deleterious effects on waterways, especially after heavy rain events: 8% of crossings were evaluated with erosion levels near or exceeding two tons per year.
For additional information see below:
https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/UWEXLakes/Documents/ecology/shoreland/background/fish friendly_culverts.pdf
All completed survey data may be viewed at the Michigan DNR HUB site
https://great-lakes-stream-crossing-inventory-michigan.hub.arcgis.com
(scroll to bottom of page, access surveys using the Stream Crossing Viewer or the Stream Crossing Dashboard) AND
Oneida County Interactive Land and Water Mapping app
https://www.co.oneida.wi.us/departments/li/land-records-system/
In the first year, 105 stream crossings were surveyed in the Towns of Hazelhurst (n=7), Lake Tomahawk (n=2), Little Rice (n=32), Lynne (n=33), Minocqua (n=26), and Woodruff (n=5). In 2021, 92 surveys were completed bringing the total number to 197. These were located in Crescent (n=7), Enterprise (n=26), Monico (n=8), Pelican (n=25), Piehl (n=8), and Schoepke (n=16). Two additional culverts were examined due to special condition concerns. These were in the Towns of Cassian and Stella. Over 90% of river crossings are achieved through culverts.
The ideal crossing allows water and debris to move downstream unimpeded, does not obstruct fish and other aquatic life from moving up and downstream according to their needs, and allows water to flow downstream after major rainfalls. Important parameters to include when designing a culvert crossing:
- Maximize structure width (at least half as wide as the average stream width).
- Structure length less than 30 feet, if longer than 30 feet provide refuge inside the structure.
- Floor of the structure should be as deep as and parallel with the streambed.
- There should be natural substrate inside the structure.
Of the 197 crossings, nearly 65% posed at least a partial barrier to fish passage, with 14.6% creating a complete barrier. A portion of structures (16%) did not create a barrier to aquatic organisms. Condition of the structure is a common issue, with 32% showing major to severe deterioration. Erosion can have multiple deleterious effects on waterways, especially after heavy rain events: 8% of crossings were evaluated with erosion levels near or exceeding two tons per year.
For additional information see below:
https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/UWEXLakes/Documents/ecology/shoreland/background/fish friendly_culverts.pdf
All completed survey data may be viewed at the Michigan DNR HUB site
https://great-lakes-stream-crossing-inventory-michigan.hub.arcgis.com
(scroll to bottom of page, access surveys using the Stream Crossing Viewer or the Stream Crossing Dashboard) AND
Oneida County Interactive Land and Water Mapping app
https://www.co.oneida.wi.us/departments/li/land-records-system/
2021 - Individual Town Reports
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2020 - Individual Town Reports
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Presentations
Click on the files below to view the Presentations
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Aired on March 25, 2021
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Aired on January 25, 2022
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