River and Stream Narratives of the Upper Chippewa Basin

Below are narrative descriptions for waters for which we have a description on file. Not all waters in the basin are listed below.

Beaver Creek, 1996

Beaver Creek, a Class II trout water for some of its length, flows into Butternut Creek. It has a forested watershed.

Butternut Creek, 1996

Butternut Creek flows through Butternut Lake and enters the North Fork of the Flambeau River. Butternut Lake, a eutrophic lake, is part of the statewide Long-Term Trend Monitoring program (See Lakes Report). A portion of Butternut Creek upstream of the lake is listed as Class III trout water in the Wisconsin Trout Stream Book. This segment is marginal as a trout water (Lealos 1993). The stream where it exits the lake is listed as Class II trout water. Data from the 1970s indicate some impact from the village of Butternut Wastewater Treatment Plant, which discharged to the Creek above Butternut Lake. The treatment plant has since gone to a groundwater discharge. There are two veneer mills in the village of Butternut that have had spills which could affect Butternut Creek or the lake. We have no recent information to characterize the water quality status of Butternut Creek. Town and country roads, and other nonpoint sources may contribute excess sediment to the stream.

Spiller Creek, 1996

Spiller Creek is listed as Class III trout water, but is not stocked in its upstream portions. Some modest agriculture occurs in the watershed.