Another Wisconsin river in trouble?

As you might expect, reasons for including various streams on the list are varied, including runaway development, unregulated mining, drainage of vital wetlands and misguided dam construction proposals. Other commonly mentioned problems are logging and road construction, water diversion projects, inadequate stream flow levels for fish and wildlife, and contamination by animal feeding facilities and other sources of pollution.

I've read the detailed reports with great interest over the last 23 years and am happy to point out that relatively few rivers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa have been cited as endangered. The nine included, in chronological order, are the Mississippi River (listed in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2004), the Wolf in northeastern Wisconsin (1995, 1997 and 1998), the Apple in Wisconsin and Illinois (1998), the Fox in Illinois (1999), the Salmon Trout in Michigan (2006), the Iowa in Iowa (2007), the Minnesota in Minnesota (2008), the Kinnikinnick in Wisconsin (2008) and the Lower St. Croix in Wisconsin and Minnesota (2009).

Why have these nine upper Midwest rivers been included? Again, for a variety of reasons. The Mississippi, for instance, has been cited for oil spills, hazardous barge cargo, ineffective flood control, agricultural runoff, industrial pollution, problematical locks and dams, etc. Pollution, this time from hog farms, led to the beautiful Apple River being mentioned 11 years ago. The Wolf, a National Wild and Scenic River, faced degradation because of a copper and zinc mine pursued by Exxon and the Crandon Mining Co.

A decade ago, American Rivers included the Fox because of "sprawl pollution" in the Greater Chicago area. More recently, the Salmon Trout made the list for acid mine drainage, the Iowa for "weak enforcement of the Clean Water Act," the Kinnikinnick for "toxic sediments," the Minnesota because of a proposed coal-fired power plant that would consume huge quantities of water, and the Lower St. Croix for "poorly planned development along the river."

Fortunately, there have been a number of encouraging success stories after publication of each year's list. One of these was the happy resolution of the long fight against a big mine at the headwaters of the Wolf. Two Indian tribes purchased the mine site, thus putting an end to the mine proposal. On the Kinnikinnick, the dredging of 170,000 cubic yards of PCB-laced sediments is under way. And the adoption of stronger rules by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has lessened polluting of the Iowa and other rivers in the state. You can read about these and other positive outcomes at the organization's website at www.americanrivers.org, click on Progress and Success.

The entire waterway is remarkably free of development, allowing paddlers, anglers, campers, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy a near-wilderness experience. The St. Croix-Namekagon is, indeed, a regional and national treasure. For canoeists and kayakers, the river system offers gorgeous scenery, terrific campsites, excellent accesses and a variety of paddling experiences, even a little whitewater.

In my opinion, both rivers are outstanding destinations for paddlers, all the way from Gordon Dam on the St. Croix and from Namekagon Dam on the Namekagon to William O'Brien State Park, on the Minnesota side, and Somerset Landing, on the Wisconsin side. The remaining 35 miles of the St. Croix is much wider and slower, and trafficked by lots of powerboats. Down in the Stillwater, Hudson, Afton and Lake St. Croix beach areas, in particular, the motorboats, personal watercrafts and sailboats are all over the place.

Like the upper river, the environs of the Lower St. Croix are lovely, especially the scenic wooded bluffs. However, according to this year's American Rivers report, "recent unwise zoning decisions (by local governments) along the state-managed section of the Lower St. Croix River threaten the experiences of all river users and call into question the commitments made by the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin to protect this nationally designated river segment."

The report specifically identifies several cases in which townships and municipalities have approved building construction near the river. Thus, American Rivers calls upon the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs to work with riverside governments to establish a moratorium on further zoning variances for river development projects.

Back in 1996 I paddled all 252 miles of the St. Croix and Namekagon and loved every stroke, except for the final 25 miles from Stillwater to the Mississippi. Unfortunately, my final day on the river came on a Sunday, when a strong wind out of the south and the wakes of motorized craft took all the fun out of this last, wide stretch. On a weekday, perhaps, you could expect less company from motorboats. I do remember how pretty most of the shoreline was on that day, however. Even if the final leg of the St. Croix is of little interest to most canoeists and kayakers, it would be a shame if this final stretch of a glorious river were spoiled by development.

One came from Riverkeeper, who wrote: "Mike, a few years ago, we developed the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail, which covers the Milwaukee River from Mequon Villa Grove Park to the confluence with the lake (this is where your book left off). We have become a National Recreation Trail as well as an ACA Recommended Trail. Check it out at www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/watertrail/watertrail.htm. Also, for those interested, please check out this link for more info on the proposed Estabrook Dam removal: www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/newsroom/2009damposition.htm."

Another, from RiverRunner, said, "I believe you are unfortunately mistaken about the dam in Newburg when you wrote 'it certainly serves no purpose now.' Unfortunately, the millrace is dammed up with cement, rubble and debris to create a 'well' of sorts from which, it would appear, the immediately adjacent fire department can fill its pumper trucks. Removal of the dam would cause the loss of this ready source of water for emergency fire services."

RiverRunner adds, "On each of a couple of occasions when I was up there this spring, I encountered folks who told me that removal of the low-head dam in Lime Kiln Park in Grafton may be more or less imminent. I have neither found nor seen any confirmation of this rumor through any online searches, though I do recall it was discussed back when the Chair Factory Dam was taken out just upstream."

There was more from reader and paddler Mike Healy: "Over the past five years I have paddled every section (of the Milwaukee River) from Newburg to the outer harbor in Lake Michigan. Most of the trips were at higher water levels, by design, and it made the trips much more enjoyable. I have attached several photos of those trips for your viewing pleasure. The downtown shot was last year during the Friends of Milwaukee River Canoes and Brews event. Good time for a good cause. The full river shot was at the Estabrook Ledge, which I successfully have run twice in a solo kayak in February of 2007.

"I have also paddled the Menominee River from Currie Park in Wauwatosa to where it joins the Milwaukee downtown. It is best run when water is high after a melt or big rain, and can be pretty wild for the less experienced paddler. I have also run the Fox from Mitchell Park in Brookfield to the dam in Waukesha. Keep up the good work and thanks for the great books you have put together. They have been very helpful for planning trips."

Once again, please keep the comments coming!

As might be expected from a hurried, perhaps knee-jerk, piece of legislation, the subsequent rules drawn up by the DNR showed signs of overkill and met with resistance from members of the Illinois paddling community and some owners of property adjacent to the dams.

Rule No. 3703 was scheduled for discussion and final approval by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in mid-June, but JCAR sent it back to the DNR. When the agency declined to modify it, JCAR insisted it be "completely rewritten," according to Tom Lindblade, president of the Illinois Paddling Council.

"We have been hearing for some time that Legislators were receiving large numbers of calls and letters but we didn't know what effect this was having until JCAR sent Rule No. 3703 back to the DNR with questions two weeks ago," Lindblade wrote in an July 15 e-mail.

"The 350-foot exclusion zones are not likely to again see the light of day, and the portages are likely to remain open. This is a clear reprieve for paddlers on the Fox, Rock, Kankakee, Des Plaines and Sangamon rivers," Lindblade wrote. He said the council hopes to assist the DNR in rewriting the rule.

In the best of all possible worlds, the dams on these and other Illinois rivers would be removed, like the South Batavia Dam on the Fox, or made safer, like the downstream dam in Yorkville, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon. In the meantime, there is a law on the books in Illinois prescribing safety mandates for dams on public rivers.