NATURAL RESOURCES
 Columbia
County Natural Resources Profile
Information on this page is taken from the Columbia County Land
Conservation Department's Land and Water Resource Management Plan. Their
assistance is greatly appreciated.
County Overview:
Columbia County is located in the south central part of Wisconsin. It covers
about 774 square miles and has a total land area of about 495,300 acres.
There are fifty-six lakes totaling 11,982 acres, of which Lake Wisconsin
is the largest with a total acreage of 9,000 acres. It also has 50 miles
of trout streams and includes 35 miles of the Wisconsin River. Portage is
the County Seat and largest city with a population estimate of 9,155. Four
cities, ten villages, and twenty-one civil townships are within Columbia
County. Agriculture is the main land use in the county that encompasses about
296,236 acres (60%).
Geology and Topography:
The entire county is underlaid with Precambrian bedrock which is igneous or
metamorphic. Some bedrock outcrop through the Cambrian layer of sandstone,
siltstone, shale, and dolomite. Preglacial, glacial, and postglacial erosion
formed the bedrock topography surface. Most of the bedrock valleys were part
of a preglacial drainage system. The bedrock surface ranges from about
500 feet above sea level in some valleys, to about 1,400 feet above sea level,
west of the Wisconsin River. Bedrock valleys that underlay and control present
surface drainage are filled with drift that form important aquifers.
The drift is largely glacial sediment laid down by the Green
Bay lobe during Wisconsin Glaciation, but they also include some
alluvium and marsh deposits. Distinctive landforms (end moraine,
ground moraine, outwash and lake plains) resulting from glaciation
are composed of sediment types determined by their mode of deposition. The
topography of Columbia County generally consists of a ground
moraine with gentle slopes. The valleys of Neenah Creek and the
Fox River occupy an area of glacial lake deposits characteristically
broad and flat. Land surface elevations vary from the Baraboo
area west of the Wisconsin River (elev. 1200 - 1400 feet) to
the Wisconsin River at Prairie du Sac (elev. 740 feet). The divide
that separates the Wisconsin River and Rock River Watershed is
1,000 feet to 1,150 feet above sea level.
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Fishery Resources:
Waters of Columbia County provide a diverse fishery resource. There are eight
named trout streams (50 miles), which represent the highest level of water
quality. Stocking maintains about 80% of these waters, as they lack habitat
conditions necessary for natural reproduction. Trout requires a high standard
of water quality. Thus, it is extremely important that good land use practices
are conducted in these watersheds.
Many watersheds of the county contain some trout water. They
include the Jennings/Roelke Creek system and the receiving portion
of the north branch of Duck Creek. Upper Prentice Creek above
Highway 78, supports a native brook trout fishery up into its
headwaters in Sauk County. Lodi Creek, which arises from a large
spring complex in Dane County, supports trout throughout, however,
because of natural reproduction within the city of Lodi, contains
its best trout population on its lower reach. The Rowan Creek
drainage and a tributary, Hinkson Creek, are the gems of the
trout resource, not only in the county but the southern portion
of the State. Upper Rowan supports an excellent native brown
trout resource and Hinkson, native brook trout. Finally, eight
miles of the middle portion of Rocky Run Creek maintains water
quality that supports stocked browns and some native brook trout.
There are nine waters, larger than 50 acres within Columbia
County, which support warm water fisheries. They include Lake
Columbia, Dates Millpond, Lazy Lake, Long Lake, Park Lake, Silver
Lake, Swan Lake, Lake Wyona, 9,000 acre Lake Wisconsin and the
35 miles of Wisconsin River upstream to the Kilbourn Dam in Wisconsin
Dells. Significant smaller waters that contain significant fisheries
are West Lake, Tarrant Lake, Spring Lake, Lake George, Curtis
Lake, and Crystal Lake (east of Pardeeville). Warm water streams
in the county with importance fisheries include the lower Baraboo
River, Big Slough/Neenah Creek, Crawfish River and tributaries,
Duck Creek system, and the Fox River. Dominant fish species in
most of these waters include largemouth bass, northern pike,
bluegill, and crappie. In addition, two waters support other
significant fisheries. They are Lake Columbia with hybrid striped
bass, catfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass, and the Lake Wisconsin/Wisconsin
River fishery of walleye, sauger, white bass, smallmouth bass,
channel catfish, and lake sturgeon.
Chronic detrimental factors affecting warm water resources are
sedimentation, agricultural ditching (wetland loss), high levels
of nutrients and developmental activities near riparian zones.
Acute influences from agricultural chemicals and manure occur
infrequently, but are direct causes of catastrophic fish kills.
Loss of spawning areas and fish habitat, periodic low oxygen
levels and over abundant aquatic plant growth are problems common
to most waters. Diurnal fluctuating discharge, from the dam at
the Dells, cause two to four feet water level changes, which
negatively impact aquatic life and downstream recreation use.
Invertebrates and forage fish species, though less documented,
are critical as food sources for larger fish and indicators of
detrimental environmental activity. Reduced species diversity,
and loss of intolerant species occur where habitat and water
quality have been reduced.
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Groundwater Resources:
Groundwater resources in Columbia County, are for the most part, of good quality.
There has been an increasing incident of private wells exceeding the recommended
safe nitrate nitrogen level of 10 mg/L (milligrams/liter) for drinking water.
Some wells in the county have columbiaed above the state standard for atrazine
levels. To help reduce the levels of atrazine in groundwater, Atrazine Prohibition
Areas are identified in the county. This means in these areas no atrazine
may be applied to the land. Columbia County has six Atrazine Prohibition
Areas, equaling about 80,000 acres, in portions of Arlington, Leeds, Hampden,
Marcellon, Caledonia, Courtland, Randolph, Lewiston, Fort Winnebago, Dekorra,
and Lowville Townships. For more detailed maps of the prohibition areas,
see the Columbia County Land Conservation Department or Chapter ATCP 30 of
the Wisconsin Administrative Code.
Two aquifers supply potable groundwater. The sand-and-gravel
aquifer supplies the groundwater for industrial, irrigation,
and municipal uses. The aquifer is composed of the permeable
sediments within the saturated unconsolidated materials. The
second aquifer is the sandstone aquifer. This aquifer is an important
source of water throughout the county. It is the principal source
for most municipal, industrial, and private domestic supplies.
To help protect groundwater resources, all municipal wells are
required to delineate a source area protection.
Much of the groundwater in the county originates from precipitation.
Between 1 and 10 inches of precipitation infiltrates and recharges
the ground-water resources annually. The greacolumbia threat
to groundwater pollution occurs in areas where highly permeable
sand and gravel are exposed, fractured bedrock is exposed or
thinly mantled with drift, or where depth to water is less than
10 feet. Some potential sources of contamination are from old
unregulated landfills, underground storage tanks, on-site waste
disposal systems, livestock manure handling and storage - including
barnyards, and septic disposal.
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Surface Water Resources:
Columbia County has numerous lakes, rivers, and streams. The various lake types
represented in the county are glacial, impoundments, excavations, and oxbows.
There are fifty-six lakes covering a total of 11,982 acres, Lake Wisconsin
being the largest. The Fox, Baraboo, Wisconsin, and Crawfish are the rivers
flowing through Columbia County. There are also fifty miles of trout streams
with ten miles being Class I trout streams (Prentice Creek, Roelke Creek
and Rowan Creek). Many other streams, springs, and ponds enhance Columbia
County's water resources.
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Wetland Resources:
A Wisconsin Wetland Inventory has been conducted for Columbia County based
on 1978 to 1979 aerial photography and a minimum size of 5 acres. This inventory
identifies 74,921 acres of wetland in the county. Acreage is not available
for wetlands less than 5 acres in size. This is probably less than half the
total wetland acreage that existed in the county prior to the late 1800's.
The wetlands are distributed throughout the county.
Three wetland habitat types are found in Columbia County; the
Emergent Wetland, the Scrub-shrub Wetland, and the Forested Wetland.
Each of these represents a unique ecosystem based on hydrologic
conditions, vegetation, and location in relationship to other
wetlands, drier upland sites, or adjacent water bodies.
Many large wetland complexes are associated with the stream
and river systems. These include the Wisconsin River, Fox River,
Baraboo River, Crawfish River, Neenah Creek, French Spring Creek,
Duck Creek, Rowan Creek, Rocky Run Creek, Hinkson Creek, Lodi
Spring Creek, Prentice Creek, Rowley Creek, and Beaver Creek,
Several large wooded tamarack type wetlands include the Lewiston
Marsh, Big Slough, and Hampden Marsh. There are numerous large,
shallow-to-deep self-contained wetlands that include Mud Lake,
Grassy Lake, Schoeneberg Marsh, Goose Pond, Swan Lake, Weeting
Lake, and Corning Lake. Several other large, shallow to deep
wetlands that are impounded include French Creek, Park Lake,
Wyona Lake, and Lazy Lake.
Much of the wetland drainage in the county has been associated
with increasing acreage suitable for agricultural production
and filling for urban development. This has resulted in degraded
water quality, loss of natural filtration and storage areas,
increased localized flooding, and loss of important fish and
wildlife habitats. Deep organic soil wetlands of significant
acreage were drained for organic or Amuck@ farming operations.
However, the trend seems to be turning. In just the past five
years, some areas have been removed from cropland production
and entered into the AWetland Reserve Program.@ This is a voluntary
program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore,
and enhance wetlands on their property.
In addition to providing habitat for fish, waterfowl, and other
wildlife species, the remaining wetlands are very important for
recharging of aquifers and the protection of groundwater quality.
Wetlands are extremely efficient at trapping and filtering out
nutrients and sediments contained in runoff and they provide
highly effective flood storage areas. It is critical the remaining
wetland resources in Columbia County are protected from further
destruction and restoration of previously drained wetlands should
be encouraged. Existing county, state and federal regulatory
protection mechanisms need to be integrated and enforced to a
greater extent than they are now. In addition, for the protection
of wetlands adjacent to lakes and rivers, technical and financial
resources for streambank and shoreline erosion control measures
need to be expanded.
Purple loosestrife is an invasive exotic plant species which
currently threatens the quality of our wetlands. Purple loosestrife
invades wetlands and shades out most native vegetation. It drives
marsh wrens and least bitterns completely from the wetland while
the numbers of muskrats and waterfowl decrease dramatically.
This results in elimination of our diverse wetland vegetation,
and any endangered or threatened plant species that may exist
there. One way to protect wetland is to stop the encroachment.
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Wildlife Resources:
Columbia County has a very diverse landscape that entails excellent farmland,
numerous lakes, streams, wetlands, and significant woodlands. The total acreage
of the county is 495,300 acres, of which cropland comprises 275,000 (55%),
woodlands 98,000 (19%), and wetlands (ie. farmed and non-farmed) 76,000 (15%).
Such a composite mixture means significant habitats exist for numerous wildlife
species. Wildlife populations include, waterfowl, deer, turkey, and many
small game species (squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, grouse, etc.), and fur-bearing
animals (fox, coyote, muskrat, beaver, otter, etc.).
The lakes, wetlands, rivers, and stream tributaries of Columbia
County have provided a prime waterfowl habitat for centuries.
The Department of Natural Resources has established several large
wetland areas and stream tributary systems as state-owned wildlife
area projects. Also, under the Waterfowl Production Area Program,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have protected some smaller
wetlands through land acquisition. These areas, and private lands,
provide very good duck hunting opportunities during the fall
season for primarily mallards, blue-winged teal, and wood ducks.
Significant numbers of migrating Canada geese use private farmlands
for feeding and resting during the fall and spring migrations. The
diverse landscape with its mixture of wildlife habitats has allowed
for excellent deer population to develop. Also, the excellent
woodlands of predominantly oak hardwoods have benefited the reintroduction
of wild turkeys. Wild turkeys have been restored to the county
and are common throughout.
Because the eastern and southern parts of Columbia County are
historically part of a prairie grassland environment that covered
much of southern and eastern Wisconsin, the Department of Natural
Resources initiated the Glacial Habitat Restoration Area Project
that includes the townships of Fountain Prairie and Courtland
in eastern Columbia County. This project is designed to restore
wetlands and grasslands on private lands and public lands to
benefit mallards, blue-winged teal, pheasants, and grassland
songbirds.
The county also has many special concern resources that require
protection and recognition in planning and implementing land
and water resource management. Many natural communities exist
around the county associated with private and public lands and
the waters of the county. These include various wetlands, prairie,
and forest and Oak-Savannah communities. Three species of endangered
plants, ten species of threatened plants, three endangered bird
species and four threatened bird species have occurred in Columbia
County. Other species of concern include eight threatened fish
species, three endangered reptile species, two threatened reptile
species, three endangered mussel species, three threatened mussel
species, and one threatened butterfly insect species documented
in the county.
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Forestry Resources:
Forested land comprises about 98,000 acres
or approximately 19% of the land area of Columbia County. The acreage by forest
types is as follows:
Pine....................................13,400
Oak & Hickory...................66,300
Elm, Ash, Maple...................4,000
Maple & Basswood..............9,800
Aspen...................................4,500
County growing stock is estimated at 131,400,000 cubic feet
and sawtimber at 315,699,000 board feet. Quality of woodlands,
like the soils of the county, vary from excellent to poor.
The demands on county woodlands are increasing on many fronts.
Development for housing, recreation, and strong markets for forest
products have all increased dramatically during the past few
years resulting in a rise in value of wooded acreage. The traditional
woodland values of aesthetics, soil and water conservation, clean
air, and wildlife habitats are frequently being degraded. The
fragmentation of wooded areas is especially destructive of woodland
values. While clearing for cropland and grazing of livestock
were the main threats to woodlands in the past, the development
of wooded areas for housing is currently the major threat to
county woodlands.
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Mineral Resources:
Mineral resources are abundant and contributed substantially to the development
of Columbia County. Large deposits of dolomitic limestone are available and
are used for Ag-lime, road paving, and riprap. The glacier deposited large
volumes of sand and gravel utilized for road construction and building construction.
Southeast of Portage, silicone sand is mined and shipped to foundries for
casting molds. The sand also is used for sand blasting and production of
glass in Portage.
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Soils:
Individual soil types, with specific and unique characteristics, directly influence
land uses. Sixty-nine different soil types are found throughout Columbia
County. These are grouped into 11 major soil associations that have distinctive
soil patterns, relief, and drainage features. The Columbia County Soil Survey
contains detailed descriptions for each soil type, including information
of suitability and limitations for various types of land use and land management.
The Columbia County Land Conservation Department extensively uses the soils
information and related data in determining cropland soil erosion estimates
and sediment load calculations.
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Land Use Trends:
Of twenty-one towns in Columbia County, five (Lodi, Pacific, Dekorra, West
Point, and Arlington) account for 39% of the County's growth over the past
seven years. This is due to easy access to major transportation routes to
the Madison area. Between 1990 and 1996, Columbia County experienced a 6.1%
increase in population. This is 20% higher than the state average, but about
average for the area. The 1997 estimated population of Columbia County was
48,590. Agriculture is the dominant land use in Columbia County despite an
11% decrease (33,395 acres) in agricultural land and a 47% increase (5,821
acres) in residential land use. These changes have often resulted in an increased
impairment of natural resources due to construction site erosion, increased
volume of runoff, and polluted runoff.
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Agricultural Trends:
Columbia County has predominantly been a cash-grain-operation county
and has declined in the number of dairy operations. Following is some current
data from the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Book:
The acreage of land in farms has increased from 354,000
acres in 1992, to 359,000 acres in 1997. Although this is
an increase of 5,000 acres of land in farms, in the past
six years the land actually being farmed has decreased by
33,395 acres. The number of farms increased from 1,520, with
an average size of 225.5 acres in 1992, to 1,740 with an
average size of 206 acres in 1997. Columbia County has lost
5,300 acres in cash grain (corn/soybean) operations. The
county went from 159,700 acres in 1992 to 154,400 acres of
land in cash grain operations in 1997. The number of cattle
in the county decreased from a total of 73,600 in 1992 to
63,000 in 1997. This is a decline of 10,600 cattle. Dairy
cow numbers in the county dropped by 4,100 animals.
Economic, political, and social factors continue to impact farmland
and related rural areas. These changes offer a challenge to all
the stakeholders in terms of the planning for and sustaining
of agricultural economic stability, diversifying farming operations,
and protecting natural resources.
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