This article is part of a larger series that investigates what we know about local tributaries around Lake Pepin. Follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our e-newsletter so you don’t miss the next release. If you have information or pictures for other Lake Pepin tributaries, please email us at: info@lakepepinlegacyalliance.org.

By: Emily Green

Wells Creek in Goodhue County is a stream with a story--or several interwoven stories to be exact. Naturally dynamic, its flow and course have exhibited big changes over time. It runs through erosive terrain where sediment flows easily and is exacerbated by a century+ of agricultural land use. Largely because of sediment, its trout populations declined dramatically a century or more ago. They later were able to re-establish, probably because of efforts to slow runoff and erosion from surrounding farmlands. Sediment concerns are rising again and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is now poised to designate Wells as impaired for aquatic life due to excess sediment.

Aquatic populations declined, later recovered

Winding for 24 miles through Goodhue County’s blufflands and valleys, Wells is the longest of the five Mississippi River Lake Pepin (MRLP) watershed creeks draining into Lake Pepin. Presumed to have had a healthy trout population before European settlers arrived, its fish numbers probably dropped dramatically during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of habitat degradation stemming from agricultural development.

Long-time area resident Mark Diercks recalls years when trout were rare in Wells. “Back in the 70s and 80s, it was pretty unheard of to catch a trout. If you got one, it was really something,” he recounted.

According to MN Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) Area Fisheries Supervisor Kevin Stauffer, Wells’ degraded status was not new, nor unique, among SE Minnesota streams. “Back in the 60s, 70s, a lot of streams were still really beat up from the accumulated effects of historic land use practices that caused some pretty bad erosion,” Stauffer said.

He elaborated that streams became overloaded with sediment that degraded aquatic habitat conditions, in particular fueling water temperatures too warm for trout species, and smothering the pebbly streambeds needed for reproduction. Stauffer said that fisheries personnel actively stocked Wells with trout for decades but, from the 1950s through the mid-80s, stocking failed to result in self-sustaining populations.

Over decades, there have been many efforts to slow surface runoff and soil erosion from Wells’ surrounding lands including the installation of many buffer strips, and earthen dams that slow runoff caused by heavy rains (Goodhue SWCD: Trout Habitat Helpers). According to retired MN DNR fisheries biologist Randy Binder, those efforts have made a big difference for Wells. “You still wouldn’t call it a blue-ribbon trout stream, but that really helped the trout come back.”

The MN DNR continued to stock Wells annually through the mid-2000s but since then stocking has been gradually phased out as trout started naturally reproducing. “Now you see brown trout of all age classes, well distributed across the whole length of the stream, and some brook trout in spots, especially the colder tributaries,” declared Stauffer.

Sediment concerns are rising

Although Wells’ trout populations re-established, its sediment and habitat concerns have continued and may now be rising. The MPCA has been monitoring Wells’ water quality since 2006 as part of USEPA-mandated monitoring that requires all Minnesota water bodies be assessed on 10-year cycles . MPCA watershed project manager Kristen Dieterman stated that for the 2012 round, researchers “didn’t have enough baseline (or normal flow) data to make a good, data-driven decision regarding sediment , especially considering the fish and macroinvertebrate communities were in good condition.” Subsequently, the MPCA has reclassified Wells as a coldwater stream (previously a general cool and warm water stream), triggering some higher water quality standards.

Since 2013, Dieterman said that total suspended solids (TSS), the measurement for sediment, in Wells Creek has exceeded coldwater standards “much of the time” and in 2022 the MPCA will formally recommend that the Wells be listed as impaired for aquatic life due to excess TSS. While research is ongoing, MPCA Environmental specialist Joe Magee said that current fish and macroinvertebrate populations look healthy and meet standards in Wells, but that “excess sediment is a threat to future biological health.” Dieterman added that there is evidence to suggest “the condition of [Wells’] macroinvertebrate population is beginning to decline.”

Wells’ sediment and aquatic habitat situations are driven by a complex set of factors beyond surface erosion. For example, relative to other SE Minnesota trout streams, Wells is fed by a greater proportion of surface runoff than groundwater springs, which fuels warmer temperatures. Moreover, its current sediment situation stems from multiple interacting factors including topography, climate, and the ongoing effects of the historic erosion that altered its channel and flow. MN DNR watershed specialist David De Paz has been leading a multi-year effort to analyze Wells’ present sediment sources. While the work won’t be complete until winter 2021, findings thus far indicate that the majority of sediment now entering Wells comes from streambanks, not upland surfaces.

De Paz said there’s a tremendous amount of “legacy sediment” in the system–describing “8- to 10-foot high walls of sand” in some lower streambank spots—that was triggered by long-ago erosive farming practices and floods and now contributes substantially to Wells’ current sediment load. According to De Paz, the historic disturbance destabilized the creek by altering its channel and flow patterns, triggering a long-term process of Wells “fixing itself.”

Wells’ current unstable state, characterized by accelerated and sometimes dramatic shifting of its channel, is a natural stage in the process of finding a new equilibrium. He noted that when streams reach more stable states, they can better “handle” the amount of sediment flowing through them. But reaching a new equilibrium can take a very long time, especially when there are changing variables such as climate-related rainfall patterns.

Although most of Wells’ sediment now comes from streambanks, De Paz still stressed the importance of efforts at the top of the watershed to limit new surface sediment entering the system, emphasizing that his research is aimed at helping more effectively guide and target sediment management in Wells.

Dynamic, jumping delta

Wells’ current state of heightened volatility is a complex chapter in its story of natural shifting for millenia. That is perhaps most evident at its outlet into Lake Pepin, which has moved many times. In general, Wells has always transported sediment that forms a delta at its mouth. Over time, it accumulates enough to block the river’s flow and force a shift to a new location. This natural process has left its mark in sand beaches and protruding landforms including Frontenac State Park’s Sand Point.

Wells’ outlet shifted again within the past 10-12 years, resulting in a new delta now forming at Willow Point, much closer to Old Frontenac Village. Longtime resident Jean Pontzer lamented the latest move, noting “our bay used to have a hard, sandy bottom. Now it’s all mud and getting shallower.”

Jean and other neighbors have wondered whether a beaver dam at the previous delta caused the shift and, if so, whether it could be removed to allow the creek to return that direction. But according to Dan Dieterman, the dam may have temporarily contributed to the shift, but ultimately the creek found a new outlet because of a complex set of factors including gradient (or degree of incline in that stretch), sediment buildup, and sediment flow.

He said, “even if we would have had the foresight to trap the beaver and prevent them from building the dam in the first place, sediment deposition in the delta would still have forced a channel to form in its current location because of the gradient potential.”

Dieterman went on to reflect, “unfortunately there’s nothing [natural resource agencies] can really do when [shifting] happens naturally. It’s sad for those folks who lost their beach, but then I have to think maybe they’re gaining a tremendous wildlife viewing area. These delta mudflat areas are amazing resources for wildlife and for people to view wildlife.”

(If you look up the area on Google Maps and toggle between “map view” and “satellite view”, you can can see the most recent shift.)

Citizen engagement and future hopes

Among its stories, Wells Creek also has a long and impressive history of community engagement in its care and monitoring. The MN DNR chose Wells Creek in the early 1990s for one of its first watershed partnerships involving residents and natural resource agency staff. According to Beth Knudsen, its first coordinator, the Partnership sparked some of the first citizen stream monitoring work in the state, and a strong tradition of citizen monitoring of Wells that continues to this day. And while the Partnership has waned in recent years, a loose-knit group of landowners continue to host an annual picnic where DNR fisheries biologists conduct electro-fishing so as to provide a glimpse of the kinds and abundance of fish in the creek.

Beau Kennedy, Water Planner with the Goodhue Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), called it a popular and fun event. “Last year, more than 60 people showed up, including lots of kids, to see what the stream holds. Lots of trout!” he declared. Kennedy also stressed that the picnic provides an important opportunity to get the word out about conservation work being done throughout the watershed. Unfortunately, this year’s picnic is up in the air due to the pandemic. 

According to Knudsen, the Partnership’s existence and energetic community engagement has helped to elevate Wells on the radar of natural resource agencies and researchers, fueling the rich and growing body of research centered on it. And while water quality problems persist, Knudsen pointed out that the current sediment problems accumulated over the course of generations and “there’s no simple snap-your-finger solution to long-term sediment.” She continued, “the original [Partnership] goal of having vibrant natural communities functioning well in a working landscape, that’s truly a long-term goal . . . I think everyone is continuing to work on finding solutions that will lead to good outcomes for Wells,” Knudsen concluded.

[1] All five MRLP Lake Pepin tributaries were listed in 2012 as impaired for aquatic recreation due to elevated levels of E. coli. Wells Creek will again be listed with this impairment in 2022. For more on the E. coli situation in the MRLP see https://www.lakepepinlegacyalliance.org/lplablog/tributaries/millercreek.

[2] In 2012, the MPCA switched from using turbidity to total suspended solids (TSS) as its primary standard to determine whether water bodies meet standards for aquatic life. Turbidity is a visual measure of the water’s cloudiness. TSS is a quantitative measure of sediment concentration and can be used to create water clean-up goals.

[3] Impaired water lists for the state of Minnesota are updated every two years.

This article is part of a larger series that investigates what we know about eight Lake Pepin tributaries. Follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our e-newsletter so you don’t miss the next release. If you have information or pictures for other Lake Pepin tributaries, please email us at: info@lakepepinlegacyalliance.org.

Other articles in the series will be listed below as they are published:

Miller Creek: Water Protection Efforts Proceed In Miller Creek, Even As E. Coli Situation Baffles

Gilbert Creek: Now Proposed as Exceptional Water Body

Bullard Creek: Upland Water Storage Limits Erosion, But Its Sediment Still Impacts Wacouta Bay

Hay Creek: Restoration Efforts Have Made It a Top-Level Trout Stream

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Reports

Mississippi River Lake Pepin Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report (2015)

Mississippi River-Lake Pepin Tributaries Biotic Stressor Identification (2013)

Mississippi River Lake Pepin Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report (2012)

Emily Green is a writer, editor, and researcher with particular interests in environmental protection, climate change, and environmental civic engagement.  She has an M.S. degree in conservation biology from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in English.