Of the five Minnesota streams that drain directly into the Mississippi River Lake Pepin watershed (MRLP), Hay Creek is likely the best known. With its abundant brown trout population, one-hour proximity to the Twin Cities, and multiple easements creating easy public access, Hay attracts both local and metro-area anglers, who can easily stop by for an afternoon of casting. Restoration efforts over the past several decades have bolstered both the quality of its fish habitat and its correlating popularity.
Read MoreBullard Creek: upland water storage limits erosion, but its sediment still impacts Wacouta Bay
Bullard Creek is a coldwater trout stream and one of the smallest creeks in the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin watershed. Like others, it is considered impaired for high levels of e-coli and is vulnerable to precipitation runoff and erosion. A long legacy of conservation efforts focused on water storage has protected Bullard from major erosion problems and the stream is considered to be in good condition overall. Sediment concentrations meet water quality standards, but it still carries sediment to Wacouta Bay, an area at the head of Lake Pepin that is also impacted by sediment from the Mississippi River via the Minnesota River.
Read MoreWells Creek: a dynamic stream with many trout, but rising sediment concerns
Wells Creek flows into Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River after passing through Frontenac State Park in Minnesota. 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. Its trout populations have been successfully re-established, but sediment concerns are rising again. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is now poised to designate Wells as impaired for aquatic life due to excess sediment.
Read MoreGilbert Creek: now proposed as exceptional water body
Gilbert Creek is a small trout stream that flows through northern Wabasha County, cuts across the easternmost corner of Goodhue County, and enters Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River just north of Lake City, MN. In 2011, it was listed as an impaired tributary due to elevated E-coli and poor fish populations and habitat. Since then, the fish populations and habitat have improved remarkably.
Read MoreWater protection efforts proceed in Miller Creek, even as E. coli situation baffles
Miller Creek is one of several small tributaries flowing into Lake Pepin out of the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin (MRLP) watershed. Originating about five miles southwest of Lake City in northern Wabasha County, it meanders northeast for several miles then turns east near County Hwy 9, entering Lake Pepin about a half mile south of Lake City. Its 11,000+-acre watershed includes an upland landscape of gently rolling croplands and pastures and a downstream landscape that drops steeply through forested valleys and grasslands. Like several other MRLP tributaries, Miller Creek is a designated cold-water trout stream. Also like others, in 2012 it was listed as impaired by fecal coliform bacteria, specifically E. coli.
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