Rapid Geomorphic Assessment Data for the Upper East River Watershed, Brown and Calumet Counties, Wisconsin

The East River is an agricultural tributary to the Lower Fox River and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Bay Area of Concern (AOC) in northeast Wisconsin. This tributary has known excessive phosphorus (P) and suspended sediment loads that contribute to habitat related impairments and downstream algal blooms. As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a stream corridor sediment budget study to estimate the spatial distribution of near-channel erosion and in-channel deposition of sediment and sediment-bound P. The Upper East River watershed is largely located in southern Brown County, with some headwater streams in northern Calumet and Manitowoc counties. In August 2022, rapid geomorphic assessments (RGAs) were completed in 15 stream reaches throughout the watershed to assess streambank erosion and streambed deposition. Additionally, samples of streambank and soft, bed sediment were collected in the reaches and analyzed for total phosphorus concentrations and particle size. The results of these field-based assessment and sample analyses were used to estimate annual streambank erosion and volume of soft sediment streambed deposition within each reach.