In January 2026, construction crews laid the last piece of rip-rap on the streambank restoration at Brothertown Creek. Over 1/3 of a mile of banks have been restored and protected for generations to come. Here are some stats on exactly what we did:

The Brothertown Creek is sited in an interesting spot – nested right between the Niagara Escarpment (or The Ledge as it’s known by us locals) and Lake Winnebago.

This area has some steep geography, with the elevation dropping very quickly. On top of this, historic deforestation and wetland draining/filling have resulted in there being few natural systems to slow and store water from rain and snowmelt. Agriculture is also the dominate land-use in the creek’s watershed, with results in additional sediment and nutrient runoff.

This means that Brothertown Creek experiences a lot of flashiness, or dramatic short-term increases in water levels and speed following rain and snowmelt events. Together, this all creates the perfect atmosphere for severe bank erosion and high levels of nutrients (specifically phosphorus) and sediment.

Check out how things are looking! Notice how the banks slope more gradually now and how sharp bends and corners are protected by rip-rap and rootwads?

By regrading, hard-armoring, and vegetating the creek’s banks, Brothertown Creek will be more resilient to heavy rains, have better habitat, and improved water quality.

Note: things are still looking a little brown and rocky. Once the weather starts to warm, the native seeds we sowed on the streambanks will begin growing, providing habitat and food for wildlife, while holding soil in place.

Once all those native plants are settled in and the weather warms, we will host a ribbon cutting and community event to share the benefits of this project with those who work, play, and live near the Brothertown Creek. Stay tuned to a date!

The other half of this project is to increase water storage in the Pipe Creek Watershed using ARTS (Agriculture Runoff Treatment Systems). By increasing water storage upstream, we will have less nutrients and runoff water heading for places downstream. This means less flooding, streambank erosion, and algal blooms, creating a more resilient watershed. Construction will begin on the ARTS in 2026 and early 2027.

While you’re waiting, please enjoy this video of winter creek sounds from the newly restored Brothertown Creek. Turn on close captioning to learn more about the project and the importance of streambank restoration!

A big thank you to Calumet County Land Conservation for partnering on and EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) for funding this project.

The Brothertown Creek is part of the larger Pipe Creek Watershed, located on the east side of Lake Winnebago. See the map below to get a better understanding of the project location.

Check out the Renewing East Winnebago page for more information on the project!