About the Project

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is working with the Village of Wrightstown and Outagamie County to restore the section of Plum Creek that runs through the village with streambank restoration practices and ARTS.

With this project, we will decrease the amount of sediment and phosphorus entering the Plum Creek and Lower Fox River with conservation practices, while also reducing flooding, providing wildlife habitat, and increasing recreational areas along the Creek.

Check out our project’s goals:

Stop 618.8 pounds of phosphorus and 475.9 tons of sediment from entering Plum Creek and the Lower Fox River every year
Slow, treat, and store 44,352,500 gallons of runoff from agriculture lands before it enters the Plum and Lower Fox yearly
Restore 1.2 miles of Plum Creek streambank, improving riparian connectivity and wildlife habitat
Install ARTS to reduce downstream erosion, flooding, and nutrient loading by slowing, treating, and storing runoff water
Engage and educate watershed stakeholders

What’s the Problem?

Runoff, Flooding,
& Erosion

Due to the region’s history, many of the wetlands and forests of the Plum Creek Watershed have disappeared to make way for farm fields and urban development. That loss of natural storage means stormwater runs off faster. Straight ditches have replaced winding streams, sending soil, nutrients, and pollution into Plum Creek, up the Fox River, and eventually into Green Bay. That fast moving, excess water also makes the fragile banks of the Creek erode, sending additional sediment and nutrients downstream.

That’s why we’re using ARTS and streambank restoration techniques to restore over 1 mile of Plum Creek.

Project Location

The Plum Creek and its watershed (green area) are located in the far southeast corner of the Lower Fox River Basin (tan area).

The Plum Creek is a tributary to the Lower Fox River and eventually drains into Green Bay. Our project is located in Wrightstown at the very end of the Plum Creek – right before it drains into the Lower Fox.

In addition to the conservation happening at the project site, a public trail will also be added. This trail will give the public access to the beautiful Plum Creek. Stay tuned for a ribbon cutting!

What are ARTS?

a conservation solution

Agriculture Runoff Treatment Systems (ARTS) are a new, locally developed solution designed to treat and store stormwater runoff. ARTS effectively remove phosphorus, the nutrient that fuels algae, and sediment, while also helping to prevent flooding.

How ARTS work: Runoff water enters at the Sediment Forebay where it slows down and sediment settles out. From there, the water flows through Wetland Treatment Cells where wetland plants absorb phosphorus and trap sediment. In the final Cell, a deep Sediment Trap removes particulates that may remain. The last stop for the runoff water is the Phosphorus Removal System, which captures dissolved phosphorus. The now treated runoff water exits the ARTS into a local waterway, free of pollutants! Depending on the location, ARTS will look a little different. Some will have all of the parts of the system, while others may not. No matter how they look, ARTS are efficient and effective ways to slow, treat, and store runoff water!

What’s Streambank Restoration?

There are two main components to streambank restoration: reshaping the banks to their nature state and installing features that protect the banks from future erosion.

Streambank reshaping is a pretty straightforward process that involves re-grading the banks to make them slope more gradually. The more gradual slopes allow for increased water flow during peak times of the year and reduce flooding. Streambanks can be protected with a few different practices, including rip-rap, stream barbs, root wads, and native plantings. These all help to protect fragile streambank soils from fast moving water, resulting in less erosive, more stable streambanks.