Friends of Badfish Creek Watershed

In 2006, Caroline Werner of Oregon, WI, learned that Badfish Creek needed protection and quickly got the word out to area residents. Those intrigued by the idea—paddlers, landowners, environmentally concerned citizens—started meeting to discuss what could be done to protect the health of the creek. And because they decided to address the health of the land through which the creek flows as well as its water quality, they chose the name Friends of Badfish Creek Watershed (FBCW) for this fledgling group.

Learning about the creek—from the history of its unusual name to changes wrought in the 1950s by the addition of treated effluent from Madison and Oregon to the creek’s popularity as a paddling route—was the group’s first task. They hosted public education programs led by stream experts like Biologist Jeffrey Steven of Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), Pete Jopke of Dane County Parks and Lands, Wisconsin Hydrogeologist Ken Bradbury, UW-Madison Limnology student Matthew Diebel, and UW-Madison professor Cal DeWitt.

In 2007, Caroline’s efforts led to FBCW becoming the first chapter of the Rock River Coalition. (The Badfish flows into the Yahara River which in turn flows into the Rock River.)

FBCW’s early projects included citizen stream monitoring, identifying and eradicating invasive riverbank plants, and stream cleanups. The first cleanup, held in September 2008, was funded by a grant from the Community Partners Program of the Dane County Environmental Council. About 45 stream lovers—mostly students—converged on Butter Factory Creek, a small, clear tributary of the Badfish which runs through Thomson Park in Oregon. In just over an hour, the crew gathered four huge plastic bags of trash, a big pile of scrap iron, and a long silt fence from the stream bed.

In the years that followed, FBCW has hosted more stream cleanups, public education programs, canoe tours, invasive plants eradication projects, a citizen stream monitoring project, and highway cleanups on Hwy 138 South. Year around, volunteers clear the stream of deadfalls and debris to make paddling easier.

FBCW’s two-year study (2020-2021) of elevated E.coli levels in the Badfish used Microbial Source Tracking at Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene to determine that the E.coli source is human effluent, not animal. With the use of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection at the treatment plant, the effluent discharged from MMSD makes the creek safer for recreation. Oregon’s Wastewater Treatment Plant will soon be adding UV disinfection during their facilities upgrade. WiDNR now uses our study to support effluent permit changes statewide.

In 2023, the FBCW adopted the Badfish Creek Wildlife Area through the WiDNR adopt a wildlife area program.  FBCW members and local volunteers have access for mowing the trails and maintaining parking lots. In 2025, that worked out to about 75 hours of donated operator and equipment time.

Two other major projects are the construction of canoe landings on the Badfish at Old Stage Road and CTH A. The latter project brought together the Town of Rutland, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, and FBCW. Stoughton High School students helped with both projects.

The Badfish Creek Watershed is located primarily in south central Dane County, extending into Northern Rock County. It contains both federal and state protected lands.

Maps of the Watershed

Badfish Creek Watershed Topo Map (PDF)

Badfish Creek Map of Land Cover (PDF)

Links to More Information

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Watershed Information – contains a wealth of information about the watershed

Badfish Creek Wildlife Area (PDF) – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Aquatic Plant Management-Badfish Creek (PDF) – from the Aquatic Plant Management Society

Local Landfill Near Badfish Creek – Public Health Assessment, City Disposal Corporation Landfill (A/K/A City Disposal Sanitary Landfill), Dunn Township, Dane County, Wisconsin

2006 Dane County Waters Assessment (PDF)

Dane County Wetland Resources Management Guide

Outfall Around Madison Lakes – an article about the Badfish from 1959! (pdf)

Japanese Knotweed at Riley Road Project-2014

The Japanese Knotweed project at Riley Road comes to a close this October (2014) with planting of native grass plugs from Agrecol. Thanks to our wonderful volunteer crew, the Friends planted 1200 native grass plugs from Agrecol today! And Agrecol donated one-third of those. Six different native grasses: Virginia wild rye, little bluestem, sideoats grama, switch grass and cord grass.

FBCW Presented with Protector Award from the Rock River Coalition

Lynne Diebel and Caroline Werner were presented the prestigious Protector Award for their many years of great efforts to protect the environment in the Badfish Creek Watershed.

Japanese Knotweed at Riley Road Project-2012

The knotweed is well on its way to being gone thanks to the vigilance of the Friend’s continued efforts in injecting and spraying. Now the challenge becomes controlling other invasive plants such as garlic mustard which are opportunistically moving in.

Japanese Knotweed at Riley Road Project- 2011

Great weather for the workday in October! The best news was that work done in previous years paid dividends in the scarcity of plants to treat. The successful two-prong approach was continued this fall: Spray the younger plants and inject those with stems large enough to get the needle into.

Japanese Knotweed at Riley Road Project-2010

We cut in June 2010 at Riley Road, foliar sprayed with glyphosate in July, foliar sprayed in September with Milestone, injected in October with Milestone. Scott recommends Milestone foliar spray when leafed out in spring (May or June). Lynne will monitor the stuff and update the group by email.

Japanese Knotweed at Riley Road Project-2009

Thanks to a $3,257 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) grant from the Wisconsin DNR, the Friends are partnering with the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the Rock River Coalition to eradicate the invasive Japanese knotweed at the Riley Road crossing of the Badfish.

Click here for WI DNR information on Japanese knotweed

April Knotweed Removal Party a Success-2009

On April 18, 2009, twenty-two volunteers–from Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin, River Alliance, Dane County Conservation League, Mad City Paddlers, Stoughton Boy Scout Troop 167, and other volunteers–worked with FBCW to cut and drag dead knotweed stalks to the landowner’s farm field where he burned them. A big THANK YOU goes out to our wonderful volunteers.

FBCW’s 2ND Annual Stream Cleanup-2009

On May 9, 2009, three girl scouts, two moms and a boy scout with his little brother and mom joined three members of the FBCW Plan Committee to clean the entire culvert and creek in Oregon’s Jaycee Park. The kids enjoyed the event, the cookies, the brownies and the juice, and the highlight for the girl scouts was finding a large leech that they named Fred; with adult encouragement, Fred was returned to the culvert before they left. Sharon Beall also collected six bags of debris from along the railroad and the creek from the railroad overpass to Kwik Trip.

MMSD Public Information Meeting hosted by FBCW-2009

May 21, 2009, Cooksville Community Center

David Taylor of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) presented a brief overview of MMSD’s 50-Year Plan, focusing on potential effects on Badfish Creek, and then opened the meeting to questions.

FBCW’s 3rd Annual Canoe Tour-2009

On August 15, 2009, 20 canoeists and kayakers from Stoughton, Oregon, Evansville, Horicon and Madison enjoyed a sunny day paddling down the Badfish, from the County Road 138 bridge north of Cooksville to Casey Road. Thanks to all who attended. And my sincere apologies to those who couldn’t attend because I failed to post the details on this Web site. Lynne Diebel