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Pheasant Branch Creek drains the western portion of the Lake Mendota watershed, about 12% of the total area, supplying 5% of the total surface water runoff to the lake. It is fed by swales and brooks in farm and woodland atop the Milton Moraine, and crosses a large area of lacustrine plain that underlies much of Middleton. The Milton Moraine is a recessional moraine that foreshadows the glacial/driftless area boundary a few miles farther west at the terminal Johnstown Moraine. The striking transition from open, rolling country dotted with hills to a ridge/plateau and river valley landscape marks the boundary of the glaciated areas of Wisconsin. This boundary runs N-S just west of Madison and extends for hundreds of miles into northwest Wisconsin and south into western Illinois. It is perhaps the most significant geographical division of the state. Because it has a fairly steep gradient, and drains a lot of hilly terrain, soil erosion and other nonpoint pollution have led to chronic poor water quality in Pheasant Branch Creek. The tour starts at the small parking are on Pheasant Branch Rd., 0.7 mi. N of Century Blvd. A sign there marks a trail to Century Ave. The trail is steep and rugged for the first 0.3 mi., so you may want start out walking your bike. The trail levels off and gets wider once it reaches the creek. By car, take Pheasant Branch Rd. to Century Ave., turn R, then L on Donna Dr.; pick up tour route at Park St.

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Click on the image for a PDF version of the map.

Distance: 21.4 miles. Difficulty: Moderate, some long hills.

1. Pheasant Branch Creek Nature Preserve and Middleton Hills [both sides of Pheasant Branch Rd., between Balzer Rd & Cty M]. Observers have seen more than 175 species of birds at this large conservation park, which features lowland forest, a meandering stream, a sedge meadow, a pond and shrub and wetland habitats. On the west side of the road is the site of Middleton Hills, a development designed to be pedestrian-friendly by mixing commercial and residential uses at a medium density. Harking back to traditional neighborhood layouts, it is promoted as an alternative to low-density, suburban developments designed around automobile use. To accommodate expected development on both sides of the conservancy, the City of Middleton is installing sewer pipes through the marsh. Municipal sewage from Madison, Middleton and as far north as Dane is piped to the Nine Springs Sewage Treatment Plant in south Madison. The treated water goes to Badfish Creek and then the Rock River, outside of the Mendota watershed.

2. Pheasant Branch trail through downtown Middleton. Here, Pheasant Branch Creek follows quite a steep gradient, cutting a small gorge through lake sediments and glacial deposits. The stream channel has been stabilized with rip rap and retaining walls. Note storm sewer outlets at many locations along the trail. Middleton's impervious roofs and streets and the storm sewer system have vastly increased the amount of stormwater runoff draining to the creek. Storm sewers are designed to be self-cleaning, so leaves, soil from construction sites, grass clippings, road salt, oil, etc., are efficiently transported to the creek once they enter storm drains. Good yard management by homeowners, street sweeping, reduced salt usage and other practices can help keep stormwater clean (see Better Lawns and Gutters for information).

3. Pheasant Branch Creek at Park St. A survey of aquatic organisms done at this site was used to generate a "biotic index" that indicated poor water quality at this site, which was attributed to excess ammonia. County-wide monitoring from 1989-91 gave Pheasant Branch a low quality ranking among 18 streams and was considered "significantly impacted" by pollutants.

4. Much of Middleton is built on the bed of a glacial lake ("Lake Middleton"), which drained to Black Earth Creek. Mostly wetland at the time of settlement, it has been drained, leaving a flat, fertile plain. Once slow and meandering, Pheasant Branch Creek has been straightened and channelized, so that water drains more quickly.

5. Here a waterway, a grassy strip between crops, conserves soil. An intermittent stream that is a Pheasant Branch tributary crosses this farm. Careful grading and planting of this waterway slows runoff, prevents gully erosion and filters out soil and other contaminants. (see graphic)

6. Small wetlands on farms such as this one help protect water quality downstream by filtering out silt and taking up nutrients. Wetland enhancement and restoration projects are supported in the Priority Watershed program.

7. Contour strip farming to the south and streambank fencing to the east both conserve soil loss. Just upstream, Pheasant Branch breaks up into a number of small, intermittent streams and swales.

8. St. Peter's Church [Cty K at Church Rd.] Listed in the Registry of Historic Places, this 1901 church is constructed of locally quarried dolomite bedrock (magnesium-enriched limestone). Dolomite and sandstone bedrock are found in much of southern Wisconsin. Shallow bedrock is quarried for building stone, gravel and agricultural lime, while groundwater in deeper sandstone formations is tapped by municipal wells. This provides an excellent water supply, but increasing usage and decreasing groundwater recharge have led to a broad depression of the water table under Madison.

9. While this hill marks the watershed divide between the Lake Mendota and Wisconsin River Watersheds, the immediate areas on either side are small, closed watersheds, feeding several ponds. The divided water meets again in southern Illinois at the Mississippi-Illinois River confluence.

10. Note the southwestward trend of the valley, toward Cross Plains. The right side of the valley is part of the Milton Moraine, a recessional moraine formed when the retreating ice sheet paused long enough to leave significant debris. Slowly flowing away from regions of thicker ice, the glacier acted as a conveyor belt, picking up and carrying rocks from places sometimes hundreds of miles away to deposit them here at the melting edge, to leave stony, hummocky ground that is often difficult to farm. After reentering the Pheasant Branch/Lake Mendota watershed, stretches of the the Milton Moraine will be just to the west, forming the divide. In general, these areas are hillier than the rest of the watershed because the glacial ice sheet thinned out near its edges, and so had less impact on the pre-glacial landscape--which resembled the driftless (unglaciated) areas of southwest Wisconsin today.

11. [W of Vosen Rd, just S of Ashton Rd.]. With the trend of increasing numbers of livestock from herds of 40-70 to herds of 200-2000 on each farm, disposing of manure without contaminating surface water grows increasingly difficult. Applying manure with irrigation water is one solution that can occur throughout the growing season and is less labor intensive than conventional manure spreading. Nutrients from properly applied manure are incorporated into soil and ultimately taken up by crops.

Runoff from barnyards is another important source of pollution. Cost sharing is available under the Priority Watershed program to help farmers control it. Gutters, eaves troughs and other diversion structures keep clean water away from barnyards and reduce runoff volume. The dirty runoff is collected in settling basins that slowly drain to grass filter strips.

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