About the Pheasant Branch Watershed

The Pheasant Branch Watershed encompasses approximately 24 square miles in the northwestern portion of the Yahara River Watershed . It includes areas within the towns of Springfield and Middleton, as well as the cities of Middleton and Madison. Other maps show the watershed in relation to the Conservancy and a detailed topographic map showing hydrography.

Prior to European settlement, much of the watershed drained into a large wetland located near what is now Middleton Municipal Airport (Morey Field). In the 1850s, early settlers drained this wetland and channelized Pheasant Branch Creek—creating what is now the North Fork—to enable peat harvesting and farming on an ancient glacial lakebed. These alterations, along with subsequent development, significantly expanded the drainage network, increased runoff, destabilized stream channels, accelerated erosion, and degraded water quality. They also reduced the wetland’s natural capacity to moderate downstream flows, protect water quality, and recharge groundwater.

Land use  is roughly evenly divided between urban and rural areas. The North and South Forks of Pheasant Branch Creek converge just west of USH 12 in Middleton and then flow approximately 2.5 miles to Lake Mendota. The North Fork, located in the Town of Springfield, is predominantly rural, while the South Fork, which runs through the Town of Middleton and the cities of Middleton and Madison, is largely urban.

Today, land use in the northern portion of the watershed remains primarily agricultural, resulting in nutrient-laden runoff entering Pheasant Branch Creek and ultimately flowing into Lake Mendota. This runoff carries substantial amounts of sediment and phosphorus, which degrade water quality in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and contribute to harmful algal blooms in Lake Mendota. Urban runoff from the South Fork similarly delivers significant loads of sediment, phosphorus, and other pollutants to the Conservancy and the lake. Pheasant Branch Creek is one of the three major tributaries contributing phosphorus to Lake Mendota.

Efforts are underway to reduce sediment and phosphorus runoff throughout the watershed. The Pheasant Branch Watershed is part of an innovative, multi-faceted strategy known as Watershed Adaptive Management. Through this approach—implemented locally as Yahara WINS—a partnership of approximately 30 stakeholders, including farmers, businesses, municipalities, the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, and Dane County, collaborates to implement conservation practices. These include cover crops, strip cropping, manure injection, streambank buffers, biofilters, and grassy swales, all aimed at reducing phosphorus runoff into the Conservancy and the Yahara lakes. In addition, a manure digester serving several dairy farms has been constructed within the watershed. The Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy strongly support these adaptive management efforts.