Des Plaines River Watershed in Southeastern Wisconsin

Abstract

The Des Plaines River Watershed is an important water resource in southeastern Wisconsin. Many streams, rivers, and tributaries contribute to the watershed and a change in the region will have an affect on how the watershed flows and operates. A change in the way land is used and the amount of people living on fhe rand will affect how the watershed adapts to the new people and additions. Has the change in land use affected the stream flow of the watershed? Has population growth affected the watershed stream flow? I will discuss these changes and how they have affected the watershed over the past 40 years and what kind of impact these changes have had. Using analysis of the watershed region and regression to find statistical significance, I gathered information on the past, present, and future about the watershed. · I found that population in the region has grown approximately 60% and land use change has increased, particularly in the commercial and industrial areas. Commercial land use is predicted to be 280% greater in 2010 than it was in 1990. Industrial land use is also predicted to be 420% greater in 201 0 than it was in 1990. Stream flow, however, has not changed as much as I predicted it would. The stream flow of the watershed fluctuates every year and that is because of the variation in precipitation every year. I still found the general trend in stream flow was up as the population rose and the land use became less natural