Schmudlach Creek - WARCS Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This cache is part of the WARCS (Waushara Area Rivers, Creeks, and Streams) series.
There is not a designated parking area near the cache so use caution when deciding where to park.
The Schmudlach Creek, a major tributary in the Mecan River Fishery Area, meanders 3.67 miles in southwestern Waushara County before merging with the Mecan River shortly after it exits the headwaters area. The creek is rated as a Class I brown and rainbow trout stream from the point where the cache is located until you arrive at the beginnings of the creek. The last 0.88 mile from the cache to the point where the Schmudlach joins the Mecan is considered a Class II trout water.
The Schmudlach Creek has been designated as an Exceptional Resource Waters area. Wisconsin has designated many of the state’s highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters which provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat, have good water quality, and are not significantly impacted by human activities. ORW and ERW status identifies waters that the State of Wisconsin has determined warrant additional protection from the effects of pollution. These designations are intended to meet federal Clean Water Act obligations requiring Wisconsin to adopt an “antidegradation” policy that is designed to prevent any lowering of water quality – especially in those waters having significant ecological or cultural value.
ORWs receive the state’s highest protection standards, with ERWs a close second. ORWs and ERWs share many of the same environmental and ecological characteristics. ORWs typically do not have any point sources discharging pollutants directly to the water (for instance, no industrial sources or municipal sewage treatment plants), though they may receive runoff from nonpoint sources. New discharges may be permitted only if their effluent quality is equal to or better than the background water quality of that waterway at all times—no increases of pollutant levels are allowed.
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