Cedar Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 19, 2011 stream in southeastern

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

in the

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. The Cedar Creek watershed is a 330 km² (127 mi²) sub-basin of the larger

Milwaukee River The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the ...

watershed.

Description

Cedar Creek originates from Big Cedar Lake in the Town of West Bend and flows east into Little Cedar Lake. It then flows east through

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

before turning south, crossing State Highway 60 where there is a USGS

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

and briefly flows through Grafton before entering Cedarburg's north side. The creek flows through downtown Cedarburg, and empties into the

southeast of Cedarburg in the Town of Grafton. The lower section through Cedarburg is notable for its the steep slope, and early settlers made use of this by building several mills and accompanying dams. The lower portion of the creek through downtown Cedarburg until its confluence with the Milwaukee River is impacted by the milldams and

PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * P ...

pollution produced by

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and Amcast automotive. Numerous cleanups have occurred, including a 2018 cleanup from the Cedarburg Mill's pond to the Cedarburg Wire and Nail Factory dam was completed in 2018.

Mills

Several mills dammed the lower portion of Cedar Creek in the mid and late 19th century. The mills proved successful and had large impacts on the local economy. By the early 20th century many of the mills had moved away from hydropower to more reliable steam or electric power. Financial trouble for the mills began during the

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and continued into later decades as larger mills and factories outcompeted the small mills. By the late 1960s, all the mills had either ceased operations, and some buildings have been converted to commercial uses, while others were abandoned unused or demolished.

Flooding

Cedar Creek is normally a small low discharge stream, however like many streams it experiences regular flooding. In 1881, a sudden spring melt caused severe flooding that washed out all the dams on Cedar Creek except the one at the Cedarburg Mill. The flood also washed away at least one bridge. Large floods occurred in 1952, 1959, 1960, and 1975. In 1996, flooding washed out the dam at the

Concordia Mill The Concordia Mill is a former gristmill on Cedar Creek located in Hamilton, Wisconsin, United States. The limestone mill was built in 1853 by Edward H. Janssen and his brother, Theodore, along with a Mr. Gaitsch with locally quarried limestone ...

. Its millpond contained PCBs, and the washout complicated the cleanup by sending PCBs downstream.

Parks

Bridges

Notes

{{authority control Rivers of Wisconsin Rivers of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Rivers of Washington County, Wisconsin Superfund sites in Wisconsin