Mineral Springs Creek

Drainage area at Sunset Road/CTH.CC is 1.42 square miles (as calculated by USGS StreamStats 4.0 Beta software).

At Ravine Street it has almost doubled (to a mere 2.74 square miles).

Park curbside where this little creek crosses S.Ravine St. (near Western Avenue).

There had been a short cement/corrugated iron ledge-drop at this location (as shown in the accompanying photo), with rocks filling the pool, but all of that has been removed, leaving this area flat and calm, eliminating any reason to put-in upstream of this bridge.

The easiest put-in will be on the downstream river-left side of the bridge.

A 5' dam at this location was removed in 2017. Stream banks were sloped back and denuded to facilitate that work. To reduce erosion, large boulders line the bed and banks through the twists and turns. Another project from November 2025 through March 2026, described goals of 'addressing severe erosion, habitat degradation, and infrastructure vulnerability', 're-grading the stream channel, stabilizing eroding banks, and implementing native vegetation plantings', 'outcomes include reduced sedimentation, improved stormwater management, enhanced fish passage, and increased habitat quality for native fish, birds, and wildlife'.

Numerous areas of woody debris were removed. Rocks and logs (secured in place) now break up the flow and armor the bed and banks. Much of the upshore area has sisal matting staked in place to stabilize earth until plants are more established.

All of this results in having this tiny creek the most potentially runnable I've seen it in 25+ years!

The 2017 project ended at this point, and the 2025 project began here and continued to the next road bridge.

This section should be walked to thoroughly check that flow is adequate to cover rocks, and whether wood may preclude passage before putting on upstream in any watercraft!

As listed in the alert at top of the listing, as of 2026, there is a large willow branch which broke from a tree and arches across the stream. It is presently high enough to allow clear passage, but that could change in time.

The creek bends sharply left/north, to head toward the street crossing.

Immediately upstream of W.Oakland Avenue, a row of cut off wooden posts jut vertically in the streambed (undoubtedly remnants of a long defunct horse-and-carriage bridge).

While any rapids here may merit no more than class I-II rating, the high potential for snags and difficult maneuvering suggest a much higher skill-level may be required!

We strongly advise looking upstream and downstream from the Oakland Avenue bridge to assure both ways look clear of obstructions before putting onto the creek!

Downstream of the bridge, private properties flank the stream, making it impossible to walk this stretch to scout for blockages. Having walked it at low water, I can attest that it was clear of any blockages as of spring, 2026, but that could change at any time.

An old 'plate gauge' (metal strip) is attached to the upstream river-right face of this bridge/culvert. It is visible from the sidewalk, but not easily readable unless you have binoculars with you. (Both shores are private property (upstream and downstream of the bridge), so there is no good way to get down to water level from the sidewalk.) Other than the binoculars method, the only way to get an accurate reading from the gauge will be from your boat as you come downstream.

Minimal summer flow (about at the bottom of the gauge) is 2', and the top of the gauge is 3'3'. I'm guessing that it will take at least 1' on the gauge to make this anywhere close to runnable.

Interestingly, both channels through the cement box culvert have cement blocks anchored (three across) multiple places through the culverts. The creek will have to be quite high to have enough depth to allow boats to pass through here.

On the downstream edge of S.Division Street, there is a short 'hydraulic jump' caused by the cement culvert. This may be a fun short 'boof', and might even provide minor play opportunity. (Good luck actually being here at a time which that might happen!)

As soon as you see powerlines overhead (and the power-plant dead ahead) look for a place to exit to river-left. (Exit from the creek may be quite awkward.) Walk through a little bit of woods to the stub end of Milwaukee Avenue.

Downstream of our recommended take-out, the creek approaches the WE Energies Port Washington Powerplant. At times of higher flows, the creek splits here. The historic channel heads left, and is quite narrow and filled with cattails and shrubs, making passage difficult-to-impossible. As the creek passes under the roadway to Coal Dock Park, very low-slung horizontal pipes span the creek at a height which precludes any safe passage.

The second alternative from the split would be to the right. Peak flows will spill over a cement wall into a channel which passes south of the WE Energies powerplant. Railings on that wall preclude dropping into the channel below. Rocky rubble lines the whole channel down to the lake. Having enough water to make this channel anything close to boatable is likely to be far too much water to make the bash-and-crash (down the narrow, strainer-and-sweeper filled main portion of the run) anything close to sane or do-able!

For the above reasons, it is virtually mandatory to exit the creek before this point!