Black River reroutes through Tank Creek, leaving portions of riverbed exposed
By Jack Mulvaney
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HOLMEN, Wisconsin (WXOW) — Portions of the Black River along Highway 35 have dried up as the river naturally reroutes through Tank Creek.
The Black River flows nearly 200 miles before reaching the Mississippi River. But along Highway 35, part of that journey is changing as the river shifts its course through an area known as Tank Creek.
“We’re really watching history in the making here with this change,” said Meghan Jensen, a conservation warden in Trempealeau County.
Jensen said rivers naturally change course over time, and this shift has become increasingly visible in recent years. While much of the old channel is now exposed, it remains an active habitat.
“This is still a natural environment. It’s still habitat to many different animals, some we can see, some we can’t see,” Jensen said. “So, it’s very important that we do our part to protect that habitat.”
Visitors are welcome to explore the exposed riverbed on foot, but wardens say motor vehicles are prohibited.
“It’s illegal to operate a motor vehicle on the bed of a navigable waterway or its exposed bed,” said Trevor Tracey, a conservation warden in La Crosse County. “So, we’re seeing a lot of ATV, UTV vehicle traffic, and we’re trying to not have that occur.”
Tracey said wardens will continue patrolling the riverbed and enforcing the restriction. Violations can result in citations, and vehicles also risk becoming stuck in the exposed riverbed.
Wardens urge visitors to leave no trace, use caution around remaining pools of water and respect property lines, as the area includes both private and federally owned land.
If water does not regularly return to the old channel, Jensen said the landscape could continue to change as vegetation takes hold.
“Like we see on this sand bank now, we’re having vegetation start growing,” Jensen said. “If there’s an absence of water, we can just see that natural succession of maybe willow trees and other water, wetland types of trees and shrubs.”
The change does not extend across the entire Black River. Upstream along Highway 53, the river continues to flow normally. Along Highway 35, much of the water is simply taking a different route through Tank Creek.
For now, the exposed riverbed offers a unique look at a river naturally reshaping itself. Wardens say spring flooding typically brings water back into the channel, and they will be watching to see how the river changes next spring.
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