Muddy Creeks
When streams and rivers run brown and opaque from fine suspended sediments, they are certainly less appealing to the eye. After prolonged, heavy downpours we can expect to see larger waterways in a high and often discolored condition but when small streams turn to mud after light rains, we can usually fault human disturbance in the watershed for the sediment impacts.
Excess sediments washing from plowed fields or construction excavations is pollution. The particles of soil eroded from unstabilized land areas has many adverse effeects on the condition of the stream and the life in and around it.
Silt particles suspended in the water cause damage to fish's gills and make breathing difficult. Bacteria are often attched to silt particles and can cause infections. suspended sediments also block sunlight from reaching green plants that grow from the stream bottom. Sediments deposited on stream beds can smother fish eggs and the many types of small invertebrates that stream fish rely upon for food. Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for crops and other plants and most forms of are not as soluble as other nutrients such as the nitrogen compounds. Phosphorus is usually bound to small particles in the soil and when erosion occurs these fine soil particles carry the phosphorus into streams, rivers, and eventually larger bodies like the Chesapeake Bay where excess nutrients can cause severe problems such as algal blooms.
Controlling erosion and sediment pollution is the responsibility of everyone who disturbs vegetative cover on land surfaces. (Plant cover reduces the erosive effect of rainfall and root systems help to stabilize soils on slopes or stream banks.) Depending on the size of the area of disturbance, a construction project may require a written plan for controlling erosion be on-hand at the site or, in some cases, a plan must be submitted to the Conservation District for review and approval. The largest projects will require NPDES (National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System) permits and more detailed review.
The links below provide basic information concerning the Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation Plan process at the Conservation District.