Introducing:My HealthyStream

A Handbook for Streamside Owners

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Streams are the ‘life blood’ of the land, carrying the water that all life depends on

Healthy streams require good stewardsMy Healthy Streams provides basic principles

and practices towards good stewardship

Joint project of: Trout Unlimited and the

Aldo Leopold FoundationAuthors: Jack E. Williams • Michael P. Dombeck • Christopher A. Wood

Editing and Design: Jeannine Richards

2nd expanded edition includes new chapter on Urban Stream Rehabilitation

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What is a Healthy Stream?

C

Why do we need healthy streams?

Clean water

Fish and wildlife

Recreation

A place to play

Make our property

more livable

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Logs

Pools

Undercut b

anks

Riparian areas

Floodplains

Boulders

Habitat diversity

What does a healthy stream look like?

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In 2004, 44% of U.S. streams were not clean enough for

fishing or swimming.

Many streams need our help

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An area bounded by mountains or hills where surface water from rains

or melting snow converges into a single point.

What is a watershed?

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A Watershed has a job…Receive, store, release water

Job performance factors• Soil

• Terrain steepness

• Wetlands

• Vegetation typesand density

• Land use

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The 3 W’s – Water Quality, Wetlands, & Wildlife• Water Quality - Two Sources of Pollution

– Non-Point Source occurs as water flows over land picking up silt, nutrients, and pollutants.

– Point Source is easier to identify as a specific point (e.g. pipe or irrigation canal).

• Wetlands or riparian areas filter out the pollutants before they enter the stream.

• Wildlife and fish depend on healthy streams to create migration corridors and connect riparian areas.

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Map shows the native range of trout –but there are many introductions beyond these areas

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Trout Habitat Requirements

• Cold Water

• Clean Water

• Dissolved Oxygen

• Food

• Holding Habitat

• Spawning Habitat

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Small streams in good condition can be fun!

Thick overhanging vegetationkeeps the water cool for trout

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What can monitoring tell you?• What condition your stream is in and whether

it is improving or degrading over time;

• Water quality problems and their sources;

• What kind of restoration work is most needed; and

• How effective management changes are in achieving the desired condition

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Indicators of a Healthy Stream

Width-to-depth ratio < 10

Mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies

Streambank Vegetation

Habitat Complexity

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Benefits of Long Term Monitoring

• Baseline conditions• Seasonal variability• Annual variability• Management

effectiveness• Impacts from floods

and droughts

Careful observation, repetition, and accurate

recording are critical

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4 Steps to Habitat Mapping

3. Quantify Habitat TypesPools RapidsRuns WaterfallsRiffles

2. Measure Stream ChannelMaximum depth of larger poolsTransectsChannel widths

4. Classify Substrates (streambed material)

Clay CobbleSilt BoulderSand BedrockGravel

1. Conduct Visual AssessmentBank erosionBank undercutsIn-stream boulders/large woodAquatic vegetation

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Water Quality Monitoring• Pollutants

• Macroinvertebrates

• Temperature

• Sediment

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Monitoring Macroinvertebrates

Macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones.

• Aquatic insects

• Snails

• Clams

• Worms

• Crayfish

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Aquatic Insects

• Feed on algae, bacteria, leaves and a variety of decomposing organic matter

• Primary food for wide variety of fish

• Often swarm upstream reversing nutrient loss caused by downstream flow

• Different species vary in sensitivity to pollutants, which indicates health of streams

Stoneflies

MayfliesCaddisflies

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Collecting Macroinvertebrates

• Kick-nets

• D-frame nets

• Plastic tub

• Ice cube trays

• Tweezers

What you will need:

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The EPT Index: their presence indicates good conditions

E – Ephemeroptera (mayflies)

P – Plecoptera (stoneflies)

T – Trichoptera (caddisflies)

• Separate and count the different kinds of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies from all of the habitats.

• Adding the three numbers = EPT

Example:After sampling all habitats you have found:

4 kinds of mayflies3 kinds of caddisflies

+ 2 kinds of stoneflies EPT is 9 and equates to Fair

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Riparian Habitats

• The strip of land adjacent to streams

• Usually wetter and contains more lush vegetation

• Supports a large variety of wildlife

• Protects streams by filtering harmful sediment and pollutants

• Prevents erosion

• Shades streams during hot days

What is riparian habitat? Why is riparian habitat important?

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How wide should riparian zones be?

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Riparian Restoration Benefits

• Trees provide shade and woody material for streams

• Stream channels become narrower and deeper

• Summer stream temperatures are cooler

• Vegetation protects streambanks from erosion

• Vegetation filters out sediment and other pollutants before they reach the stream

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Successful Restoration Techniques Include:• Fence the riparian area

• Increase the width of the riparian buffer using native plants

• Narrow the channel to increase flow

• Willow weaving

• Instream fish habitat

• Culvert replacements

• Irrigation canal screening

• Create shallow wetlands

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Making Stream Restoration a SUCCESS!

• Address the core problems

• If root causes are out of your control, treat symptoms until the causes can be addressed

• Work with the stream to heal itself

• Add unrestrained large wood and boulders

• Do not rely on fixed artificial structures

• Monitor the results and be adaptive to future needs

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Urban Streams: conditions and problems

• Deepened and straightened stream channels

• Impervious surfaces

• Non-existent native streamside plants

• Filled wetlands

• Accelerated runoff from streets and lawns

• Overwatering of lawns

• Habitat quality declines and erosion increases

• Accelerated and flashy runoff

• Lacking shade to cool water and fish habitat

• No natural filtration

• Polluted streams struggle to support aquatic life

• Depleted stream flows

Common Conditions Resulting Problems

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Taking Steps to Improve Urban Streams

• Reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides

• Manage stormwater runoff

• Restore streamside vegetation

• Support local stream rehabilitation efforts

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Invasive Species• Without natural predators

and competition non-natives rapidly populate and crowd out native species

• Introduction of diseases and parasites are damaging to native species

Purple Loosestrife

Reed Canary Grass

Chinese Mystery

Snails

American Bullfrog (problem in West)

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The story of the New Zealand mud snail• First found at aquaculture facilities along

the Snake River, Idaho, in 1987• By 1995 they had spread to the Madison

River in Yellowstone National Park• Now found in at least 12 states• Can reach densities of 300,000 per

square yard!• Eliminates beneficial insects such as

mayflies

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Stopping the Spread of Invasive Species

• Clean and dry waders and boots

• Remove clumps of mud

• Avoid felt soles

• Remove and dispose of invasive plants

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How is climate change affecting streams?• Increasing stream temperatures• Causing earlier snowmelt and earlier

peak flows• Increasing the frequency and

intensity of severe weather, floods and droughts

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Combating climate change by increasing stream resiliency

• Reconnect streams to their floodplains

• Increase size of riparian zone

• Restore degraded wetlands

• Increase density and types of vegetation

• Reduce stormwater runoff

• Insure that culverts and bridges are of adequate size to allow floods

• Keep culverts functional by using trash racks and other means

Resiliency: the ability of a system to recover following disturbance

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Stream Health Requires Planning

• Long term vision for function and physical appearance

• Be sure to include five to ten year achievable goals

• Remember - a healthy stream is not neat and straight but complex

• Put it in writing – create a stream management journal

• Monitor and record existing conditions with drawings, maps, photos, stream habitat mapping

• Develop a plan of action based upon goals

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How to Make a DifferenceMy Healthy Stream has an additional resources section in chapter 12 that provides further information and additional references.

Obtain copies by contacting:Jack Williams jwilliams@tu.orgSabrina Beus sbeus@tu.org

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Ways to Support Healthy Streams

• Join and learn about land stewardship and conservation

• Join groups involved in restoration projects and volunteer your time and resources with your local chapter

• Join groups engaged in environmental education

• Spend more time out enjoying local streams