58 Percent Of Local Streams In "Fair" Health

Nov. 21, 2014

Volunteers with The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay recently completed a local stream sampling project across the 1,000-square-mile watershed. They used nets to collect aquatic macro invertebrates, a.k.a. "bugs."

"You can tell a lot about the health of a stream by the types and quantities of aquatic insects you find in it," says Maureen Pfaller, program coordinator at The Watershed Center.

Fifteen streams/rivers were sampled at 30 sites. Results showed 58 percent of the streams in "fair" health, 21 percent in "good" health and 21 percent in "poor" health – which included Kids Creek (downtown TC), Acme Creek (downstream) and Yuba Creek. There were no streams in "excellent" health.

"The top two major pollutants in our watershed are sediments and nutrients," says Pfaller. "To increase the health of our streams, land owners, especially those adjacent to our waterways, can decrease erosion by planting native plants and by reducing or eliminating fertilizer use on lawns."

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