Protecting Trout Waters from Excessive Sedimentation
Written by John Wolski, Soil & Sediment Inspector
As an avid trout fisherman I care greatly about the health of our nation’s trout waters. So much so, that after retiring from a 30+ year career in the environmental remediation business I accepted a job as a Soil and Sediment Inspector with the Berrien County Conservation District. My role is primarily to help reduce man-induced soil erosion with the goal of preventing sediment (resulting from eroded soils) from entering into waters of Southwest Michigan.
Why does this matter?
Excessive sediment entering a waterway can cause detrimental effects to trout populations by:
1. Increasing water column turbidity which a) reduces visibility for feeding, b) lowers dissolved oxygen levels, and c) can partially clogs fish gills
2. Making creeks more shallow (and in-turn wider) resulting in enhanced bank erosion and further sedimentation/turbidity. A shallow creek will also result in increased water temperatures and act to drive-out colder water fish species
3. Smothering critical rock and gravel spawning beds resulting in less spawning activity and reduced spawning success
4. Decreasing invertebrate populations by filling in the nooks and crannies under rocks and other submerged structures where invertebrates live
5. Carrying agricultural and industrial pollutants (Oil/grease, pesticides, PCBs, heavy metals, PNAs) adsorbed on sediments into creeks
As you can imagine, the smaller the waterway the greater the potential detriment from sediment deposition. Many of our smaller spring creek trout populations are at great risk due to excessive sedimentation.
So, what can we all do to help protect our trout waters?
If you are a farmer be sure to leave vegetative buffers between your worked fields and any drain, ditch, or adjacent waterway. Also consider using regenerative agricultural practices to help reduce soil erosion on your fields.
If you’re a private land owner or business owner and planning any construction work that will disturb soils or even expose bare soils to the forces of erosion (wind and water), be sure to utilize Best Management Practices (BMPs) by installing silt fence, erosion control blankets, sedimentation basins, etc., to help prevent soil erosion and stop sediment migration. Using BMPs is not only a good practice - it’s the law. The federal Clean Water Act requires that all State’s have laws in-place to reduce soil erosion and sediment migration on all construction sites that can impact a waterway.
County Conservation Districts are here to help provide information to both farmers and landowners with planned construction activities to help prevent soil erosion. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your district to help ensure our nations trout waters are protected from future soil erosion and sediment deposition.
