Tips for Healthy Streams
Salmon comes back to our creeks! Yesterday we were out at Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC together with Salmon Spawner Patrol folks from Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Group. The creek inspection turned into an exciting experience. In less than 3 hours we spotted over 40 live spawners and 10 dead fish that have fully or partially spawned. It was such a great feeling to see the wild life right in the middle of our neighborhood that it triggered me to join the Stramkeepers Group so together we will do our best to keep our streams clean, healthy and beautiful. With these series of posts I would like to share a few tips and encourage everyone to use them contributing to our steams protection effort.
Be Aware Of Urban Runoff Problem
When growing cities and towns cover the land with paved roads, houses, commercial and industrial buildings and their parking lots, less rain water soaks into the soil. The water from the asphalt and concrete surfaces runs off quickly through storm drainage culverts directly into the streams. This is called “urban runoff”. Urban runoff pollutes the steams with deleterious substances such as oil, gas, solvable paint, fertilizers and pesticides and other chemicals used in construction and maintenance of any urban development.
Solution
Is there anything can be done to reduce the negative impact of urban runoff? Fortunately yes, everyone can contribute in and be a part in wise stream stewardship. Use these tips (just read below) to help keeping our streams clean and beautiful for ourselves and our kids while protecting healthy habitats for the wildlife.
If you live near a stream…
- Keep stream shaded. Trees and bushes keep the water cool for fish and help stabilize the banks. Do not remove streamside vegetation within 15 meters of the stream.
- Keep litter and trash out of streams. Besides being unsightly, trash will collect into debris jams and block water flow. Limit in-stream cleanup activity to the summer months.
- Keep garden waste out of streams. Branches, grass clippings and weeds rot and reduce the amount of oxygen in the water.
- Keep pets away from streams. Animal waste is polluting. Pets entering streams can erode streambanks and cause siltation; their activity also disturbs wildlife and fish living in streams.
- Landscape with care. Despite good intentions, changes you make in and around streams may destroy spawning beds and fish habitat, or block fish migration. Do not build ponds, dams, or bridges without guidance and approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and B.C. Ministry of Environment.
Under the Fisheries Act, it is unlawful to harmfully alter the habitat of a fish-bearing stream or add deleterious substances to its water.
- Published: 2016-11-12T07:11:53-08:00
- Author: Laura Schmidt, Dumpster Rentals Customer Supp
