Even urban streams have their charms

The report from Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District's stream walk that kicked off the first 319 grant I referred to in the last post mentioned that due to the effects of rapid urbanization that began in the watershed during the 1950s, Watkins Creek is severely degraded and in a condition of physical instability. After climbing into and out of the creek's streambed at different locations in its watershed, I can attest to its degradation. In later posts I'll include photos that our Team has obtained showing the effects that excessive volumes of stormwater have had on the creek and its tributaries. For now, though, I'll include a photo I took near the mouth of the creek, after the creek has flowed through the lower third of its watershed. This is the least-urbanized part of the watershed. It shows the ability of even a degraded stream to recover if the land it flows through retains a reasonable permeability to rain.