Creeks, Rivers, and what about
Trees?
A country drive
looking at degraded Sub-Watersheds and
Stripped Riparian Zones.
This idyllic looking spot is on the North side of Britannia just west of Guelph Line. We are standing on Niagara Escarpment lands. There are numerous gullies and valleys all around here, many with water flowing all year round. Note how the land drops off behind the dam.
No one can blame the people who built this dam. What could be nicer than a pond like this beside ones home? There's only one problem. A dam like this is not good for the creek, and today you would most likely not get a permit to build one. This pond allows the sun to shin on the water rising it's temperature reducing oxygen content. The type of overflow here takes warm surface water and allows it into the creek. Newer overflow systems take the cold water from the bottom of the pond to be discharged into the creek. The dam also prevents fish form migrating up stream. There should be a fish ladder provided.