about streams
the meandering stream
As each drop of rain falls and joins with the next, a stream is in the making. Rivulets of rainwater follow the contours of the ground, and where it is more shallow, the water flows to it. A small groove or tiny ditch makes it easy for the water to have a little channel in which to flow. As drop after drop merges with the next, the quantity increases, and the amount of flowing water soon becomes distinguishable as a stream. The channel may vary. It may be a natural channel, that weaves in and out – called a “meandering” stream. Or, it may be a manmade channel that is ditched, straight and uniform. A meandering stream has coves and nooks-and-crannies that have slower water which are necessary for many invertebrates and fish species to either lay their eggs or to serve as a nursery area for the young. Overhanging grasses, shrubs and riparian trees are found along a meandering stream. These provide refreshing shade during the peak of hot summer days, and protection from hawks, herons, and other predators. Tree branches that occasionally fall into the stream provide attachment sites for invertebrates, and give the perfect place for a bass to hang-out. A natural stream will have a variety of streambed materials, gravel, sand, a few rocks – all contributing to the natural habitat needs of the aquatic communities. And behind the tree trunk or near the rocks is likely to be a pool, an area of deep, cool, and clear water, so very necessary for larger fish species and species requiring such conditions.
These descriptions of a meandering stream are seldom, if ever, found in manmade, channelized, ditched, and straightened streams. Most of the reaches of the Papillion have been modified in some way.
stream order
All rivers and streams come in different shapes and sizes but they have to start at some high point. The high point can be the mountains, a hill, or a slightly elevated field. Water can come from springs, snow melt, or another lake, and rainwater runoff adds to it. Water flows to lower points, and as it flows down, it will likely pick up more water from other streams, springs, groundwater, and rain. These streams join together to form a larger stream or river. These are defined by biologists as “orders”. For example, the first small perennial stream in the uppermost of the headwaters is called a “First Order Stream”. First-order streams are perennial streams, which carry water all year. When two first-order streams come together, they become a second-order stream. When two second-order streams come together, they form a third-order stream. The headwater reach of the Big Papillion Creek in north central Washington County is a First Order stream. As streams and rivers join together and become a large river, it will eventually flow into the ocean or an inland body of water such as the Great Lakes. The Big Papillion Creek flows into the Missouri River, and the Missouri flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
watersheds
Rivers and streams create a network on the earth’s surface. The networking is clearly seen in satellite or aerial photographs. The streams connect with each other into a system called a watershed. A watershed can be as small as several fields or ten square city blocks – where all land drains to a particular body of water or common point. And many small watersheds fit within a larger watershed, such as the Little Papillion watershed fits within the Big Papillion Creek watershed, which in turn fits within the Missouri River watershed. Watersheds are defined by the ridges surrounding the area and can be outlined on a topographical map.
Everyone belongs to a watershed. Always remember that someone is “downstream” from you.
Everyone, from private citizens to elected officials, shares a watershed with its own unique set of water quality issues. And regardless of the size of the watershed, we know that water quality and uses can be impacted by activities and pollutants sources from anywhere in the watershed.
riparian areas
Adjoining streams is the area defined as “riparian” - living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (as a river). Natural riparian areas can be woods, wetlands, and grasslands. The trees, shrubs, and grasses provide an ecosystem integral with the stream itself. When intact, this entire stream corridor can provide habitat for many species of fish, wildlife, birds, and insects. These linear corridors interconnect with other stream corridors, and in many instances, are often the only last remaining natural habitats left in our highly modified landscapes.
wetlands
Wetlands used to adjoin many of the prairie streams. Ground water seeps to the surface and rain water runoff collects in these sites. Wetland plants slow down the speed of runoff off from fields and slopes, and settle out sediments, nutrients, chemicals, and bacteria. They are vital cleansers of the runoff before it enters the stream. While there are a few wetlands still in the upper reaches of the Papillion Creek system, many have been eliminated because of field tiling to facilitate earlier corn and soybean planting and less crop loss because of “wet spots”.
streams are “living”
As streams and rivers flow across the land, they tend to cut deeper and find new paths. Many streams in the Midwest have highly modified hydrology, meaning that the water coming from tiled agricultural fields is coming faster and in greater quantities than in previous years. Additionally, because the tile moves the water out of the soil, there is less moisture that percolates down through the lower soil layers. Thus, during a rain storm, streams swell to high levels very quickly. The force and velocity eats away at the stream banks and streambed, eroding the channel and adding tons of sediment to the water. Streams become deeper with steep, widened banks. Much of this is true of urban streams as well. The great amount of impervious surfaces (streets, parking lots, roofs, sidewalks and driveways) means that rainwater rushes off rather than infiltrating. Carried to the urban stream via storm drain outfalls, the stream rises quickly and with the same severe erosion of stream channel as the agricultural streams.
stream biota
Healthy streams and rivers with good water quality can hold 25-30 different fish species and a rich community of macroinvertebrates, including mayflies, stoneflies, mussels, and crayfish. Turtles, frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians also inhabit natural streams and adjoining wetlands. In-stream and stream-side vegetation provide habitat for fish and invertebrates, surfaces for egg deposition, food, and oxygen production. A discussion of the fish species of the Papillion Creek are discussed in “Flora and Fauna”.
