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Dogwood RunSelect Location: Select from drop-down list or use clickable map below.
GPS Location 12(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Location 12 is where Dogwood Run crosses under SR 545 (also known as Blue Ball Road). The team walked under the downstream side of the bridge and noted that concrete had been poured across Dogwood Run to protect several small pipes and conduits. It appeared that several of the pipes were no longer serviceable; it was unclear whether there were viable utilities buried deeper in the concrete. The streambed below the utility crossing was down-cut approximately one foot, creating a fish passage barrier. The water flowing over the crossing was only a few inches deep. There were large burlap bag-shaped concrete structures lining the left bank under the box culvert; these were apparently intended to protect the bridge abutment. On the right bank, there were a few bags but several bags appeared to have washed out and were scattered in the streambed below the road crossing. The riparian zone on the right bank is narrow, 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 feet), and is directly adjacent to the downstream edge of the Triumph Industrial Park. The Triumph Industrial Park has mowed grass in the area closest to Dogwood Run. GPS Locations 13 to 19(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Location 16 is at the confluence of Dogwood Run and Little Elk Creek, where the field team observed a beaver dam and two beavers returning to their hutch. The dam disrupted the flow but did not appear to create a complete blockage – the water on the upstream side of the dam was not pooled. There is evidence of channel migration processes at this location; there is an abandoned oxbow channel of Little Elk Creek on the left bank. There are also ATV tracks in the area, indicating that recreational users have access to this area with equipment that is likely to be disruptive to fish and wildlife. The riparian zone of Little Elk Creek at this location is healthy and wide, with trees and shrubs. The stream bed is gravel with some cobbles. Dogwood Run has a gravelly, cobbley bed and the flow was probably too low to be passable by fish. (Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
GPS Location 36(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Location 36 is where Dogwood Run crosses under SR 213 in a culvert. The creek is narrow at this location and quite overgrown with shrubs. The culvert has an open bottom that does not restrict flow. The substrate is sand and gravel. GPS Location 37(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Location 37 is where Maple Springs Farm Road, a single lane road, crosses Dogwood Run. The creek is routed through two 36- to 42-inch corrugated culverts under the road. At the time of the visit, all of the flow was through the central culvert, which is slightly lower than the western culvert. The eastern culvert was high and dry and bent out of shape. The bottom of the central culvert was apparently rusted through and there was sand and gravel under the bridge. The culverts would not restrict fish passage, although the flow was only a few inches deep, which probably precludes use by most fish. There was a rack of sticks and branches lodged against the entrance to the culvert. The riparian zone on both banks for a few hundred yards upstream and downstream of the road crossing is mowed grasses. Beyond the developed areas, the condition of the riparian zone improves. The creek substrate is predominately sandy and there was abundant algae, probably indicating the presence of elevated levels of nutrients in the water. GPS Location 38(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Location 38 is where Carriage Road crosses Dogwood Run. At this location, the creek approaches the road at an angle of about 30 degrees and passes through twin 48-inch culverts embedded in a concrete headwall. Because the flow was so low during the visit, all of the flow passed through the eastern culvert. There was no barrier to fish migration other than insufficient flow. There is riprap in the pool downstream of the road and as with location 37, there was evidence of eutrophication in the stream bed. An iron-stained seep was entering the creek on the left bank a few feet downstream of the road. Upstream, the riparian zone consists of mowed grasses and widely spaced deciduous trees that appear to be part of a landscaping effort for the property. There was some wetland emergent vegetation on the left upstream bank several feet above the creek. Downstream the banks were mowed but the riparian zone transitions into forest cover within 30 m (100 feet). The right bank downstream of the road is vertical and bare, indicating possible down-cutting during high flow events. GPS Locations 39 and 40(Click on thumbnails to see a larger version.)
Locations 39 and 40 are where Dogwood Road crosses Dogwood Run at a bridge. At this location, there is good riparian cover on the left bank downstream and a residential property on the right bank. On the upstream side there are residential properties on both banks for 30 m (100 feet) or so and then the riparian zone transitions to forest cover. English ivy was noted on the right upstream bank. Dogwood Run was approximately 4.5 m (15 feet) wide and straight in this reach. A riffle was visible in the distance upstream and there were cobbles in a bar downstream, less than one foot above the active low-flow channel. The road crosses Dogwood Run in a single span bridge that does not impede fish passage. There was algae in the creek and more trash in the creek than in most areas the team had visited in the watershed. |
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