The 2025 Summer season was one for the record books, and not in a good way. Record low flows where in order for the Creek. With that being said, the fishery held up remarkably well. We saw good fish numbers and more large fish than last year. It was difficult however, to get real accurate water measurements from the USGS gauge this year since it seemed to fluctuate quite a bit and never really gave us info we could rely on. It definitely shows us that the system needs more accurate and reliable equipment. It has been circulating that USGS is installing a new system and it should be up and running soon.
It was clear this season that the restoration efforts on the Creek that the Alliance and Nature Conservancy have undertaken over the past several years are paying off. As we collected water data this past Fall, we were seeing that water temperatures and Dissolved Oxygen in the Creek where in better shape than in years past, even with low flows! This is due to targeting restoration to lower future flows and extensive monitoring is proving this out.
One restoration project that seems to be working very well is Stalker Creek on the Nature Conservancy’s property. Another section in the watershed is Loving Creek where 2 restoration projects have been undertaken and are showing promising results in the data. Any tributary we can restore helps the entire system.
On other restoration projects, the Loving Creek Project is in full swing right now. The first phase is almost complete and we look forward to seeing the results. This phase includes new fish passage and removal of a ditch that was causing water quality problems downstream. The fish passage issue was blocking fish from miles of spawning water for over 70 years. Now fish are free to use new area to spawn! This project also created a new stream channel and new wetland habitat. This is definitely one of the biggest projects ever undertaken on Silver Creek! The next 2 phases will be undertaken over the next 2 years.
Another project that the Alliance is moving on is the complete sediment removal from the Kilpatrick/Purdy Pond section. This impoundment has had legacy sediment building in it for 100 years and we are seeking remove all of it. This project is in need of additional funding and we sure can use the help! removal of all of the sediment will ensure that the fishery will improve with deeper water habitat and colder water temperatures. This area is also used heavily by the public and everyone will benefit from this project. The dredge to be used for this section was used recently in the watershed and is not only new, but very efficient.
We continued the treatment of the Yellow Flag Iris and the results over the past several years of this program are encouraging. It is a stubborn plant and requires annual monitoring and treatment. We began the program in 2017 by treating 2500 plant colonies and now we treat between 100-200. That is a significant decrease and we now have a good handle on the situation.
2025 Silver Creek Update
The 2025 Summer season was one for the record books, and not in a good way. Record low flows where in order for the Creek. With that being said, the fishery held up remarkably well. We saw good fish numbers and more large fish than last year. It was difficult however, to get real accurate water measurements from the USGS gauge this year since it seemed to fluctuate quite a bit and never really gave us info we could rely on. It definitely shows us that the system needs more accurate and reliable equipment. It has been circulating that USGS is installing a new system and it should be up and running soon.
It was clear this season that the restoration efforts on the Creek that the Alliance and Nature Conservancy have undertaken over the past several years are paying off. As we collected water data this past Fall, we were seeing that water temperatures and Dissolved Oxygen in the Creek where in better shape than in years past, even with low flows! This is due to targeting restoration to lower future flows and extensive monitoring is proving this out.
One restoration project that seems to be working very well is Stalker Creek on the Nature Conservancy’s property. Another section in the watershed is Loving Creek where 2 restoration projects have been undertaken and are showing promising results in the data. Any tributary we can restore helps the entire system.
On other restoration projects, the Loving Creek Project is in full swing right now. The first phase is almost complete and we look forward to seeing the results. This phase includes new fish passage and removal of a ditch that was causing water quality problems downstream. The fish passage issue was blocking fish from miles of spawning water for over 70 years. Now fish are free to use new area to spawn! This project also created a new stream channel and new wetland habitat. This is definitely one of the biggest projects ever undertaken on Silver Creek! The next 2 phases will be undertaken over the next 2 years.
Another project that the Alliance is moving on is the complete sediment removal from the Kilpatrick/Purdy Pond section. This impoundment has had legacy sediment building in it for 100 years and we are seeking remove all of it. This project is in need of additional funding and we sure can use the help! removal of all of the sediment will ensure that the fishery will improve with deeper water habitat and colder water temperatures. This area is also used heavily by the public and everyone will benefit from this project. The dredge to be used for this section was used recently in the watershed and is not only new, but very efficient.
We continued the treatment of the Yellow Flag Iris and the results over the past several years of this program are encouraging. It is a stubborn plant and requires annual monitoring and treatment. We began the program in 2017 by treating 2500 plant colonies and now we treat between 100-200. That is a significant decrease and we now have a good handle on the situation.
Thank you for your continued support!
Silver Creek Alliance
Projects for Silver Creek