Fourche Creek Information

Q: What is a watershed?

A: It's the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater.

Q: What is a "vegetative buffer zone?"

A: A vegetative buffer zone is an undeveloped area directly adjacent to a body of water. Buffers can be comprised of existing plants on the site and/or new plantings. Buffer zones include aquatic plants in shallow water, moisture-loving plants along the shore, and upland plants in dry soils.

Q: What does a Vegetative Buffer Zone do?

A: The primary purposes of vegetative buffer zones are to:

• Reduce runoff by increasing stormwater infiltration into soil. Less runoff means less nutrients and other pollutants entering the water -- excess nutrients are the primary cause of algal blooms and increased aquatic plant growth.
• Stabilize soils with plant root systems.
• Reduce shoreline erosion due to wave action.
• Purify water with aquatic vegetation.
• Improve wildlife and fish habitat by providing food, shelter, and shade.

Q: What is nonpoint source pollution?

A: Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. These pollutants include:

• Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;
• Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production;
• Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks;
• Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines;
• Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septicsystems;

Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of nonpoint source pollution.

Q: What is an "impervious surface?"

A: Impervious surfaces can be defined as any surface that does not allow passage or admittance of water through itself. Examples of the most damaging impervious surfaces are concrete, asphalt and rooftops.

Q: What is developmental/urban sprawl?

A: Urban sprawl (also called suburban sprawl) describes the growth of a metropolitan area, particularly the suburbs, over a large area. In examples of this phenomenon, such as Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas, new development is often low-density, where the metropolis grows outward instead of 'upward' as with higher densities. Environmentalists and an increasing number of urban planners disapprove of urban sprawl for several reasons.

Q: What is a tributary?

A: A tributary is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. A tributary joins another river at a confluence. A river and all its tributaries drain the watershed of the river.

Q: What is a confluence?

A: The confluence is the point where two rivers meet and become one, usually when a tributary joins a more major river.

Q: What is hypoxia?

A: Hypoxia is a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body, characterized by a low level of dissolved oxygen in the water so that there isn't enough oxygen to support aquatic plant and animal life. It is caused by a high level of nutrients in the water (often from fertilizer runoff) that triggers an algal bloom. Excessive growth of algae results in a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the water, which leads to hypoxia.