August 03, 2004
Crucial Rain a Mixed Blessing for Byrne Creek
It's been so hot and dry for so long that being woken up by the sound of rain early this morning had me sighing with relief -- at least until I got down to Byrne Creek later in the day.
I reached the bottom of the Brynlor Dr. stairs in the ravine at 11:15 in a steady drizzle to find the creek looking like someone had dumped a couple of boxes of detergent into it. Soapy brown water and piles of suds all along the ravine.
I arrived at the Sediment Pond in the spawning/rearing habitat at 11:45. It was still overcast, and spitting. The water temperature at the lower end was 18C and about the same at the upper end, while the air temp was 17C. I was surprised that the temps were still that high -- even after four or five hours of rain I guess the water coming in was still picking up road/land heat.
Heading back up the ravine the water temperature at the footbridge just above Southridge Dr. at 12:40 was 17.5C, and the air temp was 16.5C. The water was still very brown and soapy though the rain had stopped nearly an hour earlier. It was still too dirty to be able to see fish, but I did spot a huge crayfish.
It's unfortunate that in an urban setting, rain can be both a blessing and a curse for a creek. All the oil, antifreeze and car washing soap that accumulates on roads and in parking lots during long, hot, dry spells, is all flushed into the creek in one concentrated dose.
Posted by Paul at August 3, 2004 07:51 PM