Streams 101
Introduction
It’s important to protect the health of our streams. Whether used for drinking water, for swimming, or for fishing, streams are among our most important natural resources. All streams share something in common: all are surrounded by watersheds that drain into them. Watersheds are not only important to the streams they feed but are also their first line of defense. If the watershed is left unprotected, so is the stream.
For a useful introduction to watersheds, check out this helpful link.
At the local level, visitors to and residents of Berkeley Springs and the Town of Bath take great pride in area streams. WSWA takes many steps to ensure the continued health of Warm Springs Run, by focusing on protecting its watershed. Some of these measures are simple and easy to understand, such as making sure that trash does not pollute the watershed. Other steps WSWA takes are a little more complex. WSWA offers details below. We hope this tutorial helps you understand what WSWA does and motivates you to join us!
To learn more about why WSWA focuses on minimizing risks to the stream and the watershed, this link provides an introduction.
What Do We Find in the Stream?
The Warm Springs Run contains many living creatures, and we’re not just talking about fish! Some of the smaller creatures we find in the Run help us determine how healthy the stream is. They are called macroinvertebrates. These are tiny living creatures that roam near or at the very bottom of the stream, usually on the bottom of rocks. Some macroinvertebrates are more sensitive to pollution, so finding these in the Run is a good sign. Other macroinvertebrates tell us specifically how the stream is being negatively impacted.
WSWA members regularly monitor the Run’s waters by removing rocks and searching the undersides of rocks found in the stream and in the riffles, to determine the quantity and types of macroinvertebrates found there.
For more information about macroinvertebrates, take a look at this West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection website.
What Do We Do to Protect the Watershed?
WSWA has a long history of protecting the Warm Springs Watershed. We do so by using various tried and true strategies, including community education on the importance of protecting the watershed, partnering with others who share our goals, and recruiting volunteers to help us in our efforts. Much of what we do boils down to Best Management Practices, otherwise known as BMPs. These are commonly used techniques to reduce stormwater runoff that can carry unwanted elements into the stream. For example, excessive sediment in the stream can cause flash flooding, which can be harmful to homes and businesses in the area.
Examples of BMPs we use include creating rain gardens and hugels (a type of water-retentive raised bed), planting trees, preserving and maintaining wetlands, and establishing drains and bioswales.
For more on BMPs, we recommend visiting the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s Water Resource Center website, and specifically its Stormwater Best Management Practices page.
Partners in Protecting Watersheds
There are several organizations that partner with WSWA and/or are of interest due to their good works, often related to our own goals. We encourage you to explore their websites and learn more about watershed protection in the process. Here are some that may be of special interest to you:
https://www.cacaponinstitute.org
https://sleepycreekwatershed.org
https://www.potomacaudubon.org
https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org
And finally, for a birds-eye view of the Warm Springs Run, feel free to navigate your way to the USGS map of the nation and zoom in to Berkeley Springs to view the Run, as it winds its way from between Kyne and Shirley Lanes down to the Potomac River.
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