Streams getting shallower?

[rFisherk]

I've noticed how floods have changed rivers and creeks that I've been familiar with over the past four or five decades. In fact, some of them, such as the Black, with possibly the highest gravel content of all, change every year. All of the things Al mentioned contribute to these changes, but I suspect the bottom line is the average flow, which seems to be decreasing gradually during the past decade or so.

Since most Ozark streams rely upon springs, or the underwater aquifer or "water table," and this water table spreads its tentacles far and wide from the streams they support, I wonder if the basis of this problem isn't simply too many people utilizing the resource, siphoning off more and more of it before it reaches the streams. I believe almost every problem we face today can be boiled down to too many people.

[Terrierman]

This is a problem without a solution.

[bfishn]

For the right-here, right-now 'small picture', there might be something that could be done to at least temporarily slow the human influenced gravel infill that's plaguing you. A Google scholar search for "accelerated erosion" will give you plenty of resources.

JD touched on the big picture aspect above. Erosion has shaped the surface of the Ozark region ever since it emerged from a receding ocean as a series of flat-topped plateaus. If you were to draw imaginary lines connecting the highest peaks that remain today, you'll notice there's a whole lot of empty space in and below all points between. When you realize that every bit of what's missing there has all washed down the river, it kind of puts that extra 6" of gravel from the spring flood into perspective.

[Greasy B]

When I float with companions down a favorite stretch of head waters I can't help to point out boulders that I use to have to swim to but now sit in six inches of water or deep pools that I could never see the bottom but are now so shallow the only habitat is under the occasional log. Resource extraction and poor land use does provide a short period of economic return but the long term impact only makes our society, our economy and our quality of life poorer.

[Hog Wally]

The only constant I've seen over the years is when someone spends thousands , even tens of thousands on building Boulder walls along the river. After they do that the river on that stretch stays deep and unchanged great wintering holes too. It is quite bothersome to see all the farm fields growing all the way to the edge with 12' dirt banks collapsing on a regular basis but what farmer could afford to Boulder a mile of river?

[oneshot]

You can say what you want but in past we always dredged the gravel out keeping the holes open. Caught plenty of fish out of the holes.

oneshot

[Hog Wally]

One shot- I 100% agree with you. Small cable dredge operations ever few miles. Those days are gone.

[Idylwilde]

Nothing on this earth remains the same, and as a part of this ever evolving place we live no matter how hard we work on much money we spend in effort to keep it the same we will never do it. Rivers and small streams are living things they move their banks from valley wall to valley wall in time. Nature has a way of healing the scars we inflict on it if it's not that that great.

I see this on the upper Current inside Montauk. Foot traffic on the banks take away bank cover then when a high water event comes the river fills in and get's wider. They dredge and in weeks the holes are filling in again. Over and over we fight with the river for our own enjoyment, and it fights back. We spent $$$$$ to place cedar tree bank placements to protect it and in only a few years they were gone. We place huge boulders in the bed to move the gravel and sand on down the river. To where??? Is There an answer? If there was I do not think we as outdoors would like it!

Just Saying!

[Justin Spencer]

The forest service is getting ready to spend a cool million dollars to "improve" the access at North Fork recreation area in an effort to prevent erosion that is non-existent other than occasional on the access. We fought them hard to no avail and now we will get to see them spin their wheels spending our tax dollars to fix a problem that doesn't exist. I argued that many of the riffles in the privately owned part of the river are 10 times worse than their only access, to which they said, take pictures and we will give you recommendations on how to fix it, to which I said I don't have a million dollars to fix it so why bother. They informed me it was much easier to get money for new construction than for maintenance. Guess a million dollars is easier to get than what I would guess to be about $300 per year to maintain the current access. It's a wonder why our country goes in to debt!

[fishinwrench]

Sounds like they are working behind a biologist.