Trail Location 14: The Meandering Stream
Click on the map for full image.
Walking Tour? View the trail locations in Google Maps.
Between Grand Avenue and the pond, the Lick Run Greenway stream channel is wide with banks that are less steep than those in upstream areas. The channel is wider here because there is much more room between the channel and the Lick Run sewer.
What do you see?
- Pools: Pools are pockets of deep, slow-moving water that allow sediment to settle.
- Riffles: A riffle is a shallow area of the stream with fast, turbulent water that breaks over rocks.
- Runs: Runs are swifter, deeper parts of a stream usually located downstream of a riffle.
- Native plants: The plants in and around the stream are native, which means they originally grew in this area and are accustomed to our weather (so they don't need a lot of extra watering and care).
Meandering Streams vs. Straight Streams. Without human intervention, narrow, straight channels eventually turn into
meandering streams as water erodes the stream banks. Meandering streams will collect sediment (dirt and rocks) from one area
and deposit or drop it off in another area, making the stream wider in some areas and narrower in others.