South Fork Saline Creek

LL Foundation completed construction on South Fork Saline Creek in fall 2021. South Fork Saline Creek is in the Apple/Joachim Ecological Drainage Unit (EDU), or watershed. LLF restored 9,300 linear feet of the creek.

We reestablished the riparian corridor with trees and seed, which will be preserved in perpetuity. The vegetation will filter stormwater runoff and pollution, improving the water quality of South Fork Saline Creek. Bank stabilization through rock weirs and natural materials will help prevent erosion and a loss of land to the stream. This improves water quality and clarity, and decreases sedimentation. This project benefits aquatic species in the stream including fish, mussels, and other invertebrates.

LLF also restored 0.75 acres of wetland along a tributary to South Fork Saline Creek. The forested wetland provides vital habitat to amphibians. Wetlands can also mitigate flooding and filter pollutants before they enter the stream.

Below, you can see photos from before construction, immediately after, and 6 months after construction where trees, grasses, and forbs have grown up to protect the streambank.