Bringing Light to a Stream

Bringing Light to a Stream. . , For more than a century, Clear Creek and its tributaries were altered for industrial use. Today, this small stream has made a comeback., McDoel Switchyard, 1949. , Image courtesy of the Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, The McDoel Switchyard required a level site, free from obstructions to the railroad tracks. To accomplish the task, this Clear Creek tributary was buried underground. It ran through a culvert that emptied into the main channel of Clear Creek. Burying the stream allowed the switchyard's multiple tracks to run across the surface over the culvert., Covering a stream destroys life in the water. The absence of light prevents the survival and movement of aquatic wildlife such as fish. The blockage or collapse of a culvert results in flooding when water backs up., For decades, this Clear Creek tributary flowed through a culvert underground until it was daylighted. , Photo by Ed Schools, Uncovering the stream, a process called daylighting, restores health to the stream., Habitat is once again available for wildlife. Native plantings along the edge of the stream absorb stormwater, silt and pollutants that would otherwise be flushed directly into Clear Creek., In the daylighting process, the culvert and many cubic yards of fill were removed, opening the creek up to daylight for the first time in decades., Photo courtesy of Eco Logic , Following excavation of the creek, disturbed soil surfaces were seeded and covered with erosion control blankets., Photo courtesy of Eco Logic , The restored floodplain and upland slopes were then planted with native plant species., Daylighting the creek unearths the natural beauty and ecology of the stream.