Bradner Farms and Healthy Streams

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By Heather Lemieux

Growing up in Bradner I spent a lot of time in Bradner's creeks and ravines with fellow farm kids. A favourite pastime on hot sunny days was to meander down to Beaver Creek (Nathan Creek) swimming hole, where 56th Ave. met Interprovincial Hwy. (58th Ave.) Recently at the Bradner Flower Show I was introduced to the Glen Valley Watershed Society (GVWS). I learned a lot about the importance of healthy streams working better with healthy farming practices. 

Environmental problems from an unhealthy stream can affect land and livestock. The following are some sensitivities I found listed in a Fisheries and Oceans Canada brochure.

• Lack of streamed vegetation leads to increased bank erosion and stream sedimentation. Native plants, Salmonberry, Willow, Red-osier dogwood and Hardhack have deep roots that help stabilize the stream banks, protecting your valuable land from erosion 
• Runoff from uncovered manure piles can contaminate water, increasing the transmission of diseases. Covered piles reduce contaminated runoff, improving water quality and reducing the spread of diseases
• Uncontrolled livestock access to the stream can result in bank erosion, trampling of vegetation and fouling water quality. Controlling animal access with fences and livestock watering stations protect stream-side vegetation, bank stability and water quality 
• Improperly stored fuel, pesticides and fertilizers can leach into groundwater, contaminating wells and surface water
• Excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from manure can result in algae blooms, reducing water quality 
• Straightening and dredging streams can lead to increased bank erosion and chronic sediment and drainage problems. Allowing the natural stream side channels to meander increases the amount of water that it can hold during periods of high-water and flooding 
• Undersized culverts impede drainage, increasing upstream flooding 
• Lack of over hanging vegetation and shade increases growth of inserted grasses, trapping sediments and reducing drainage. Overhanging vegetation helps filter surface runoff and improves water quality
• Rain runoff from bark mulch and wood waste placed near the stream can contaminate surface water. Stream-side vegetation helps filter surface runoff improving water quality
• Spraying pesticides near the stream, especially during windy or wet conditions, may result in contaminated surface water. Flood plains increase the capacity of the stream to hold water during high flows, reducing flooding 

Healthy streams have clean cool water, beds of clean gravel and cobbles and are rich in oxygen. Riparian vegetation provides food, nutrients, shade and plant roots stabilize the stream banks, minimizing soil erosion. Streamed vegetation also acts as a buffer from farm activities, reducing the amount of sediment and excess nutrients transported by runoff, improving water quality. Pools, riffles and large woody debris provide homes for fish and insects. Having good water quality supports healthy crops and sustainable agriculture and improved drainage increases the productivity of farm land. This allows crops to be planted earlier in the spring and healthy stream is good for agriculture and the environment. 

So, through education and by keeping our streams healthy we can all experience the benefits for our farms, fish and wildlife. Keeping water ecosystems healthy is an important part of our special community here in Bradner and beyond. 

Links 
Glen Valley Watersheds Society
Fisheries and Oceans Canada