Standing on the edge of the portion of Lost Creek that runs through Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s campus, Associate Professor Jenny Mueller pointed out how large Lost Creek’s watershed is. Nonpoint source pollution is a significant concern as the term watershed refers to the area of land where all of the water that drains off of it goes into the same place—a river, stream, or lake.
The Mitigation Project
The mitigation project added native vegetation to the creek banks. Vegetation has multiple benefits toward water quality. A significant effect involved reducing contaminants from entering the body of water through slowing down the flow of runoff. The vegetation can also benefit from the fertilizer contaminants to help their growth. In addition, the vegetation provides a stabilization factor on the banks of Lost Creek. The vegetation can hold the soil in place with deep and dense roots and significantly decrease bank erosion.
The Effect
With the implementation of this mitigation project, the water quality of the Lost Creek has improved. As the vegetation has reduced soil erosion and harmful runoff, it has also flourished along the banks. Mueller enjoys the newfound look of the banks of Lost Creek due to the native vegetation.