Scott's Pond

Scott Harris, a property owner on Humpback Road, permitted the development on his land, of an off-channel pond adjacent to Bilston Creek. This section of the stream tends to go almost dry during the summer months. A deep pool was conceived as a refuge for those fish which did not manage to migrate downstream to permanent waterways. There are a few naturally occuring refuge pools in the area, but they are quite shallow and in very dry years they too would dry up.

When originally constructed this pond had an inlet connection to the stream, but no outlet. Thus there was no direct positive flow through the pond. It was found, however, that oxygen levels tended to drop slightly lower than desired. To correct this problem a short length of hose was laid from a point in the stream above the pond level and water flowed from there and dropped several inches into the pond which increased the oxygen level adequately. This past fall an outlet channel was designed and built. This will probably negate the requirement for the hose, as well as provide another passage route for fish movement.

Excavation The excavator dug the pond down about two meters below the low water level of the stream.
Bottom Structure Large rocks, about one meter in diameter, are placed in the bottom.
Planting Edges Bon-Terra cloth, a woven straw sheeting, is placed around the sides and various native plants set into the soil.
Fall 1997 The surrounding plants have taken well. Large woody debris has been placed under the water and trout are seen feeding in the evening.