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Silver Creek: Then and Now /Public Domain

Silver Creek, Then and Now

View aerial images of the creek from 1946 and 2009.

The Nature Conservancy and the Purdy family have signed an agreement to restore Kilpatrick Pond on Silver Creek, an impounded area that has trapped sediments for decades. 

The agreement focuses on restoring the stream to a more natural path, creating wetlands and lowering water temperatures. 

The Kilpatrick Pond project will be the largest restoration effort ever undertaken on Silver Creek. The project is also the most significant action that can be undertaken to reduce water temperatures at Silver Creek, recognized by ecologists as the main long-term threat to this world-class trout stream.  We will stabilize the old sediment in the pond by creating islands or wetlands with it; and work with Purdy’s on reconfiguring the dam, including incorporating fish passage at the dam.  

• What we have:  high temperatures, sediment loading, inefficient and altered sediment transport systems.
• What this means: altered habitats, impacted water quality, and impacts on fish, animals, and plants.
• What we will do about it: increase vegetative cover, create a more diverse stream channel, stabilize and utilize existing sediments by creating islands or wetlands with it, reduce new sediment inputs upstream, reduce temperatures through pond by reducing the surface area, and enhance wetland and riparian habitats.
• A community project focused on creating a healthier Silver Creek and better water quality for people, plants, and animals.

Silver Creek Kilpatrick Pond Preliminary Design - August 2012.

Kilpatrick Pond Science Report

Kilpatrick Pond Plan Overview

Timeline