May 2006
Fourche Creek Watershed Initiative
Haw Branch Assessment Report
by Johnnie Chamberlin, Kate Finefield
Prepared for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Acknowledgements
This work is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency as a part of its Targeted Watersheds Initiative and through the
continued support of Audubon Arkansas partners and donors.
The Targeted Watersheds Grant Program is an EPA program designed to
encourage successful community-based approaches and management techniques to
protect and restore the nation's waters.
Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... i
Summary and Recommendations ....................................................................................... ii
Maps of Reaches with Reach Assessment Scores ............................................................. iii
Haw Branch Reach Summaries .......................................................................................... 1
Map of Fourche Creek Watershed. Haw Branch is shown in blue.
Introduction
The Haw Branch Assessment Summary is a compilation of data gathered in the
field using the Unified Stream Assessment protocol and forms developed by the Center
for Watershed Protection. Using these forms Audubon Arkansas employees hiked each
reach of Haw Branch and recorded human impacts such as cleared riparian vegetation,
illegal dumping, eroded stream banks, and leaking sewer lines.
This summary provides information about the location, quality, and
characteristics of each reach. Potential restoration projects are also discussed when
applicable. The first section of this report provides an overall description of Haw Branch
and potential projects that would improve the quality of the creek. The next section
contains color-coded aerial maps that illustrate the location and overall condition of each
reach. The final section contains detailed descriptions of each individual reach and
contains several photographs including an aerial photograph to give the reader a good
idea of what the reach and surrounding area looked like at the time the assessment was
conducted. This document is best viewed in Microsoft Word at 150% zoom.
i
Summary and Recommendations
Haw Branch begins in western Pulaski County and flows between Callagahan
Creek and Brodie Creek until its confluence with Fourche Creek near Stagecoach Road
and Crystal Hill Road. It is a small tributary of Fourche Creek and drains a 2.7 sq. mi.
area. It travels downstream from a suburban residential area into a forested area before
flowing through Eagle Hill golf course, which contains a series of ponds. From the golf
course the creek enters a wooded area and flows under Stagecoach Road past a car
dealership and power line right of way. There are several large cypress trees along the
creek in the area near its confluence with Fourche Creek.
The main problems facing Haw Branch are development and the resulting
clearing of riparian corridors and impacted floodplains. At the time of this assessment
the Haw Branch Watershed was largely undeveloped and the stream was in good
condition. Restoring the riparian vegetation where it has been cleared for residential
yards and commercial businesses would help protect this creek and lower the amount of
sediment and nutrients entering Fourche Creek and the Arkansas River.
ii
Maps of Reaches with Reach Assessment Scores
The maps on the following page illustrate the locations of reaches assessed on
Haw Branch and the score assigned to each reach on a scale of 0 (Worst) – 160 (Best).
Examples of a low scoring reach (left) and a high scoring reach (right):
For Haw Branch, only one reach was fully accessible due to private property and dense
vegetation issues. Reach HAW001 flows from Stagecoach Road to the Fourche Creek/
Haw Branch confluence. The map below shows the color-coding for this reach and the
locations of assessment points upstream.
iii
Haw Branch Reach Summaries
The following section contains detailed summaries of each reach assessed on Haw
Branch. Photos are provided along with information regarding reach location, stream
channel substrate, surrounding land use, and major problems. ‘Right’ and ‘left’ are used
to describe locations of objects while facing downstream.
1
Haw Branch Assessment HAW001
GPS Start: Lat N34º 40.369’ Long W92º 24.589’
GPS End: Lat N34º 40.433’ Long W92º 24.946’
Date: 5/5/2006
Surrounding Land Use: Forested/Commercial
Total Survey Reach Score: 100/160
Dominant Substrate: Cobble
Reach Length: 1,080 ft.
This reach flows from Stagecoach Road to the confluence of Haw Branch and Fourche
Creek. Much of this reach is wooded and large pieces of trash could be found amongst
old cypress trees. This reach was assessed shortly after a couple of large rain events.
The image in the bottom right shows Fourche Creek flooded at the Haw/Fourche
confluence.
2
Haw Branch Assessment Points
The rest of Haw Branch was difficult to navigate by foot due to dense growth and
private property concerns. We stopped at several points along the creek where it flowed
under roads. The following section contains photos from these points and a description
of surrounding areas. Sections are described in a downstream to upstream ordering.
Stagecoach Road
GPS Coordinates: N34º 40.452’ W92º 24.989’
Surrounding Land Use: Commercial
Dominant Substrate: Cobble
Distance Upstream from Fourche Creek: 0.23 miles
Total Survey Reach Score: 64/160
These photos are of Haw Branch just upstream of Stagecoach Road. The creek is wide
and mowed where it travels under the road, but it quickly narrows and becomes
impassible where vegetation has been less disturbed.
3
Eagle Hill
GPS Coordinates: N34º 40.947’ W92º 25.814’
Surrounding Land Use: Golf Course
Dominant Substrate: Silt/Clay
Distance Upstream from Fourche Creek: 1.26 miles
Total Survey Reach Score: 112/160
This photo illustrates both the main threat to Haw Branch and a typical barrier to doing a
thorough stream assessment in populated areas. The creek flows through this fenced in
golf course at Eagle Hill. Here its floodplain has been cleared of vegetation and the creek
is dammed in places to create water hazards. In addition to having no riparian vegetation,
the creek likely receives large nutrient inputs from fertilizers applied to the golf course
and nearby lawns.
4
Colonel Miller Road
GPS Coordinates: N34º 41.005’ W92º 25.880’
Surrounding Land Use: Forested
Dominant Substrate: Cobble
Distance Upstream from Fourche Creek: 1.36 miles
Total Survey Reach Score: 102/160
Just upstream of Eagle Hill Golf Course, Haw Branch appeared to be artificially widened
on both sides of Colonel Miller Road. This may have been done in order to prevent the
creek from flowing over the road during periods of high flow. This reach would benefit
from the removal of invasive species and the planting of water tolerant native trees such
as cypress and tupelo. These would serve to stabilize the stream bank and better shade
the stream channel.
5
Crystal Valley Road
GPS Coordinates: N34º 41.180’ W92º 26.151’
Surrounding Land Use: Forested/Residential
Dominant Substrate: Cobble
Distance Upstream from Fourche Creek: 1.69 miles
Total Survey Reach Score: 58/160
Haw Branch flows through a field downstream of Crystal Valley Road, but the landowner
has preserved a thin riparian buffer along both stream banks. Upstream of this point the
creek flows through a densely vegetated wooded area.
6
Plantation Acres Drive
GPS Coordinates: N34º 41.527’ W92º 26.526’
Surrounding Land Use: Residential
Dominant Substrate: Cobble
Distance Upstream from Fourche Creek: 2.27 miles
Total Survey Reach Score: 83/160
The creek flows through maintained yards on both sides of the road here. It appears to
have been rechannelized around the house on the downstream side. The stream would
benefit from the restoration of a riparian buffer. This would help prevent erosion and
shade the stream.
7