CREEK CHUB 



pared for the propagation of creek 

 chubs consisted simply of a gravel- 

 bottomed stream and a base pool 

 confined within the basin of a pond 

 covering an area 143 feet long, 13 

 feet wide, and from 1 to 3 feet deep. 

 Starting at the inlet, the upper 24 

 feet of the pond was filled with fine 

 soil to create a steeper slope on 

 which a meandering channel (27 

 feet long, 27 inches wide, and 2 to 

 10 inches deep) was prepared. At 

 places in the dirt fill where there 

 was likely to be some washing by 

 current action, heavy reinforcing 

 material was used. The banks and 

 bottom of the channel were covered 

 with a heavy layer of gravel. 

 Water supplied by an 8-inch inlet 

 passed down the stream channel 

 and into the base pool below that 

 was formed by impounding the 

 water in the remaining portion of 

 the original pond basin. 



In Michigan, a successfully used 

 creek-chub spawning raceway was 

 built within the basin of a pond, and 

 likewise consisted of a stream and 

 base pool ; however, the design of 

 the stream was radically different 

 from that used in Ohio. The se- 

 quence of the Michigan construction 

 was as follows : (1) Excavating the 

 main channel; (2) installing refuge 

 zones at 25-foot intervals along the 

 stream; (3) surfacing the entire 

 raceway with gravel; (4) installing 

 splash boards (check dams) at 25- 

 foot intervals; (5) regulating the 

 stream flow, height of the splash 

 boards, and the water level of the 

 base pool; (6) placing covers over 

 the refuge pits; and (7) erecting 



netting over the stream bed for con- 

 trol of predatory birds. 



The main channel (6 feet wide, 1 

 foot deep, and 300 feet long) was 

 dug within the basin of a 1.8-acre 

 pond. Starting at the inlet — fol- 

 lowing along the base of one of the 

 dikes — the excavation gradually de- 

 scended (an 8-inch fall per 100 

 lineal feet) into the basin of the 

 pond. The materials removed from 

 this ditch were placed on both sides 

 of the channel, forming 1.5-foot 

 banks. At intervals of 25 feet 

 along the course, rectangular pits, 

 2 feet deep, 3 feet wide, and 8 feet 

 long, were prepared. These pools, 

 referred to as refuge zones, crossed 

 the streambed and extended into one 

 of the banks for a distance of a.bout 

 4 feet (fig. 41, upper). That por- 

 tion of the refuge zone extending 

 into the bank was curbed to prevent 

 its filling by erosion. 



At this point of construction the 

 entire stream, including those por- 

 tions of the refuge zones lying 

 within the channel and both banks, 

 was surfaced with a 6-inch layer 

 of washed gravel (l^- and 3^-inch 

 screened stones in equal propor- 

 tion). About 38 cubic yards of 

 gravel were used to surface the 300- 

 foot raceway. Immediately after 

 the spreading of the gravel, splash 

 boards (fig. 41, lower) were in- 

 stalled across the channel at each 

 refuge zone. These boards were 

 driven into the bottom soil to a 

 depth of 1.5 feet and were exposed 

 about 3 inches above the gravel. 

 The purpose of the splash boards 

 was twofold : (1) To act as a break 



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