1. STREAM 

 American Creek 



2. DESCRIPTION 



American Creek originates on the eastern slope of the Anaconda-Pintlar 

 Range at the Continental Divide. It flows in a westerly direction for 

 approximately 5.7 miles to its confluence with California Creek, a tributary 

 of French Creek. American Creek meanders through a relatively narrow 

 floodplain vegetated with willow, alder, grasses and sedges and characterized 

 by numerous beaver ponds. The 7.1 square mile drainage area is characterized 

 by high south facing meadows and heavily timbered slopes. The only major 

 tributary of American Creek is Little American Creek. Average gradient of 

 the 11 foot wide channel is 46.6 feet per 1,000 ft. Ownership of the 

 American Creek drainage is held by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife 

 and Parks. 



Lands within the American Creek drainage are used for recreation in the 

 form of hunting, fishing, trapping and snowmobil ing. Past commercial uses 

 include livestock grazing, timber harvest and diversion of water to Moose 

 Creek for the Anaconda timber flume. Grazing of cattle and timber harvest 

 continue in the drainage at present. No estimate of fishing pressure is 

 available for American Creek; however, some fishermen were observed during the 

 summer of 1980. 



Water chemistry samples were collected from American Creek during the 

 summer of 1980. The chemical data generally indicate good water quality 

 with yery little suspended sediment. American Creek is a calcium-maanesium- 

 bicarbonate water exhibiting slightly higher than average specific conductance, 

 alkalinity and hardness than most streams in the upper Big Hole drainage. 

 Slightly elevated arsenic levels indicated some disturbance probably due to 

 precipitates from the Anaconda Smelter. 



Aiierican Creek is bordered by a relatively broad riparian zone and 

 stable banks. Potential environmental problems include sedimentation from 

 existing and proposed areas of timber harvest and damage to the stream banks 

 and riparian zone from cattle. 



3. FISH POPULATIONS 



A 1,000 foot section of American Creek was electrof ished on August 7 

 and August 19, 1980. Game fish present in descending order of abundance 

 were brook trout, rainbow trout and rainbow X cutthroat hybrids. Mottled 

 sculpins were the only nongame species captured (Table 10). 



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