1 . STREAM 

 Slaughterhouse Creek 



2. DESCRIPTION 



Slaughterhouse Creek originates in the timbered foothills of the east 

 slope of the Anaconda-Pintlar Range. The stream flows in a southerly direction 

 for approximately 4.2 miles to its confluence with Deep Creek, a tributary of 

 the Big Hole River. The major tributary of Slaughterhouse Creek is Corral 

 Creek. The 5.4 square mile drainage is characterized by steep heavily 

 timbered slopes in the upper reaches and the broad Deep Creek floodplain 

 at lower elevations. The stream is bordered by coniferous growth, primarily 

 lodgepole pine, in the upper drainage and a broad riparian zone of willow, 

 grasses and sedges in the Deep Creek floodplain. The average gradient of the 

 5.9 foot wide channel is 46.9 feet per 1,000 feet. The majority of the 

 Slaughterhouse Creek drainage lies within the boundaries of the Deerlodge 

 National Forest and the lower portions of the drainage are controlled by the 

 MDFWP. 



Lands within the Slaughterhouse Creek drainage are utilized for 

 recreational hunting, fishing, trapping and winter sports. The broad 

 willow bottoms of the lower Slaughterhouse Creek drainage and its Deep 

 Creek floodplain constitute important winter range for moose. No 

 estimate of fishing pressure is available for Slaughterhouse Creek and no 

 fishermen use was observed during the summer of 1980. Past and present 

 commercial uses of the drainage include livestock grazing and timber harvest. 



Chemical analyses were performed on water samples collected from 

 Slaughterhouse Creek during the summer of 1980. The data indicated that 

 Slaughterhouse Creek is a calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate water of slightly 

 basic pH. Specific conductance, alkalinity, hardness and nitrate concen- 

 tration were much higher than average for other Mount Haggin streams 

 resulting in a chemically rich water of good quality. Some streambank 

 erosion from cattle grazing was noted in the lower reaches of Slaughterhouse 

 Creek. Timber harvest in the upper reaches of Slaughterhouse and Corral 

 Creeks could have an environmental impact through increased sedimentation. 



3. FISHERIES 



A 1,000 foot section of Slaughterhouse Creek was electrofished on 

 August 13 and August 21, 1980. Game fish collected in descending order 

 of abundance were brook trout and rainbow trout. Mottled sculpins and 

 longnose suckers were the only nongame species collected. Electrof ishing 

 survey data are summarized in Table 22. 



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