Site Description 



Bull Creek (tributary to the South Fork Grand) 



Figure 41. Bull Creek (AES COOS) a silt-impaired 

 Great Plains stream near Brown Rd. 



Location: Accessed from County Rd. 733, 7 miles west of Rt 85, -20 miles northwest of Buffalo. 



Nearest Town: BuflFalo, Harding County, SD 



Ecoregion: Northern Great Plains Steppe 



Aquatic Ecological System Type: COOS -Northwestern Great Plains Perennial Stream, but due to 

 reduced hydrology from upstream dams, trending towards a D005 Northwestern Great Plains Intermittent 

 Stream 



Key Environmental Factors: Hydrology — upstream and downstream dams in the watershed; cattle 

 grazing in the watershed 



Rare or Unique Species: No rare species documented 



Rare Features: No rare features documented 



Introduced/Exotic Species: None 



Overall Ecological Site Condition: Poor/Fair 



Reach Summary: The 1 00 m reach consisted of 1 run/pool complex with the pool being ~90m long and 

 fairly incised (Figure 4 1 ). This site contains no riffle or erosional areas decreasing the ability to provide 

 habitat for other COOS fish species. The stream reach has intact riparian habitat and is set in a quality 

 local landscape. But the channel condition and accumulation of silt is definitely affecting the fish and 

 macroinvertebrate community's low integrity ratings. Bottom substrate of the reach was O.Sm deep, 

 unconsolidated silt, which made sampling difficult. The immediate surrounding vegetation was dominated 

 by Scirpus sp. (rushes) and Eleocharis palustris, common spikerush. Riparian zone consisted entirely of 

 grasses. Livestock use index (LUl) was low with S cow pies counted on a 50 m walk of the left & right 

 banks. Pugging and hummocking was minimal. 



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