So, how does the quality of the water in the Reedy River impact wildlife?
In stretches of the Reedy, you can observe muskrats, river otters, deer, blue herons, geese, and ducks. Based on historic fish surveys performed by the SC Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR), sunfish are abundant, especially in large tributaries draining to the Reedy. The Swamp Rabbit Trail allows users to view wildlife in and along the river.
The Good News
Conestee Nature Preserve provides FREE public access, every day of the year, to diverse habitats rich with wildlife along more than 2.5 linear miles of the Reedy River. This permanently protected land also provides ecosystem services such floodwater storage and water quality improvements.
The Dissolved Oxygen levels, of paramount importance to aquatic wildlife, always exceed acceptable limits in the Reedy, meaning there's lots of air to breathe!
Virtually all rivers in the state and region have elevated turbidity during storm events, yet the river is only elevated for a small fraction of the year.
The City of Greenville has gone to great lengths to remove invasive vegetation along the banks of the Reedy and stabilize the riverbank, and in some areas, very steep stream banks.
All partners in the Reedy River Water Quality group have been stabilizing streambanks in the watershed. Stabilizing streambanks helps to control streambank erosion, which can be a source of excess phosphorus and sediment. Both of these can negatively impact wildlife.
ReWa has been redeveloping the Mauldin Road Innovation Campus with a strategic objective to enhance community education about the Reedy River and the efforts of ReWa to protect environment and water quality. The redevelopment includes new public trails, habitat enhancement, and interactive displays along the trails and in the laboratory building.
The Bad News
Like many metropolitan areas, urban runoff includes metals from vehicles and carcinogens from coal tar sealants that end up in the Reedy River and in fish tissue.
There is a strong connection between land use and the health of fish communities. SCDES has identified six monitoring stations in the Reedy River watershed where biological assessment data (e.g., macroinvertebrates or fish communities) indicate degraded aquatic life that does not meet expectations for the waterbody’s designated aquatic-life use.
Sediment levels are elevated following storm events.
Riparian zones are typically dominated by nonnative, invasive plants such as kudzu, ailanthus (Tree of Heaven), mimosa trees, and Chinese privet. In the past few years, Japanese knotweed is also beginning to expand along the Reedy’s banks. The rapid growth of these nonnative species decreases biodiversity in the Reedy River watershed.
Helene's impacts on habitats are not so quickly addressed. Thousands of trees were lost, transforming the landscape in an instant. Conestee has a Conservation Action Plan that will address ongoing recovery.