Captina Icejam

The icejam that formed early Wednesday morning downstream of Cat Run remains intact as of Thursday evening though the flooding threat to areas upstream of the jam has subsided.  Temperatures have dipped to near single digits the past two nights reinforcing the integrity of the icepack.  The ice is likely to persist as another arctic air mass is forecast to move into the area next week with no warmup in sight.  Thanks to Nathan Taylor for the updated photos.

A view of the ice pack looking downstream of the SR 148 bridge.

A closer shot of the ice.  Downstream of the pack in Powhatan
a solid sheet still covers the creek keeping the pack in place
and restricting flow.  Runoff from future heavy rains could pool
behind the jam if it persists. 

Icejam Update

What do you get when you add an inch of heavy rainfall to a frozen creekbed?  Check below for the answer.  Icejams are fairly common in mid to late winter along Captina Creek, especially in downstream areas west of Powhatan Point.  Icejams happen when heavy rains raise water levels in frozen streams causing the ice to fracture into blocks of different size which are then pushed downstream by the current.  As chronicled in recent posts, Captina Creek has experienced at least a month of sub-freezing temperatures that sometimes dipped near 0F.  Successive nights with single digit temperatures will result in formation of ice sheets over the creek which then thicken in some cases to 12 inches or greater. 

Ice jams can be hazardous to property along the creek especially when flow rates are above average.  As the blocks move downstream they will begin to accumulate and pile atop each other on bends and obstructions in the creek like bridge crossings.  If the jam becomes large enough, it will begin to back water upstream creating a flood hazard above the jam.  Additionally if a jam suddenly gives way, areas downstream can be flash flooded with little notice.  For this reason a flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service for Captina Creek yesterday primarily for areas east of Town Hill Rd and SR148.   

A view of the floodplain along SR 148 entering Steinersville. 
An ice jam beginning under the bridge near the Clair-Mar golf
course caused water to slowly back upstream into the mouth
of Cat Run.

Ice blocks piled by creek waters on the bank
just upstream from the confluence with Cat Run
next to CR 56.

A closeup view of the jam beginning under the SR148 bridge
near Clair-Mar.

Looking downstream along the golf course.  The entire flood-
plain is packed in ice causing the creek to spill onto some of the
greens.

Looking upstream from the same location.  The actual blockage
was further downstream along Cove Rd. where the ice sheet
had remained unbroken over the creek not allowing the
blocks to move downstream.

 

Cold Rains Bring Brief January Thaw

In an average January eastern Ohio experiences a brief thaw around the third week of the month that in some cases can result in temperatures rising into the 50's and 60's for a few days.  This year the thaw has taken its time arriving as temperatures have been below freezing for the most part since late December.  Cold overnight rains have fragmented the snowpack and, with slightly longer daylight, give a sense that warmer weather is not that far away.  Amphibians are also taking note of these seasonal changes.  Longer photoperiods and warmer rains are cues that trigger mass migrations to seasonal breeding pools for frogs, toads and salamanders.  Those with access to vernal pools should be observant especially if temperatures in the next couple of weeks rise significantly with heavy rains. 

Although not as common in Belmont and Monroe Counties, Jefferson (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) and the four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) are the first to migrate in late winter followed by the more common wood frog (pictured below) and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) in early March.  In some years migrations will even occur while ice still covers the pools.

A male wood frog perched on the edge of a small vernal pool
at dusk in mid-March.  Wood frogs are the first frogs to arrive
at vernal pools in late winter, sometimes by the hundreds.  They
have a very short breeding window of only a week or two
before disappearing into the forest to forage for the rest of the
growing season.  Often they gounnoticed due to weak
vocalizations and brief poolsideappearance.  Look for
them in pools after a couple of 50+degree days with some
warm rain at the end of February.

Following the wood frog's early March appearance in the
Captina watershed region will be the smaller, more vocal
mountain chorus frog (Pseudacris brachyphona).   The
mountain chorus frog takes residence in small semi-
permanent pools usually no deeper than an inch or two that
are southward facing.  A good place to spot them is in small
pools that form in ruts along logging trails which is where I
caught up with this chorusing male last March.  Hearing
the ear-splitting, raspy call of this frog makes it hard to believe
it is only an inch in length from snout to vent. 

 

Joy Fork Bridge Survey Postponed

Plans to replace a submarine bridge crossing Joy Fork on GoshenTWP road 197 have been delayed due to winter weather.  The Captina watershed region recorded its largest single accumulation so far this season overnight as 5-6" of light powdery snow blanketed the area.  Submarine bridges are concrete structures that span across larger streams just above normal pool elevation to allow traffic to pass.  They have built-in culverts on their undersides that, depending on the change of elevation across the span of the bridge, can serve as a barrier in the stream.  An advantage to this design is that in times of mild to moderate flooding the bridge can be completely submerged without damage. 

The Joy Fork bridge was scheduled to be surveyed by a private contractor and is being replaced by recommendation of the OEPA with assistance from US Fish and Wildlife service.  Joy Fork is a pristine side tributary to larger Bend Fork which drains areas south and east of Belmont and Bethesda, west of Centerville and Armstrongs Mills and east of Hunter and the OVCC facility.  Specifically, Joy Fork runs just west of the Dysart Woods preserve along TWP road 197 southward to the confluence with Bend Fork in what is known locally as the "Seven Creeks" area.  It meets exceptional warmwater habitat (EWH) for macroinvertebrate diversity, but not for fish diversity.  EPA biologists have observed the bridge acting as a fish barrier to species seeking occupation of habitat further upstream and believe removing the barrier will elevate the ranking of Joy Fork to EWH for fish diversity.  Project officials hope to have the bridge replaced by this summer.  Watch for updates and photos in the near future.   

Winter Slowly Progressing

The beginning of this winter season has been defined by persistent stretches of below average temperatures and snowfall.  Although it has been colder than normal, temperatures have not approached record lows and only have been in the single digits a couple of nights.  After a brief warmup today temperatures are going back below normal for the remainder of the week.  Wood frog (Rana sylvatica) emergence is only a little over a month away with Ambystoma salamanders arriving at pools with the first warmer rains of February.

Casey Run Logging

Those of you who drive SR 148 between Armstrongs Mills and Barnesville have probably noticed the recent timber harvest occurring at the mouth of Casey Run in extreme west-central Washington Township.  Officials from Murray Energy have commented the trees are being removed to install a utility right-of-way for the mine.  Though the right-of-way was clear-cut next to the stream, timber harvesting equipment appeared to stay out of the streambed.  A thin strip of riparian cover was also left intact on the west side of the streambank which is important to stream health because it will help regulate water temperatures in warmer months and reduce sedimentation by stabilizing the streambank. 

Striped Pipsissewa

Striped Pipsissewa (Chimaphila maculata), commonly known as striped or spotted wintergreen, is one of the less frequently encountered wildflowers in the Captina watershed region but is easy to spot this time of year as long as snow depths aren't too great.  Although both share the same common name, striped wintergreen is not the same as true wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) found further south in the Carolinas.  Striped wintergreen is an evergreen perennial that prefers shady well-drained acidic, upland soils.  The most likely habitat in the Captina region to find striped wintergreen is near stands of white pine or eastern hemlock that are mixed with oak and growing on upland rocky slopes.  In the spring the plant will develop white flowers atop a 4-6" stalk.



This bunch of spotted wintergreen was found growing under a
dense stand of oak and hemlock in Sunsbury TWP, Monroe
County - note the lack of ambient light as the camera's flash had to be
used.  The plants are 4-6" in height having thicker, waxy leaves with
serrated margins.  A stem from the previous season's flowering
is still present in part on the left-most stalk.  These plants
really stand out against a snow-covered background.