Stream
The stream located behind South Carroll High School classifies as a class III trout stream. The mostly shaded stream has a max temperature in the summer of nineteen degrees Celsius, and in the winter of two to three degrees Celsius. The stream is a branch of Piney Run and borders and cuts through school property. The stream begins at the top of the wetland area where nearly one thousand springs are located. The stream varies in depth from three inches to two and a half feet. The deep sections of the stream are found near small waterfalls created by large rocks, and logs that force the water above the normal path of the stream. Below these waterfalls are large pools of water created by dense sediment causing the water to move slower. In shallower areas of the stream the water runs at fast rate over the gravel and sand sediment of the stream floor.
The stream resides inside a three hundred acre wooded area thirty yards from the back of the school. State and Federal agencies recognize the land as a climax oak forest wetland. The wildlife consists of deer, raccoons, squirrels, and a few other species of small mammals. The stream itself provides nourishment for several different species of aquatic life, such as the black nosed dace, rosyside dace, stonerollers, mottled scolpins, migratory brown trout, and crayfish. The diatom species analysis and aquatic insects ("Save our Stream Survey") indicate that the stream remains in good to excellent health. Thirty different species of diatoms (algae) allowed for the conclusion that the stream had excellent health. The greater the diversity in organisms living in the stream the greater the health rating. The good riparian growth protects the water quality by reducing erosion. Water quality remains high even during rain events.
he stream is used by South Carroll High School students for ecological learning and research. The students document taxonomy of the different species of life living in the wooded wetland. During the past ten years students have constructed two-miles of trail and constructed seven bridges to protect the stream and springs. We recently constructed an outdoor teaching area within the wetland and an outdoor research classroom that borders the wetland. The cost of the projects was funded by student driven state and federal grants totaling $160,000. The primary grantee for trail and teaching area is the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund. The stream has served as a living classroom for SCHS.
