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Stream Care Guide:Management Tips for Streamside Property OwnersFishStream Care Guide Some fish need to be able to swim up a stream to find spawning habitat. Some young fish need to be able to move downstream to get to a lake or the ocean, as well as to be able to move up and down the stream to find adequate food and shelter. Each year, many streamside residents erect small, seasonal dams to create temporary ponds or lakes for recreation, water diversion, or aesthetic purposes during the summer months. Most of these structures are flashboard dams, consisting of separate wooden members set in a supporting frame. All instream structures such as flashboard dams require a permit from the Department of Fish and Game to build, maintain, and dam a stream. Owners must comply with Department of Fish and Game regulations concerning these structures. Try to minimize the use of temporary or flashboard dams and if used, install and remove them slowly to reduce their impact on the stream. When installing, assemble them slowly — one board at a time — to lessen the impact on the stream below the dam. Raising the dam too rapidly can harm fish and other aquatic organisms downstream by cutting off stream flow for long periods while the pond fills. Removal of the dam in the fall should also be done slowly to prevent downstream erosion due to rapid and uncontrolled water flows. Installation of new flashboard dams is discouraged though proper management of these structures reduces their harmful impacts. The safest approach to good stream care is to avoid modifying the stream course in any way unless the modification is needed to resolve an existing streambank problem. The basic rules for responsible stream care are:
Often what looks like a barrier, such as a log jam, is easy for fish to get past and provides important food and shelter.  Natural woody debris in the stream channel often is necessary for a healthy fish population. |
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