National Fish Habitat Action Plan

Williams Run is a tributary of South Sandy Creek in Venango County, PA.  Aquatic habitat in Williams Run has been severely damaged since coal mining activities produced acid mine drainage in the stream. Water conditions were degraded with a very low pH, no alkalinity, and both iron and aluminum contamination. This point-source pollution left the stream uninhabitable for brook trout and other aquatic life.  Williams Run is currently listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s 303d List of Impaired Streams.

Williams Run represents waterways across the country, including lakes and reservoirs, that are improving through the conservation efforts of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan—a bold initiative to reverse persistent declines in aquatic habitat.

Trout are important as an “indicator species” of a watershed. When a watershed is in trouble, the trout are the first to die. Species like the greenback cutthroat, gila, and westslope cutthroat trout thrived in Western watersheds until their habitats were altered because of roads, dams, agriculture, and logging. Human introduction of non-native trout species, such as rainbow, brown and brook trout put further pressure on native species by out-competing them for food and by eating native fry. Conservation of Western native trout and their habitats is critical in maintaining their cultural, scientific and recreational value.

www.westernnativetrout.org