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  Rock Creek originates from several springs on Catoctin Mountain, just west of Frederick. It flows through wooded, residential, and commercial areas before joining Carroll Creek immediately west of US Route 15. The City owns most of the floodplain on either side of Rock Creek from the western city limits to its confluence with Carroll Creek. Public ownership makes this corridor an ideal place to have an urban greenway. Urban pollution plagues the stream; only a few small parcels of undeveloped land remain in its watershed. Sediment from construction sites and stream bank erosion represent the stream’s most pressing problem. Sediment clouds the stream and prevents aquatic plants from growing. Oil and gasoline from roads, as well as household garbage, compound the pollution problem. Lack of shade in some areas allows the stream to heat up to the point that only a few species of fish can survive. Furthermore, due to the large amount of impervious surfaces, water levels can rise rapidly and fall just as quickly. Several of the worst sections of this creek were restored using bioengineering (plant materials to stabilize the stream banks) and buffer plantings. Future buffer plantings are planned for this location and other key locations. Panorama taken October 15, 2001 |
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