Pughs Run is a perennial stream that runs through a significant amount of forest on its way down the mountain from its point of origin. Once the stream enters the western portion of the Shenandoah Valley, it primarily runs through farmland. The farmland consists of both pastures for grazing livestock and land for crops.
There are certain programs offered by the state of Virginia (and other states as well, but for the purpose of this project we will focus only on Virginia) to create riparian buffers. Examples of these programs are called Best Management Practices (BMP) and are implemented by Conservation Districts in cooperation with producers in the area. Pughs Run is within the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD) and has been fenced out in certain areas to create riparian buffers. Riparian buffers help repair stream banks, filter nutrients from pastures and cropland and provide natural habitat to native flora and fauna. LFSWCD requires buffer starting from the stream's edge and continuing out toward the farmland of 35-feet.
Multiple springs and drainage's contribute to the creation of this meandering stream. Although there are no significant tributaries, there are certainly a couple of small springs that drain into Pughs Run before it enters the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Valley is known for a large amount of natural springs due to the limestone topography and relatively high water table.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Delineating the Pughs Run Watershed
For the purpose of this blog, I'll be focusing on Pughs Run, a small perennial stream located in the Shenandoah Valley.
As you can see in this picture, Pughs Run covers approximately 7.67 square miles. This small stream empties out into the Shenandoah River. The elevation at the starting point of the stream at the top of Little North Mountain is about 1775 feet. The stream follows drainages down the mountain, being fed by various springs along the way. By the time Pughs Run reaches the Shenandoah River, it has reached an elevation of about 640 feet.
In just a little over 6 miles, the stream elevation drops an estimated 1135 feet. Quite a steep drop for such a short distance. Pughs Run flows through forest land up on the mountain but flattens out once it reaches farm and pasture land at the base of the mountain. Pughs Run resides only in Shenandoah County and runs through the towns of Woodstock and Maurertown.
The Shenandoah Valley is known for its farming and livestock production throughout Virginia. Pughs Run extends through a number of farms on the western side of the Shenandoah Valley and is exposed to pastures and cropland along its way to the Shenandoah River. The Pughs Run riparian buffer has small variations from forest to farmland, but generally stays the same.
As you can see in this picture, Pughs Run covers approximately 7.67 square miles. This small stream empties out into the Shenandoah River. The elevation at the starting point of the stream at the top of Little North Mountain is about 1775 feet. The stream follows drainages down the mountain, being fed by various springs along the way. By the time Pughs Run reaches the Shenandoah River, it has reached an elevation of about 640 feet.
In just a little over 6 miles, the stream elevation drops an estimated 1135 feet. Quite a steep drop for such a short distance. Pughs Run flows through forest land up on the mountain but flattens out once it reaches farm and pasture land at the base of the mountain. Pughs Run resides only in Shenandoah County and runs through the towns of Woodstock and Maurertown.
The Shenandoah Valley is known for its farming and livestock production throughout Virginia. Pughs Run extends through a number of farms on the western side of the Shenandoah Valley and is exposed to pastures and cropland along its way to the Shenandoah River. The Pughs Run riparian buffer has small variations from forest to farmland, but generally stays the same.
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