Help for environment

I recently read a fellow’s comments about increased vegetation in the Fox River. I appreciate his interest and concern for the river, because I love our beautiful valley.

The reason we have more diverse and abundant growth is because the river water has gotten clearer. This allows photosynthesis to happen in deeper water, and these plants provide cover and food for a host of diverse fish and creatures. These aquatics plants then filter the water column and cleanse the water even more.

Formerly, the turbid water of the Fox could only grow moss on rocks and some lily pads. As far as algae, unfortunately this too is part of nature. When we have long hot and dry spells, it shows up in the river and other waterways, dams or not.

The river is not going to flow “free” under anyone’s plans. The dams on the Fox that create the Chain O’ Lakes, and others, are said to remain. Those dams have gates that control the water level for the Chain’s existence. What we get here is what they don’t need.

Pools above our dams allow us to retain water depth, too. This deeper water sustains the wonderfully diverse population of fish species we enjoy as well as diving ducks, turtles, frogs, minks, muskrats, and a host of birds and reptiles, including mussels

More water equals more life. Somewhere along the line, “man-made” has gotten a negative connotation. That’s puzzling. Mankind has done a myriad of modifications that have advanced, improved, and lengthened our lives. Just like we have forest preserves, our river “water reserves” hold and improve life for all. Yes, even us humans.

Just as our crops are interspersed with prairies, our river is interspersed already with shallow rocky stretches for that environmental niche. The best of both worlds in place.

Steve Patzer

St. Charles