If you’ve ever seen a brown, muddy river or lake, you’ve seen what erosion can do.
Eroded soil (mud) washes from fields into rivers, streams, and lakes. Some of this soil mixes in the water (kind of like powdered cocoa mix), and some soil will fall to the bottom of lakes and rivers. This soil is called “sediment.”
Sediment can clog waterways, making deep water a lot shallower. It can also bury and smother fish eggs, as well as other animals that live on the bottoms of lakes and rivers.
Many fish have trouble finding their food, or even breathing, in muddy water. In addition, the mud in the water can block sunlight that important water plants need to grow.
Soil moving into lakes, known as “sediment,” turns the water brown.
Photo: USDA NRCS