Big Pine and Spring Creek

Big Pine receives a below average rating and Spring Creek receives a good rating. These two streams are a major part of the drainage system for the western side of Madison County. Spring Creek has exhibited few serious water quality problems over the period it has been analyzed. Median levels of pollutants are at or below average and maximum levels remain within standards. Big Pine Creek, however, exceeds average median levels in several parameters and has shown more vulnerability to stream sedimentation. This is a very steep watershed and there are areas of land on steep hillsides that have been extensively cleared. Like many of the watersheds in Madison County, the Big Pine Creek watershed is very beautiful, but like most of the major watersheds in the county, the combination of steep slopes and extensively cleared land is causing erosion and stream sedimentation problems.