Smith Creek (Virginia)
| Smith Creek | |
| Stream | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Virginia |
| Region | Shenandoah Valley |
| Municipality | Rockingham County, Shenandoah County |
Coordinates: 38°36′51″N 78°40′14″W / 38.614188°N 78.670542°W
Smith Creek (also known as Smith's Creek) is a 35.5-mile-long (57.1 km)tributary stream of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Its watershed comprises 106 square miles (270 km2) within Shenandoah and Rockingham counties on the western slope of the Massanutten Mountain ridge. Its headwaters lie in Rockingham County just north of Harrisonburg, and its confluence with the North Fork of the Shenandoah River is located just south of Mount Jackson.
Smith Creek's major tributaries include:
Smith Creek has been the beneficiary of a large-scale stream restoration project to revitalize the stream to a point where the native trout species can again thrive. Prior to the Civil War, trout up to 5 and 6 pounds were common in the stream, but as forested land was converted to pasture land for livestock the stream became unsuitable for fish. Restoration techniques include restricting livestock's access to the stream, which will reduce sediment and contamination from fecal bacteria, and planting grasses and trees along the banks, which will reduce erosion and sediment and reduce the stream's temperature by shading the water from the summer sun. By 2006, populations have already been reestablished in Mountain Run, and they have begun migrating downstream.
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