LOWER SARPY CREEK
Lyle Ballard Ranch
Site # MY - 11
The site may be reached by turning off I-94 at the Sarpy Creek Road, and driving 2.2 miles to the entrance of the Lyle Ballard Ranch. After receiving permission, proceed south 1.4 miles (3.6 miles from I-94), where two roads enter the main (Sarpy Creek) road: one from the west, across the railroad tracks, and one from the east through a gate in a field. Follow the faint road to the east for 0.1 mile to a small run-down rectangular fenced area. Continue northeast 0.2 mile and turn east at the bottom of the terrace. Drive along the south edge of the field 0.3 mile to the inside of the large meander.
Throughout this region, Sarpy Creek is damned by several abandoned beaver dams. The site is about 50 meters downstream from one beaver dam and several hundred meters upstream from another. The stream at this site just begins to be ponded by the lower dam.
Benchmarks 1 and 3 are on a point bar of a large meander. The bar has good soil development, and is well vegetated. There is much flood debris (mostly beaver-cut logs) in the vicinity of 1 and 3. The several large cottonwoods on the point bar show evidence of flood waters up to 1 meter above the elevation of 1 and 3.
The banks of either side are well covered with vegetation to the water's edge, and appear to be stable. Land use on both sides of the stream consists of hay cultivation. Both fields contain thick, lush vegetation.
Benchmarks 2, 4, and 5 are located on a natural levee, on the outside of the broad meander.
The stream bed throughout the reach consists mainly of a mixture of black mud and gravel, with a veneer (armoring?) of 1-4 centimeter gravel.
The water is fairly clear, with about 2 feet visibility. There is sparse to moderate aquatic vegetation, and some water logged beaver dam debris throughout this reach.
Lower Sarpy Creek (Site # MY - 11) was surveyed 16 August 1975.
Angles determined by a Brunton are followed by a (B), all others are derived from plane table data. Distances determined with a tape are followed by a (T), all others found using the alidade. The rod is touching the alidade side of the survey point, and is centered. Compass compensation is 15.5°. See Table 1.