Spring, 2016. The spring-fed Sac River is a mess. It's full of debris and dying trees.
The river lacks a riparian corridor to filter water sheeting off the adjacent fields. The major trees are in trouble and the smaller trees are dead.
Cattle wander into the river and along the banks. In the Spring their hooves cut through shallow roots, killing trees. Hiking and fishing are no fun at all.
Dead trees pile up everywhere especially on curves. These intermittent dams cause erosion.
This is how cows and riverbanks get along.
The land next to the water is a war-zone and the river is losing. Rain carries sediment into the river and that's the number one source of river pollution in Missouri. Is there a practical way to water cattle without killing a river?
This is a common site along the Sac. Severe erosion exposes rich soil that quickly finds its way down the river clouding the water and degrading water quality for people and critters.
Here's manure based scum along the bank of the river.