When most people think about the muck at the bottom of the Rainbow River, they probably think of it as waste—something ugly and harmful that needs to be removed. And in the river, that is exactly what it is. But there is another side to this story that deserves more attention: The muck we are removing from the Rainbow River has value.

For decades, organic material, sediment and nutrients have accumulated on the river bottom. This black muck creates an unhealthy environment for native aquatic plants, contributes to poor water clarity and interferes with the natural habitat that fish and wildlife depend on. Removing it is an important part of restoring the river.

But cleaning the river doesn’t mean throwing that material away.

Instead, the muck being removed from the Rainbow River is being processed and dried and can ultimately be used on farmland. What was once a problem at the bottom of the river can become a valuable soil amendment on land.

That is an important distinction. We are not simply moving a problem from one place to another. We are recovering a resource and putting it to productive use.

Healthy soil is one of our most valuable natural resources. Farmers depend on good soil to grow food, trees, sod and other crops. Organic material can help improve soil structure and contribute nutrients, making depleted soils more productive. In a region where agriculture and natural resources are so closely connected, finding beneficial uses for this material makes sense.

Think about the long-term possibilities.

Imagine 100 years from now. As populations grow and agricultural soils continue to be cultivated, some farmland may become increasingly depleted. At the same time, the stockpiles of processed river muck that were incorporated into agricultural soils could become an even more valuable resource.

Perhaps, someday, enough material could be accumulated to make it practical to package and sell it as a soil amendment. Or perhaps farmers could obtain it directly for their fields. Sod farms, in particular, use significant amounts of soil as they produce grass for landscaping, roadsides and erosion-control projects. Having a locally available source of organic-rich material could provide another useful application.

The idea is worth exploring.

What excites me most is that this represents a different way of thinking about environmental restoration. We often talk about restoration in terms of what we remove, what we spend and what we are trying to fix. But restoration can also create resources and opportunities.

When we remove nutrient-rich muck from the Rainbow River, we are improving water quality and creating better conditions for native aquatic plants. We are restoring habitat for fish and wildlife and making the river more enjoyable for people. And when that material is responsibly processed and reused on farmland, we are potentially improving soils at the same time.

In other words, the material that was damaging the river can help improve the land.

That is a remarkable benefit of restoration.

Of course, we need to make sure any material applied to agricultural land is properly processed and meets appropriate environmental and agricultural standards. Responsible reuse is essential. But when those standards are met, there is tremendous value in treating this material as a resource rather than simply as waste.

The Rainbow River is a treasure, and restoring it requires us to think creatively about every part of the process. The muck at the bottom of the river may have been part of the problem for decades, but its future doesn’t have to end there.

Bad for the river can mean good for the soil.

That is one more reason why cleaning the Rainbow River is an investment not only in our waterways, but in the future of the entire Rainbow River watershed.

For more information visit: www.OneRakeAtATime.org

Thank you.

Art Jones