Plaster Creek is a 25.9 miles (41.7 km) urban stream

Urban stream

An urban stream is a formerly natural waterway that flows through a heavily populated area. Urban streams are often significantly polluted, due to urban runoff and combined sewer outflows....

 in Kent County, Michigan

Kent County, Michigan

-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a tributary of the Grand River

Grand River (Michigan)

The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...

. The stream is named for the large deposit of gypsum

Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...

 found at its mouth. Its mean monthly flow averages 22 million gallons per day.

Two bridges listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 cross the creek.

Watershed

The headwaters are located in Dutton Park, at Hannah Lake Avenue and 76th Street, just south of the unincorporated town of Dutton in Gaines Township

Gaines Township, Kent County, Michigan

Gaines Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,112 at the 2000 census.The township is about 13 miles south of downtown Grand Rapids. It is directly south of the city of Kentwood. The Charter Township of Caledonia and Village of...

. The creek flows into the Grand River just south of Wealthy Street in downtown Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

. The main stream is approximately 26 miles (41.8 km) long and drains a 57 square miles (147.6 km²) basin.

Flora and fauna

Plaster Creek is a salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

 spawning stream, and salmon have been seen as far upstream as Ken-O-Sha Park near Kalamazoo Avenue, near the site of the photo. The stream is not considered to be a trout stream, but has been designated as a warm water fishery. One endangered species

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 Epioblasma triquetra

Epioblasma triquetra

Epioblasma triquetra, common name the Snuffbox, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels...

(the snuffbox mussel) lives in the Plaster Creek watershed. The threatened Beak Grass (Diarrhena americana

Diarrhena americana

Diarrhena americana, also known as American beak grass or American beakgrain, is a native, perennial grass of North America,, where it grows in rich, moist woodlands from Missouri to Maryland and south to Oklahoma and Alabama. It is considered to be threatened in Michigan, and is listed as...

) grows along the banks in some areas.

Tributaries

Streams flowing into the creek include Little Plaster Creek, the small Maple Creek, and the former Silver Creek, now culvert

Culvert

A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...

ed as the Silver Creek Drain.

Trails

A series of trails along Plaster Creek is being planned in Grand Rapids:

Plaster Creek Trail - Phase I
Beginning at Ken-O-Sha Park School (1353 VanAuken SE) and following Plaster Creek, this pathway offers interpretive signs and a stunning display of spring-blooming wild flowers along the creek's bank and wetland areas. This portion of the Plaster Creek Trail is 1.2 miles (1.9 km).

Plaster Creek Trail - Phase II
The Plaster Creek extension is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in length. It starts at Plaster Creek and Eastern Avenue, travels north on the east side of Eastern Avenue, crosses 28th Street, then proceeds westerly to Division Avenue. The trail serves two purposes, as a non-motorized trail and as a flood protection and mitigation facility.

Plaster Creek Trail - Phase III
Division Avenue to Oxford Street.

Eventually, this trail will connect with Kent Trails

Kent Trails

Kent Trails is a fifteen mile rail trail in Kent County, Michigan that runs through the cities of Grand Rapids, Grandville, Walker, Wyoming and Byron Townshipand is part of a network of trails in and around Grand Rapids...

 and the Paul Henry Rail Trail

Paul Henry Rail Trail

The Paul Henry Rail Trail is a rail trail in Kentwood, Michigan. Originally running from 44th Street and Kalamazoo in a southeasterly direction to 60th street, the trail now connects with both the Thornapple Trail and Kent Trails. It has a wide paved surface. It is part of the North Country...

.