Crystal River to the Colorado River
Over most of this segment the river is confined to a narrow cut through old river terraces that is occasionally interspersed with wide openings. Stream gradient is fairly steep over much of the segment but there are many stretches of flat water where deep, quiet pools alternate with shallow riffles. Agricultural alteration has impacted stream and riparian habitat. Irrigation diversions dewatered the stream, and cattle grazing has severely degraded riparian habitat. In addition, tillage and pastures to the edge of stream banks destabilized those banks resulting in erosion, channel alteration and stream sedimentation. Recent conversion of the agricultural land to golf courses, residential development, shopping centers and roads has exacerbated the environmental degradation so that most of the stream habitat and all of the riparian habitat is now heavily modified or severely degraded.

There are numerous threats to a healthy stream, including:

• Habitat loss/alteration including stream, riparian and upland habitats due to development in the riparian zone;
• Habitat fragmentation including stream, riparian and upland habitats on land due to roads and development;
• Noxious weeds;
• Alteration of the hydrologic regime and dewatering due to instream diversions and wells;
• Greatly increased impervious surfaces with increased runoff and correspondingly reduced precipitation infiltration;
• Degraded water quality due to excessive sedimentation and nutrient loading;
• Stream channelization due to roads, bridges, culverts, drop structures, shoring structures and riparian habitat/stream bank devegetation.