Near the Rocky River Nature Center in North Olmsted is the confluence of the river's east and west branches. From that point, it's interesting to watch the differences in water quality between the branches. Sometimes one branch is much more turbid from sediment runoff than the other.

The picture at right, for instance, shows silt-laden water from the East Branch. This is often caused when isolated rainstorms hit parts of the watershed drained by one of the branches. The rain washes away unprotected soil, perhaps from construction sites where there has been inadequate enforcement of construction stormwater permits or where there has been removal of vegetation along stream corridors by other unwise development practices. Such pictures are vivid reminders of how land development impacts water quality.