Cave Salamanders (Eurycea lucifuga) and Long-tailed Salamanders (*Eurycea…

July 1, 2026Eastern Highland Rim

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(Eurycea lucifuga) and (Eurycea longicauda) are active in the limestone seeps now, a sign of healthy refuge habitat in these karst springs. But the streams feeding this ecosystem carry a heavy regulatory burden: Center Hill Reservoir holds a 303(d) impaired water listing with no cleanup plan, and the Calfkiller River and Clifty, Cherry, and Wildcat Creeks are similarly listed. The karst geology here routes runoff directly into these springs with almost no filtration, which means any pollution upstream arrives intact.

Other salamanders sharing these waters include and , a threatened , and . Current flow is holding at 40.2 cubic feet per second — moderate for the season. What strikes an observer is not how degraded these streams appear, but how intact they still look. A watershed can hold its integrity right up until it doesn't; impaired listings tell the story of stress already underway, not always visible in the current moment.

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