An estimated 1.6 more miles of stream will be lost. Brush and Indian creeks have also experienced extensive channel alterations. Blue River water quality is relatively good upstream from the confluence with Indian Creek. A large sewage treatment plant on Indian Creek chronically degrades water quality in the lower half of the Blue River. As the river flows downstream through the industrialized district, water quality deteriorates further.
Fish kills associated with depressed dissolved oxygen levels and chemical spills are common.
During low flows, the lower three miles of the Blue River is so grossly polluted by another large sewage treatment plant and industries that it sometimes cannot support fish and many other aquatic organisms. The disrupted hydrograph which is typical of urban streams also has adverse effects on aquatic fauna. Thirty-eight species of fish have been sampled from the Blue River and its tributaries. No angling surveys have been conducted on basin streams, however, fishing pressure is probably moderate. Channel catfish and carp are two of the more important sport fishes, but the Blue River also offers fishing opportunities for largemouth bass and green sunfish, especially in the reach upstream from the confluence with Indian Creek.