In fact, this river regularly is listed among the cleanest in the nations. Rather, the water level is very much subject to rising and falling in direct proportion to how much rain falls to the north. Flooding on the Skunk River is assured when several inches of rain fall, and likewise, a dry summer makes boat travel all but impossible and walking across the river quite possible. But what is constant in the Skunk River is the color of the water. Because the river is home to catfish and carp, both scavengers which search for food on the river's bottom, the water is rarely clear.
Sediment abounds, especially when the river is at normal depth or deeper.
On summer days, when the fishing was not so good, and the current not too fast, my brother and I would do a bit of swimming. At some point, we would each try to swim as we might in a swimming pool. That is, we would open our eyes under water. And the sight that would greet us is clear in my mind. With the sun shining, the water looked a thick yellow, a color brighter than butterscotch, but not as yellow as a lemon.