Species living in lotic ecosystems are often dependent on the deposition of organic litter from surrounding terrestrial ecosystems for a large portion of their energy requirements. These same species may also be influenced by significant amounts of organic compounds and inorganic elements that are released into the water during the decomposition of allochthonous litter. Litter transfer into streams is usually estimated with catchment collectors located outside of the stream. The termination of flow in a tallgrass prairie stream in 1978 provided the opportunity to directly measure allochthonous litter accumulation in that stream channel. The objectives of this study were to document direct litter accumulation in the stream channel, and to compare this to vertical deposition of litter in the adjoining gallery forest