Laserfiche WebLink
<br />^ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />tit <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Fisheries standing crop:33-70 IbsIacre comprised of 5 species(trout represented 75% of <br />biomass observed) <br />Biotic Condition Index for macroinvertebrates: 73%-86% of expected community quality <br />observed. (22-31 taxa present including mayflies, stonef1ies and cad<lidlies). <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Utilizing this clefllM'!\; Queen of the River Consultants completed an Aquatic Resource <br />Restoration and Development PIan for 12,000 Jinear feet of Rock Creek and re-establishment of a <br />1900' oxbow channel The pIan developed was submitted to the US Amrj Corps of Engineers for <br />permitting under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. A sigJrifir.ant part of this review included <br />coordination and site review by the Colorado Division ofWild1ite Habitat Section, Colorado <br />Division ofW1ldlife Regional Fisheries Biologist, Colorado Division ofWiIdlife local Law <br />Enforcement Section, and the US Fish and WiIdlife Service. Multiple telephone conversations <br />and 3 field reconnJIi~...n,".e sessions were completed with agency personnel Input was gathered <br />and revisions were included in the final n....;g,. The project received a 404 permit pursuant to the <br />Clean Water Act in July, 2003. Construction of all 12,000' of Rock Creek and 1900' of oxbow <br />channel was completed by October 2003. <br /> <br />Research completed illustrated the condition of Rack Creek aquatic habitat was only in filir <br />condition based on channel stability ratings, trout habitat ratings, fisheries standing crop and <br />macroinvertebrate comnnmity health. Evaluation of the river corridor and channel showed that <br />Rock Creek was comprised of a moderately to highly entrenched channel due to installation of <br />stream side berms which did not allow the channel to commnnil'.Af'l naturaIIy with its historic <br />floodplain. This un-naturalllJvp.domnent of the floodplain caused the channel to down cut its <br />bed, promoted Iateral migration of the channel within the restricted floodplain, created increased <br />blink erosion, caused sigJlifir.ant and unstable depositional areas, and dimini~hed natural fisheries <br />and macroinvertebrate habitat. The annuaI c.xpteasion ofhigh flows within Rock Creek stream <br />channel without access to its floodplain on Table Rock Ranch has resulted in very poor longevity <br />of natural fisheries habitat enhancements such as beaver pond complexes (often Iasting only I or 2 <br />years). The restoration pIan, based on the identified limiting factors in our analysis, was designed <br />to resuh in: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Protection of important riftle areas for macroinvertebrate production through stabilization <br />Reduction of the width depth ratio via installation of a stable, narrower, and deeper <br />thalweg 1l~1...~.r11lt1"lm11g many cross stu:i8Il1 rock structures and reshaping of the <br />channel <br />Stabilization ofbanks through reduction of near blink velocities using strategic installation <br />of native material structures and reshaping/revetmentlrevegetation of mass wasting banks <br />Increased pool frequency (approximately once every 2-4 bankfull widths) <br />Increased pool quality through installation of self clP.llning pools at 1east >~ the stream <br />width at bankfull and at 1east I bankfull width in Iength <br />Reshaping of the stream bottom to provide multiple 3'-5' deep pools for fish holding <br />during low fiow conditions <br />Increased instream fishery holding cover through installation of low rock habitat clusters <br />and re-establishmen of a 1900' oxbow side channel to the creek. <br />Increased fish habitat stability through reduction of stream energy via in.'Ztllllation of drop <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br />