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<br />("" <br />_J <br /> <br />North Fork Gunnison River Study \York Plan <br /> <br />by: <br />Ellen Wahl <br />David J. Cooper <br />Department of Earth Resources <br />Colorado State L"n1versIIY <br />Fan Collins. CO 80513 <br /> <br />Introduction <br /> <br />As part of continuing work on the :'-Jorth Fork River Improvement Project. we are <br />proposing (0 evaluate sediment and channel dynamics along the ~oI1h Fork Gunnison River. <br />This mfonnarion is critical for understanding channel response to rehabilitation efforts along the <br />North Fork Gunnison River. The primary objectlves of the proposed research are to: (1) identify <br />sediment sources and smks (including Paonia Dam and reservoir), and approximate magTIltudes <br />of sediment input along the river, and (2) reconstruct the recent history of channel configuration <br />along the :-':orth Fork Gunnison from the junction of Anthracite and .:vluddy Creeks downstream <br />to Hotchkiss. <br /> <br />The work plan detailed below is designed for::! years of research by an MS candidate. <br />with field assistance by other students and supervision by Wohl and Cooper. <br /> <br />Tasks: <br />1) Evaluate hillslope sediment sources along the :--':onh Fork Gunnison River corridor: <br />I. use aerial phorographs to identify types of land use and locations of mass <br />movements (debris flows, landslides), sheetwash. and gully development from the <br />1930s to the present along the ~onh Fork Gunnison River corridor (a swath 1 <br />mile wide on either Side of the channel) <br />11. in combination with geologic and soils maps. use the air photo information to <br />stratify the corridor into high. moderate, and low sources of sediment dunng <br />successive lO-year periods (use GIS software for this task) <br /> <br />2) Evaluate main channel planfonn and stability: <br />I. using the aerial photos mentloned above, subdivide the re~ord of the main channel <br />IOto t1r:le periods based on sinuosity and Iater31 mobility (recogniz1Og that some <br />changes 10 these par:lmeters may be caused by artirlclal channel stf<ughtening. <br />meander cutoff. etc), and subdivide the main channel IOto channel re3ches with <br />conslstent morphology and beha\"ior (use GIS software for this task) <br /> <br />3) Evalu~ne sediment transport and storage along the valley bottom <br />I. map tnbutary channel fans. mam channel banJ.Jvalley bottom sedlme:1t storage <br />and potential mobi!iz~l.tion Sites <br />II charactenze the grain-SIze dlStnbutlon of the fans and valley bottoms With <br />