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<br /> <br />The following is a review of the original 404 permitted work and the work that has now been <br />completed. <br />The 404 permit included: hundreds of yazds of excavation and fill within the floodplain for the <br />purpose of changing the river meander pattern, creation of point bazs and backsloping vertical <br />streambanks. <br />The work performed: Very little excavation and fill was actually done. After numerous site <br />visits and input from "river professionals" we concluded that the South Fork of the San Miguel is <br />healing up very nicely on its own. The process is ongoing. The channel has recreated a <br />meandering stable form, bank erosion has declined dramatically, vertical banks are laying back <br />and point bars have been created by the river. Willows aze aggressively colonizing these bars. <br />No work was done on the South Fork and no future stabilization work is felt to be necessary. <br />Very little work was done o^ the mainstem above the confluence. This portion of the stream <br />courses over an alluvial fan. While its location apoears to be stable now. our investigation of the <br />historic aerial photo record suggests that the channel has meandered across the fan. While some <br />work was done on the lower reach to eliminate the braided channel and to protect against channel <br />adjustments during high flows, (see map, detail A) nothing was done on the east bank. Since the <br />only property at risk is undeveloped National Forest we have determined that should the river <br />move in that direction it would be acceptable. In conjunction with the blocking of the braided <br />channel several hundred feet of the vertical bank east of the confluence was reshaped to improve <br />the character of the site (see map, detail B) . <br />The majority of the earthwork was done below the confluence. A terrace was created with fill <br />material to define the ordinary high water line (see map, detail C). As previously indicated <br />willow cuttings will be planted along this terrace. <br />The 404 permit included: the installation of nineteen vortex rock weirs for grade control and <br />habitat enhancement. <br />The work performed: No rock vortex weirs were constructed. Our monitoring of the site <br />indicates that vertical adjustments in stream grade have not been occurring for a number of years, <br />therefore channel grade control structures were not necessary. On the South Fork, the channel <br />has been evolving towards a more stable form through lateral adjustments. As described above <br />we believe that process is nearing completion. Once a new floodplain has been constructed by <br />the river it needs the freedom to move within the floodplain, structures can be detrimental to this <br />process and this was an added reason they were eliminated. While these structures would have <br />provide some fish habitat, these were an enhancement and could not be justified on that basis <br />alone. <br />The 404 permit included: almost 800 feet of wood and rock bank revetment to anchor the toe of <br />newly constructed streambanks. <br />The work performed: The river bank revetment work was reduced to approximately 200 feet. <br />It was placed along the toe of the newly constructed terrace below the confluence and along <br />points of the regraded existing bank east of the confluence (see map, detail C and B) . This <br />reduction in revetment work was possible because of the substantial reduction in the amount of <br />river bank built. <br />