Provo River Restoration Project Rachael Ritchie December 2, 2003 CEE 5440

Provo River Restoration Project Vacate the Channelized Portions Between Jordanelle Dam and Deer Creek Reservoir

Entities Involved Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission Utah Division of Wildlife Resources U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Central Utah Water Conservancy District Provo River Water Users Association U.S. Dept. of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Geological Survey USU, BYU, ISU, UNR, & ASU for Bio. Studies

Purpose of Project Restore Provo River to natural/historic 1999 2006 River pattern Ecological function Diversity of fish and wildlife 1999 2006

Location The Provo River originates high in the Uinta Mountains collecting in the Jordanelle and Deer Creek Reservoirs and reaches its destination of Utah Lake. It is well known for its blue-ribbon fly-fishing.

Upper Colorado Basin

Utah Watersheds

Utah Dams

Reaches/Phases

GIS Aids in Modeling To create a healthy riparian zone, GIS was used to understand the types of sediment and flood flows Riparian vegetation was to be recruited/established along the new river banks STATSGO for soil types National Land Use Cover Dataset for vegetation/cover National Hydrography Dataset, National Water Information System and HEC-HMS for flood flows

Types of Vegetation Cottonwood Willow Alder Hawthorne Wood’s Rose Wheat Grass Brome Grasses Wild Rye Grasses Ute-ladies Tress

Stream Mechanics

A Healthy Flood Plain Channel Flood Plain Terrestrial Vegetation Stream Fish, Invertebrates, and Algae Flood Plain Young Plants High flow in spring from snowmelt scours out/inundates vegetation Terrestrial Vegetation Older Plants Riparian Vegetation Sediment Deposition and Scour for Plant Growth Necessary for Seed germination Prevents Channelization Promotes Diversity and Production Moderates flow and storage Controls Water quality Provides use and enjoyment for people

Constraints on Riparian Vegetation Seed Window Time when plant drops viable seeds Bare Soil Needed for germination Moisture Rain, flood events, and groundwater Root Growth Approx. 2.5 cm/day Excessive Scour

GIS was used to study: Flood Flows Depths of flow in the stream Flood Plain Inundation It is assumed that where flood induced waters deposit sediment, riparian vegetation would survive Establish Optimal Hydrographs

Pictures of New Vegetation Involved Seeding and Planting Several Volunteers Donated Time

Before and After Restoration From Jordanelle Dam To Deer Creek Dam Water entering the new stream bed (top) Gravel Bed preparation (right)

Problems High Flows in River Vegetation not thriving in all assumed flood plain locations as identified by GIS models Groundwater drops quickly in some locations and seedlings cannot establish root systems High Flows in River Expected to reduced over time

Thank You!