Channel Reconstruction, Mitigation and Enhancement
The majority of NFRIA's restoration efforts have taken the form of mitigation and enhancement projects focused on channel reconstruction and habitat restoration.
These types of projects seek to replicate historical river patterns and minimize erosion with geomorphically designed enhancement efforts. In many cases, this means slowing down the river by increasing meanders throughout the full extent of the floodplain, thereby reducing the overall slope of the channel. Through these projects, NFRIA also removes foreign materials, such as car bodies, placed in the river for bank stabilization, as well as dikes and dams.
It is currently unknown whether a single-thread meandering channel existed in the North Fork of the Gunnison valley prior to the 1880’s, or if the system has always been braided. However, there are specific benefits to creating a non-entrenched single-thread channel. Not only does it reduce slope and velocity to allow for the re-establishment of native vegetation and reduction of erosion, but it also consolidates several small channels into one larger one. This conserves water by reducing evaporation rates and increases the river's capacity to sustain fish populations during summer low-flow conditions.
Installing Boulder Rock Veins
Completed Boulder Rock Veins
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Doc Maloney Wetlands Nature Preserve (BEFORE)
Doc Maloney Wetlands Nature Preserve (AFTER)
It is also important to note that the creation of a single-thread meandering channel does not necessarily mean that it is designed to remain that way in perpetuity. Rivers are dynamic and in order to meet the goal of returning natural function to the ecosystem they must be engineered in a manner that will allow for movement and change while protecting riverfront property. For example, the stabilization of outside bends on the periphery of the floodplain may be necessary to meet the objectives of individual landowners, but it does not suggest that the intent of the project is to channelize the river into a hard and fast meandering stream. The reconstruction of the channel is intended to act as a “head-start” program to give the river the opportunity to restore itself after one or several later floods.
Chipeta Damn (AFTER Removal)
Planting Willows Along the Riverbank
Completed Boulder Rock Veins
North Fork River Improvement Association :: 122A East Bridge Street :: PO BOX 682 ::Hotchkiss, CO 81419
P: 970.872.4614 :: F: 970.872.4621 :: support@nfria.org
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