Current Status:
Project Complete!
Project Background:
Boulder Flycasters (BFC), the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), and the Fishing is Fun program from the State of Colorado (FIF) have partnered for a stream restoration project on Boulder Creek in Boulder County, Colorado. The restoration is taking place in the area commencing at Foothills Parkway and ending at 55th Street, which is the final section within the Boulder city limits in need of restoration after the devastating 2013 floods.
BFC has been working with OSMP and FIF for several years securing funding, permits, and approvals to implement a flood restoration that focuses on the Eco habitat needs of this section of Boulder Creek. BFC issued a Request for Proposals in June 2017 for the instream construction and accepted a complete restoration proposal from stream restoration experts Lefthand Excavating and Biohabitats in July 2017. They are currently working instream on the bulk of the restoration, which includes:
- Stream channel geometry balanced with the current flow and sediment regime.
- Implementing natural instream habitat features for the habitat needs of native and sport fish.
- Constructing a timber/cobble point bar habitat to improve sinuosity.
- Excavating small pools below boulder clusters and point bars where appropriate.
- Excavating a low flow channel to concentrate over-winter flows.
- Adding boulder deflectors to protect existing vegetation from further erosion.
- Planting native riparian vegetation to stabilize banks and improve canopy cover.
Here’s a link to download the Project Summary from Lefthand Excavation & Bio Habitats.