Historic Channel Change and Post-Project Analysis of a Habitat Restoration Project on the Upper Strawberry River, Utah
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies 5-2011 Historic Channel Change and Post-Project Analysis of a Habitat Restoration Project on the Upper Strawberry River, Utah Marshall Bruce Baillie Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports Recommended Citation Baillie, Marshall Bruce, "Historic Channel Change and Post-Project Analysis of a Habitat Restoration Project on the Upper Strawberry River, Utah" (2011). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. 131. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/131 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Plan B and other Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HISTORIC CHANNEL CHANGE AND POST-PROJECT ANALYSIS OF A HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT ON THE UPPER STRAWBERRY RIVER, UTAH by Marshall Bruce Baillie A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Watershed Science Approved: ________________________________________ John C. Schmidt Joe Wheaton Major Professor Committee Member ________________________________________ Chris Luecke Byron R. Burnham Committee Member Dean of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2011 ii ABSTRACT HISTORIC CHANNEL CHANGE AND A POST-PROJECT ANALYSIS OF A HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT ON THE UPPER STRAWBERRY RIVER, UTAH by Marshall B. Baillie Utah State University, 2011 Major Professor: Dr. John C. Schmidt Department of Watershed Sciences Restoration of the upper Strawberry River included bank stabilization techniques because it was assumed that excessive bank erosion was degrading spawning habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki Utah)(BCT). Using a long-term aerial photograph record, we determined the historic range of variability in bank erosion rates and channel geometry, and used this information to assess present-day conditions and the rationale for restoration. Relative to historic variability, bank erosion rates were low and channel morphology was stable in the decade prior to restoration. Although a historic loss of riparian vegetation coincided with a shift to a wider and more sinuous channel, lateral migration rates declined to lowest levels in the period-of-record and the channel narrowed as riparian cover increased in the decades prior to restoration. Additionally, the percentage of fine iii sediment in the streambed prior to restoration was insufficient to impact BCT spawning success. Furthermore, using a 1-D hydraulic model we examined pre- and post-restoration channel morphology and hydraulic variables related to habitat conditions for BCT. The results of the historical analysis suggest that bank erosion and fine sediment did not affect the quality of spawning habitat or the abundance of BCT on the upper Strawberry River. Furthermore, the 1-D hydraulic model shows that the physical in-channel manipulations made little improvements in achieving marketed changes in habitat and as such may have little effect on BCT spawning and resident population success. Our results highlight how a historic analysis can be used to identify the sources of habitat degradation and inform the selection of restoration goals and strategies as well as how surveyed cross-sections coupled with a 1-D hydraulic model can examine initial success of in-stream manipulation for habitat enrichment of a restoration project. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was funded by the Intermountain Center for Rehabilitation and Restoration at Utah State University. I wish to thank Justin Robinson and Alan Ward of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for generously providing information about the restoration design and access to study sites. Thanks also to Molly Hansen (Hydrologist) and Robert Davidson (Soil Scientist) of the U.S. Forest Service for providing data used in the 2004 Strawberry Watershed Restoration Report; Aero- Graphics, Inc. for assistance with image rectification; Milada Majerova for help with equipment. I would also like to thank Nira Salant for a constant supply of guidance and direction and Jack for the persistent boot in the backside, as well as the Fluvial Geomorphology lab cohorts for their support with my graduate endeavors. Lastly, a special set of thanks goes to my family; Finn, Maggie and Jill and my parents for always smiling politely when I would say that I am “almost done”. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................ iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1-Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 References..................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2-Background ................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Historical analysis ...................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Post-project analysis ...............................................................................................................12 2.3 References...................................................................................................................................18 Chapter 3-Strawberry River historical and post-project analysis ............ 22 3.1 Watershed characteristics and reach boundary conditions....................................22 3.2 Climate .........................................................................................................................................23 3.3 Geology .........................................................................................................................................24 3.4 Land use history of the upper Strawberry River .........................................................25 3.5 Hydrology and the history of water use in the upper Strawberry River ............26 3.6 Riparian vegetation .................................................................................................................28 3.7 Beaver ...........................................................................................................................................29 3.8 Upper Strawberry River restoration ................................................................................30 vi 3.9 References...................................................................................................................................34 Chapter 4-Methods ........................................................................................................ 35 4.1 Aerial photograph analysis and interpretation ............................................................36 4.1.1 Aerial photographic rectification ...............................................................................37 4.1.2 Image interpretation .......................................................................................................39 4.2 Channel Reach Surveys and HEC-RAS ..............................................................................42 4.2.1 Reach and site surveys ...................................................................................................42 4.2.2 Bed material composition .............................................................................................44 4.3 HEC-RAS 1-D hydraulic modeling......................................................................................45 4.4 Site measurements of discharge and temperature .....................................................46 4.5 Regional analysis of hydrology ...........................................................................................47 4.5.1 Developing a time series of hydrology from Strawberry Reservoir inflows47 4.5.2 Flow-Duration analysis ..................................................................................................49 4.5.3 Flood Frequency analysis ..............................................................................................50 4.6 References...................................................................................................................................51 Chapter 5-Results, Discussion and Conclusions ................................................ 53 5.1 Aerial Photograph analysis and interpretation of historical geomorphic planform change .............................................................................................53 -Lateral channel migration ......................................................................................................53