Building a Stream Design Team to Deliver Resilience
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Building a Stream Design Team ColoradoTo Deliver Emergency Resilience Watershed Protection Program Update St. Vrain Creek Watershed Coalition Board February 2r, 2016 Presentation Overview 1. Building a Foundation for Recovery and Resiliency (CWCB Initiatives) 2. Colorado 2013 EWP Phase II 3. Building a Team to Deliver Resiliency Building a Foundation for Recovery and Resiliency Colorado Water Conservation Board Initiatives Colorado Water Conservation Board CWCB’s mission is “to conserve, develop, protect, and manage Colorado’s water for present and future generations” Non‐consumptive and Consumptive Water Use Colorado’s Water Plan Colorado Water Conservation Board December 2015 Watershed Health, Environment, and Recreation Colorado’s Water Plan sets a measurable objective to cover 80 percent of the locally prioritized lists of rivers with stream management plans, and 80 percent of critical watersheds with watershed protection plans, all by 2030. CWCB Flood Recovery Team • Local Stream Coalition Development and Coordination • Watershed and Stream Master Planning, Updated hydrology • Technical Support for exigent stabilization projects (EWP Phase I) • Develop Strategy for Multi-Objective Diversion Design/Construction • Program Management- Stream Restoration Design/Implementation Watershed Coalitions • Estes Valley Watershed Coalition • Big Thompson River Restoration Coalition • Little Thompson Watershed Restoration Coalition • St. Vrain Creek Coalition • Fourmile Watershed Coalition • Left Hand Watershed Oversight Group • Coal Creek Canyon Watershed Partnership • Middle South Platte River Alliance • El Paso County Regional Watershed Collaborative Colorado 2013 Flood Recovery EWP Phase 2 Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program 2013 Colorado Flood Recovery Phase II NRCS EWP Program Summary • Purpose: Implement emergency recovery measures to protect life and property in watersheds impaired by a natural disaster • Funding: $63.2 mil. total/ $47.4 mil. federal • State Sponsor: Colorado Water Conservation Board • Local Sponsors: Counties, cities/towns, watershed coalitions, others • Timeline: April 1, 2018 technical assistance agreement ends The Challenge of the 2013 Phase II EWP Program • $63.2 million for over 70 projects • 6 flood affected Counties • 9 Watershed Coalitions • 26 months to complete field work, designs, permitting, construction procurement, and project closeout. “And you want to achieve resiliency too?” Opportunities for Multiple Benefits • Reduce hazards and improve flood conveyance • Reconnect floodplains with streams • Enhance stream function • Manage sediment movements • Improve ecological and biological function of the stream • Improve recreational potential State Goals for EWP • Goal 1: Reduce Hazards and Protect Life Safety and Property • Goal 2: Use federal and state funding effectively • Goal 3: Enhance the health and resilience of watersheds and stream corridors • Goal 4: Build capacity of watershed coalitions • Goal 5: Advance a watershed-based approach to flood recovery A Few Critical Sub-Goals • Improve property owner, community, and stakeholder understanding of hazards, risk, and the limitations of mitigation measures. • Provide river restoration opportunities across watersheds and stream reaches. • Design and construct projects to improve geomorphic and ecological structure and function according to the Stream Function Pyramid framework. • Provide training, resources, and other opportunities for coalition staff and members to improve capabilities. • Create resources to assist with replication and future implementation of similar programs. Building a Team to Deliver Resiliency Design Philosophy, Strategies, and Successes Enhancing the ecological, biological, and geological functions of the river is a foundation principal of resiliency Post-Flood Recovery Assessment and Stream Restoration Guidelines for the Colorado Front Range (Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2015) Harman et al., 2012 The Team Needed to Deliver Resilient Stream Design • H&H Engineer • Geomorphologist • Ecologist • Biologist Can we get these individuals to work • Environmental Scientist together and respect their unique knowledge and abilities to design and • Public Involvement Specialist construct resilient flood recovery projects? “If we do it right, everything is going to change” 2D Analysis for River Design Velocity Profile 20 10 0 0 100 200 300 Stream Distance (feet) Velocity (ft/sec) Channel Centerline Right Bank Left Bank Froude Number Profile 2 0 0 100 200 300 Stream Distance (feet) Froude Number Channel Centerline Right Bank Left Bank Hydraulic Analysis Transport Capacity Stability Sediment Supply Erosion Varying Channel Widths High Flow Widths (What do we design to?) Designing for a Spectrum of Events High Flows Low Flows • Flooding and Damage, Avulsion and • Ecology and Stream Health, Long term Stability, Vegetation and Overbanks, Erosion Hazards, Infrastructure, Frequent Stripping of Vegetation, Rare High Flows Low Flows Floodplain at Work Paonia Park Project North Fork Gunnison River Photo by Jeff Crane Reshaping the Channel Before Highway 36 Post Flood Project N. St Vrain Creek Photo by Jeff Crane Connecting the Channel with the Floodplain After Highway 36 Post Flood Project N. St Vrain Creek Photo by Jeff Crane Tarryall Creek- Photo by Mark Beardsley Resources for EWP and Beyond Project Engineering Guidance Bioengineering Guide Plant Restoration Matrix FAQ’s and Fact Sheets Colorado EWP Website Available on CWCB website: www.coloradoewp.com Contacts Kevin Houck, Colorado Water Conservation Board [email protected] Jeff Sickles, Resilient Watershed Partners jsickles@enginuity‐es.com.