N 4650W42.7: Stu/973 A STUDY OF THE CHANNELIZATION OF THE WEBER RIVER, SUMMIT COUNTY, UTAH ky James R. Barton, Department of Civil Engineering and Parley V. Winger, Department of Zoology Final Report presented to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah State Department of Highways UTAH ® May 1973 STATS LIBRARY Uiflh Library 2153 So. 3.00 West - Suit# IS Salt Lake City, Utah Mill A STUDY OF THE CHANNELIZATION OF THE WEBER jjtIVER SUMMIT COUNTY, UTAH by James R. Barton, Department of Civil Engineering and Parley V. Winger, Department of Zoology Final Report presented to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources ónd Utah State Department of Highways M (P May 1973 %té.r\z i mn ai Ufah Sfa+f* I Commission 2150 ' ' ■ ' ‘ - 5mU9 16 $,■, - • c:ii5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was supported by a research grant from the Utah. Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah State Department of Highways. Equipment and research space was provided by the Department of Civil Engineering and Zoology of Brigham Young University. We acknowledge all who gave so freely of their time and energy to help with the field and laboratory work involved in this research. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF T A B L E S ................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES................................................... vii A B S T R A C T ............ .......................................... xi INTRODUCTION ..................................................... 1 Review of Literature .................................. 3 Detrimental Effects of Channelization............ 3 Rehabilitation of Altered Areas.................. 5 HYDROLOGIC ASPECTS OF THE WEBER RIVER............................ 7 Description of Study Area.............................. 7 Hydrology of the Weber River .......................... 8 Discharge Records................................ 8 Water Quality Records............................ 13 Hydraulics of the Weber River.............. 14 Channel Characteristics.......................... 14 Hydraulic Structures . ........................... 17 Description of Study Sections.......................... 21 Section A ........................................ 21 Section B ........................................ 21 Section C ........................................ 21 Section D ........................................ 21 Section E ........................................ 22 Section F ........................................ 22 Section G ........................................ 22 Section H ........................................ 23 Section I ........................................ 23 Section J ........................................ 23 Analysis of Structure Effectiveness.................... 23 Section B ........................................ 24 Section D ........................................ 26 Section F ........................................ 26 Section H ........................................ 27 i Channel Profile .......................................... 27 Summary of Structure Effectiveness .................... 31 AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE STUDIES ................................... 33 Weber River Literature ................................ 34 Description of Study Area .............................. 34 Changed Areas .................................. 34 Unchanged Areas .................................. 35 S a m p l i n g ............................................... 36 Artificial SubstrateSampler ................... 36 Bottom S a m p l e s ......... ....................... 37 Gabion - Rock DeflectorAnalysis ............... 37 Drift Samples.................................. 39 Water Chemistry................................ 41 Vegetation Analysis ............................ 43 Gut Analysis of Macroinvertebrates and Fish . 43 Analysis of D a t a .............................. 43 Water Chemistry........................................ 47 H a r d n e s s ...................................... 47 Alkalinity.................................... 47 Phosphate...................................... 47 Sulfate........................................ 47 p H ............................................. 50 Temperature.................................... 50 Turbidity...................................... 50 Discharge...................................... 56 Fish Gut Analysis.............................. 56 Macroinvertebrates and Algae in the Weber River . 58 Organic and Inorganic Drift ............................ 59 Vegetation . ....................................... 62 Macroinvertebrate Populations .......................... 62 Changed and Unchanged Areas .................... 62 Gabion - Rock Deflector................ 73 D iscussion............................................. 79 Bottom Sampling ................................ 79 Changed and Unchanged Areas ..................... 80 Summary and Conclusions ................................ 90 FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS 93 Fish S a m p l i n g .......................................... 94 1968 ............................................ 95 1969 . ....................................... 96 1970-71 ....................................... 96 1972 ............................................ 99 Results and Discussion .................................. 100 1968 ............................................ 100 1969 ............................................ 102 1970 ............................................ 103 1 9 7 1............................................ 121 1972 ............................................ 124 Fish M o v e m e n t .......................................... 129 Concentration ofFish in Altered A r e a s ................... 131 Summary and Conclusions ................................ 132 CONCLUSIONS.................................................... 137 LITERATURE CITED ................................................ 141 APPENDIX........................................................ 155 i i i J I i -i LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Mean, maximum and minimum average monthly discharges in cubic feet per second as measured at Echo, Utah, 1932-1967 ................................................. 10 2. Summary of periods of low flows, Weber River at Echo, U t a h ..................................................... 11 3. Changes in channel length, tortuosity and average slope of channel in the Weber River near Henefer, Utah; 1938-1969 .......................................... 12 4. Average slope, length and width of each section in the study area on the Weber River, Summit County, U t a h ..................................................... 15 5. Turbidity measurement (JTU) of water collected at all stations after channelization at Station 6 (November 12, 1969)...................................... 56 6. Gut analysis of the macroinvertebrates and fish of the Weber River, Summit County, Utah .......... 58 7. Analysis of streamside vegetation at changed and unchanged areas on the Weber River, Summit County, U t a h ..................................................... 63 8. Number of organisms collected in basket samples and bottom samples at Station 5 before, during and after channelization ................................ 64 9. Evaluation of significance each variable contributes to the distribution of the macro­ invertebrate populations around a gabion and rock deflector placed in the changed portion of the Weber River, Summit County, Ut a h .................... 76 10. Summary table of mean, maximum and minimum values obtained on water chemistry standing crop and drift in the Weber River, Summit County, Utah ........ 77 11. Number of fish in each species collected in the study sections in the Weber River, Summit County, Utah (October 5 to December 14, 1968)...................... 101 v TABLES (cont.) Table Page 12. Summary of fish shocking data in Reaches 5 and 6 (November 1 , 1 9 6 9 ) ...................................... 103 13. A list of species of fish found in the Weber River between Echo Dam and Devil's Slide, Utah .......... 105 14. Number and weight of each fish species per acre in the Weber River, Utah, fall, 1970 108 15. Percent of total catch each species contributed from creel census data on the Weber River, Utah, 1970 no 4J 16. Percent of numbers, estimates of populations, percent of weight and estimate of standing crop by species for changed and unchanged areas in the Weber River, Utah, in the fall of 1970 ................................. 113 17. Percent of recaptures in changed and unchanged areas of the Weber River, Utah, summer and fall of 1970 ................................................... 115 18. Fish population estimates in the Weber River, Utah during the summerof 1970 ................................. 115 19. Ordination coordinates (x and Y) and estimated standing crops in pounds per acre for each tag and release location on the Weber River, Utah in the fall of 1970 ........................ .. H 9 20. Fish population estimates (number/acre) in an altered portion (Section B) on the Weber River, Utah, June 5, 1972 124 21. Number of fish collected during each trial for DeLury fish population estimates on the Weber River, Utah, 1972 ........................................ 128 22. Comparisons of DeLury fish population estimates in 1972 with tag-recapture population estimates made prior to that time in the Weber River, Utah ........ 129 23. Movement of fish as recorded from recapture information in the Weber River, U t a h .................... 131 LIST OF FIGURES Figure . Page 1. Map of Utah showing location of Weber River,