Developing a Watershed-Specific Stream Quantification Tool to Support Pacific Salmon Habitat Restoration
Will Harman, PG
Stream Mechanics
Raleigh, NC
Cidney Jones, PE
Ecosystem Planning and Restoration
Murfreesboro, TN
The Moose Creek Watershed is located ~50 miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska and is the ancestral fishing area for the Chickaloon Native Village. There is evidence that at least three species of Pacific Salmon used Moose Creek with some suggesting that all five were once present. During World War 2, a railroad was installed along the Moose Creek valley to access coal throughout an 8-mile corridor. Moose Creek was re-located in several places and the floodplain cleared of vegetation and re-graded to accommodate the railroad. Mining stopped and the railroad was removed after the war. The floodplain slowly re-established a forest. However, channelization persists with poor salmon habitat. The restoration goal is to restore salmon habitat that is suitable for all five species of Pacific Salmon and for all life stages, including spawning and rearing habitat.
A variety of data-collection and assessment methods have been used. Green LiDAR with aerial photography was flown to create detailed base maps for design and 2-D hydraulic modeling. A watershed-specific regional curve was developed to aid in verifying bankfull in the disturbed reaches. A new side-channel assessment was created to evaluate spawning habitat. Fish surveys, stream gauging, and water quality assessments were also conducted.
A watershed-specific SQT was developed using the Alaska-Interior SQT as a template. The project team identified new SQT parameters and metrics that were needed to support the project goals. These metrics included: percent side channels, LWD Index, in-stream boulder frequency, overhanging vegetation, and undercut banks. These metrics were added to the existing Interior SQT metrics; however, some needed revised reference curves because Moose Creek has a different climate than the Interior.
About Will Harman, PG
Will Harman is a founder of Stream Mechanics and Ecosystem Planning and Restoration. Throughout his 35-year career, he has participated in hundreds of stream restoration projects across a wide variety of landscape settings and techniques. Examples include steep-gradient step-pool designs in Alaska, low-gradient meandering streams in North Carolina, and urban solutions in San Antonio, Texas.
He has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and proceeding papers on stream assessment and restoration methods and was the principal author of two design manuals. He developed the Stream Functions Pyramid Framework and co-developed the Stream Quantification Tool, which is being used by many state and federal agencies to quantify the functional uplift from stream restoration practices.
Prior to working in the private sector, Will was on the faculty at NC State University, where he co-founded the NC Stream Restoration Program. He is a licensed geologist in North Carolina.
About Cidney Jones, PE
Cidney is a professional engineer with 15 years of experience in stream restoration design, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, stream restoration, and stream assessments. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in 2010 and her Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2013. She started assisting with the field days for the Stream Function Pyramid Framework courses in 2017 and has since been teaching and leading workshops and field training across the U.S. She has experience performing and providing instruction for hydrologic and hydraulic modeling; field surveying; geomorphic assessments; and GIS mapping and analyses. She is the co-developer of the Stream Quantification Tool and works with states to regionalize the tool.
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