1. Provo River Restoration Project
Rachael Ritchie
December 2, 2003
CEE 5440

2. Provo River Restoration Project
Vacate the Channelized Portions Between Jordanelle Dam and Deer Creek Reservoir

3. Entities Involved
Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Central Utah Water Conservancy District
Provo River Water Users Association
U.S. Dept. of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
USU, BYU, ISU, UNR, & ASU for Bio. Studies

4. Purpose of Project Restore Provo River to natural/historic 1999 2006
River pattern
Ecological function
Diversity of fish and wildlife
1999
2006

5. Location
The Provo River originates high in the Uinta Mountains collecting in the Jordanelle and Deer Creek Reservoirs and reaches its destination of Utah Lake. It is well known for its blue-ribbon fly-fishing.

6. Upper Colorado Basin

7. Utah Watersheds

8. Utah Dams

9. Reaches/Phases

10. GIS Aids in Modeling
To create a healthy riparian zone, GIS was used to understand the types of sediment and flood flows
Riparian vegetation was to be recruited/established along the new river banks
STATSGO for soil types
National Land Use Cover Dataset for vegetation/cover
National Hydrography Dataset, National Water Information System and HEC-HMS for flood flows

11. Types of Vegetation Cottonwood Willow Alder Hawthorne Wood’s Rose
Wheat Grass
Brome Grasses
Wild Rye Grasses
Ute-ladies Tress

12. Stream Mechanics

13. A Healthy Flood Plain Channel Flood Plain Terrestrial Vegetation
Stream
Fish, Invertebrates, and Algae
Flood Plain
Young Plants
High flow in spring from snowmelt scours out/inundates vegetation
Terrestrial Vegetation
Older Plants
Riparian Vegetation
Sediment Deposition and Scour for Plant Growth
Necessary for Seed germination
Prevents Channelization
Promotes Diversity and Production
Moderates flow and storage
Controls Water quality
Provides use and enjoyment for people

14. Constraints on Riparian Vegetation
Seed Window
Time when plant drops viable seeds
Bare Soil
Needed for germination
Moisture
Rain, flood events, and groundwater
Root Growth
Approx. 2.5 cm/day
Excessive Scour

15. GIS was used to study: Flood Flows Depths of flow in the stream
Flood Plain Inundation
It is assumed that where flood induced waters deposit sediment, riparian vegetation would survive
Establish Optimal Hydrographs

16. Pictures of New Vegetation
Involved Seeding and Planting
Several Volunteers Donated Time

17. Before and After Restoration
From Jordanelle Dam
To Deer Creek Dam
Water entering the new stream bed (top)
Gravel Bed preparation (right)

18. Problems High Flows in River
Vegetation not thriving in all assumed flood plain locations as identified by GIS models
Groundwater drops quickly in some locations and seedlings cannot establish root systems
High Flows in River
Expected to reduced over time

19. Thank You!