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River Restoration - Pecos River, NM - October 2007
The Pecos River in northern New Mexico has been altered primarily due to land management practices. Native grasses and cottonwoods have been replaced by less desirable willows and salt-cedars, banks have eroded to a point where they are unstable and continually fall into the river during high flows, and the river channel has widened to a point where shallow riffles outnumber runs and pools. As a result, abundance of trout in the river is low, growth rates are poor, and fishing opportunities are scarce.
ACI was contracted to create better fishing opportunities and restore the river channel, reintroduce cottonwoods and other native vegetation, and create an area for the property owner and his family to enjoy canoeing and kayaking on the river.
ACI began the permitting process for the river restoration in Spring 2007. Aerial and ground surveys provided the information needed to develop a conceptual design. Rock weirs, "j" hooks, pocket water, and deflectors were strategically placed to direct flows back into the main river channel and increase trout holding habitat. Side channels that had formed as a result of unstable banks were to be filled-in to ensure that water stayed in the main channel. Bank erosion would be repaired by re-sloping shorelines and planting native vegetation.
After the conceptual design was finalized, the permit was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New Mexico Environment Department, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Once the permit was in hand, ACI began the process of staging over 2,500 tons of rock and boulders for the habitat structures.
One-by-one, the rocks and boulders were carefully selected and fit together like a puzzle to create the perfect habitat. Large footer boulders were placed below river grade to provide stability to the habitat structures above. Deflector rocks were placed and blended into the shorelines to stabilize banks and prevent future erosion. Trout habitat was created with the plunge pools and scour pools that were created with the large rock weirs and "j" hooks. The river went through an amazing transformation with each boulder that was placed.
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