Projects

Lower French Creek Restoration

The Lower French Creek Restoration project was completed fall 2019 and addressed mining-related impacts, which left the old channel pinned against a high, eroding bank by a man-made dike feature. These human-caused alterations caused 800+ tons of sediment per year to break away from the bank and fall into the stream, affecting downstream fish and mussel habitat. To fix the problem, we constructed approximately 4,000 lineal feet of new stream channel east of the current channel through an area of healthy riparian vegetation. This was a much larger project, both in volume and length, than our previous stream restoration projects. Each meander, pool, riffle, bank, and floodplain were highly engineered to ensure a structurally stable stream, while also enhancing wildlife habitat. The project incorporated other water storage techniques as well, including depressional wetlands and floodplain micro-topography.