BUILD A TROUT A HOME: The Lake Fork River
& Henson Creek Enhancement Project
Please donate to help us reach our goal!!The LFVC has successfully raised $15,000 of the $60,000 needed to secure construction costs for Phase II of the River Enhancement Project.
Construction
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Taken from the Lake City Silver World Friday, September 20, 2013 Lake City residents will become familiar with the definitions and beneficial results of hydrological terms such as "vane," "cross vane," and "sill" in coming weeks as a long-awaited river enhancement project gets underway. Regardless of definitions, the end result, according to LFVC's Executive Director Camille Richard, will be a boon to lovers of water and wildlife--and the environment in broader scope--as river banks are stabilized and fish habitat improved along a half-mile section of lower Henson Creek as it flows through Lake City and merges with the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Q: WHERE IS THIS HAPPENING? A: Phase I will create nearly a half-mile long recreation corridor along Henson Creek. It will begin at Pumphouse Park and terminate with a new extension to Memorial Park at the confluence with the Lake Fork. Q: HOW DOES IT BENEFIT ME AND THE RIVER?
A: A joint venture with the Town of Lake City, the project is a comprehensive solution that benefits wildlife and residents! Our design will:
Q: HOW CAN I HELP? A: Donate! Total project cost is estimated at $675,000, most of which is the cost of rock. Thanks to you, we exceeded our goal of $20,000 for phase I. Now we are fundraising for Phase II. A2: Volunteer to plant willow saplings! We'll be needing citizen volunteers to help plant baby saplings along the newly improved stretches of the river. Email Stephen at: s.norton@lfvc.org to get involved. |
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Research
LFVC began dreaming of a healthier Henson Creek in 2008, and immediately realized that the first steps were to understand both the river and the wishes of our community.
All channel, sediment, and water quality survey data collection and analysis has been completed by hydrologist Steve Belz of Black Creek Hydrology, who has been working with the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy since 2008, and has worked on numerous river enhancement projects along the Lake Fork and surrounding region.
The study area for the project encompasses a mile of Henson Creek above its confluence with the Lake Fork in town, and two miles of the Lake Fork itself, most of which runs through town. Belz’s channel surveys comprise a detailed assessment of channel morphology, getting a incredibly clear picture of how the river’s energy shifts from bank to bank as it passes through town.
In October 2011, a LiDAR flight run occurred over the proposed project area. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and is a technology similar to radar that uses light beams instead of sound, and gets a very detailed information about an area, including vegetation types, and relative elevation.
There are good reasons for doing so much data collection before we start doing actual construction work in the river. With LiDAR information we can simulate designs with computer monitoring, ensuring that any structures introduced to the river do not negatively impact potential flood levels. Sediment and bed-load sampling are important because all designs must anticipate the amount of material which will be moving through the river system. A project which does not take these things into account could run into sediment and maintenance problems down the road.
All channel, sediment, and water quality survey data collection and analysis has been completed by hydrologist Steve Belz of Black Creek Hydrology, who has been working with the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy since 2008, and has worked on numerous river enhancement projects along the Lake Fork and surrounding region.
The study area for the project encompasses a mile of Henson Creek above its confluence with the Lake Fork in town, and two miles of the Lake Fork itself, most of which runs through town. Belz’s channel surveys comprise a detailed assessment of channel morphology, getting a incredibly clear picture of how the river’s energy shifts from bank to bank as it passes through town.
In October 2011, a LiDAR flight run occurred over the proposed project area. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, and is a technology similar to radar that uses light beams instead of sound, and gets a very detailed information about an area, including vegetation types, and relative elevation.
There are good reasons for doing so much data collection before we start doing actual construction work in the river. With LiDAR information we can simulate designs with computer monitoring, ensuring that any structures introduced to the river do not negatively impact potential flood levels. Sediment and bed-load sampling are important because all designs must anticipate the amount of material which will be moving through the river system. A project which does not take these things into account could run into sediment and maintenance problems down the road.
Design
The improvements come largely from a series of natural-looking rock structures, designed by our engineer Steve Belz at Black Creek Hydrology. Steve has laid out a rugged network of six cross vanes, 19 vanes, 16 sills, and a terrace where visitors can relax by the riverside. These structures help shore up banks against erosion, scour out the deep pools beloved by trout, and direct the river's energy to control sediment load.
Steve's design reflects both the needs of the river (dictated by his field research), and the opinions our community. He and the LFVC have met with many landowners, anglers, and boaters individually and in groups. The response has been overwhelmingly positive!
Steve's design reflects both the needs of the river (dictated by his field research), and the opinions our community. He and the LFVC have met with many landowners, anglers, and boaters individually and in groups. The response has been overwhelmingly positive!
