Skip to Content
Main Menu
Search
Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative
Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative
Projects
Maps
About Us
Register
Login
Search
Saving...
Thank you for requesting access to WRI.
An administrator will contact you with further details.
Miller Creek Restoration 4.0
Region: Southeastern
ID: 5635
Project Status: Completed
Map This Project
Export Project Data
Completion Form
*
Project Start Date
*
Project End Date
Fiscal Year Completed
2023
*
Final Methods
Lop and Scatter work began November 9, 2021. Work progressed well and was completed December 16, 2022. Lower Miller Creek Stream Restoration: Tamarisk and Russian olive were removed using chainsaws to cut the trees and then immediately spraying them with Triclopyr 3A. We used youth corps crews to do the work. An ACE crew worked from 4/3/22 - 4/16/22 and treated one acre. A UCC crew worked from 6/27/22 - 6/30/22 and treated another 2 acres. We constructed 100 BDAs in a one mile stretch of lower Miller Creek. The posts for the BDAs were put in by Good Fellers from 6/25/22 - 6/28/22. The BDAs were repaired, filled, and finished by TRP Ridgeline Pros from 4/10/23 - 5/8/23.
*
Project Narrative
Lop and Scatter work began November 9, 2021. Work progressed well and was completed December 16, 2022. Work started on the West side of Highway 6 then moved northward and eastward across the highway. Lower Miller Creek Stream Restoration: In the lower sections of Miller Creek, the floodplain has been disconnected due to encroachment of non-native/invasive vegetation and past land use practices. It's created 1) a fire hazard, 2) a lack of riparian and aquatic habitat useable for wildlife, 3) a lack of grazing potential, and 4) excessive erosion of adjacent agricultural land. This portion of the project was done in coordination with the NRCS. The work being done is on private land and the landowners had a contract with the NRCS to help pay for the work. The initial plan was to remove tamarisk and Russian olive within 25 feet of the creek on both banks (about 6 acres) to allow for easier access when constructing the BDAs. Once treatment of these invasive species had been finished we planned on planting with native plants. The first youth corps hired was only able to complete one acre of tamarisk treatment, the second only completed two acres. We decided this route was cost prohibitive and decided to construct the BDAs without the rest of the planned tamarisk removal. We hope to treat the remaining tamarisk at some point in the future. Due to permitting issues we were unable to fully construct the BDAs in 2022. As carryover funding is not guaranteed, we wanted to put in what we could in 2022 which was only the posts for the BDAs. We received carryover funding and finished the BDAs in 2023. There were plans for stream bank stabilization, but in working with the NRCS there were some differences in opinion for the engineering. That work won't be done as part of this project, but may be done in the future.
*
Future Management
Mastication was not sent out for bid due to this project having the only polygon in the area for mastication and mobilization costs would have been too high. BDAs are meant to be impermanent structures and will likely need maintenance in the future depending on whether they achieve their desired effect. The riparian portion of this project was difficult due to the gross underestimate of how much it would cost to remove the invasive riparian vegetation. We originally wanted to burn it out and replant native vegetation but after consultation with NRCS we decided to cut and treat all tamarisk and Russian olive. The Tamarisk and RO were so dense that the budget didn't reach clearing more than a couple of acres. We will likely resurrect this project in another form once we determine a more effective way of removing invasive and dealing with floodplain reconnection.
Submitted By
Jordan Nielson
Submitted Time
10/02/2024 14:35:43
Title Page
Project Details
Finance
Species
Habitats
Seed
Comments
Images/Documents
Completion Form
Project Summary Report
Saving...