Like many rivers throughout Utah, the morphology of the Spanish Fork River has been shaped by the need to use water for irrigation and by the encroachment of urban spread and agricultural practices. As such, the river channel has been shaped through attempts to reduce the impacts of flooding and improve water conveyance to users. The effect has been the creation of a trapezoidal channel that, while maintaining some meanders, looks more like a canal than a river and is disconnected from its natural floodplain. The disconnection with the floodplain theoretically increases the magnitude of flood damage potential as flow energy cannot be dissipated. The brown trout fishery has remained viable in the river despite the changes made by human activities but does not flourish. The river is highly accessible as it flows through Spanish Fork City and the placement of up to ten j-hook and cross vanes throughout the one mile reach that flows through the Spanish Fork Sports Complex will aid in creating habitat that will benefit the fish population. These structures will aid in creating areas that are easily fishable from the shore along the trail. The Sports Complex hosts numerous sporting events for people coming from all over Utah but lacks the ability to provide much in the way of non-traditional sports. By enhancing the river through the park a section of the population that normally does not use this area can find other ways to recreate within the enhanced river habitat. Furthermore, using rock vane structures creates reconnection to the floodplain and will decrease the severity of flood damage by allowing the energy of the flowing water to be dissipated by the riparian vegetation. IN addition to the need for reconnecting the river to its floodplain, several species of invasive vegetation exist throughout the river corridor including Russian olive, tamarisk, and Siberian elm. These species are large water consumers and need to be removed and replaced by native vegetation that requires less water. Native vegetation can dissipate flood energy and provide the opportunity to keep a little more water in the stream channel throughout the remainder of the year through reduced water consumption. This in effect will also reduce the need of the city to maintain expensive trail infrastructure should flooding occur. Community stewardship for the river corridor is expected to increase with beautification of the stream channel and increased opportunities for recreation near homes

The primary objective of this project is to increase engagement by volunteers throughout the Spanish Fork River Basin by coordinating community-based actions designed to complement and sustain our current restoration work. Key actions include reconnecting the river with the floodplain, diversifying fish habitat, planting native riparian trees, and removing invasive riparian species along the Spanish Fork River.

Risks associated with completion of a bank and channel habitat restoration project are minimal to nil. However, the risks of allowing the Spanish Fork River to remain in it's current condition may allow excessive flooding damage in high water years and risk private property damage along the stretch of river running through the Spanish Fork Sports Complex. Furthermore, while Utah Lake does not have an EPA approved TMDL, studies show that there is 21.2 tons/year of phosphorous loading from the Spanish Fork River, the highest of any natural water source in Utah Lake. It also contributes over 60,000 tons of total dissolved solids, second only to the Provo River. Bank stabilization and floodplain reconnection are critical to reducing these water quality contaminants.

A Consolidated Resource Management Plan has been completed for the portion of the Spanish Fork River from the crossing under Interstate 15 to the interface with Utah Lake. The CRMP outlines bank restoration and stabilization for the benefit of agricultural uses and the endangered June sucker. The objectives of Spanish Fork City are to ensure the stabilization of the banks of the Spanish Fork through their parks, which would include the portion through the Spanish Fork Sports Complex. In 2005 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources completed a streambank stabilization project much higher in the drainage at the Utah County Spanish Fork River Park. The UDWR project evidences positive effects to native species as well as trout.

There are no effects on fire or fuels for this project.

Floodplain reconnection and bank stabilization in the Spanish Fork River will reduce the current total phosphorous and total dissolved solids loading in Utah Lake preventing the possibility of a TMDL listing into the future. Current total phosphorous loading from the Spanish Fork River in Utah Lake is 21.2 tons/year, representing the highest phosphorous loading of any naturally flowing water source to the lake. Current total dissolved solid load is 60,500 tons/year, second only to the Provo River.

All appropriate Division of Water Quality and Army Corp of Engineers permits will be obtained prior to starting the project.

Up to ten j-hook rock vanes will be placed throughout the one mile stretch of river that flows through the Spanish Fork Sports Complex to reconnect the channel with the flood plain and narrow the channel to the appropriate conveyance size for transport of sediment. Throughout the surrounding acreage in the park and the trail that runs adjacent to the river invasive plants will be removed. Willows, shrubs, grasses, and sedges will replace the non-native vegetation at a ration of at least 1:1.

Monitoring of vegetation will occur annually to ensure the success of plantings and the recession of invasives. Monitoring of the fish population will occur annually for the first three years and then every 3-5 years following.

Trout Unlimited Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Central Region Aquatics City of Spanish Fork

Monitoring of vegetation will occur annually to ensure the success of plantings and the recession of invasives. Monitoring of the fish population will occur annually for the first three years and then every 3-5 years following. Fishing and other recreation will be promoted on the Spanish Fork River by the City of Spanish Fork, Trout Unlimited, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

This does not apply to this project but may apply to future phases.

04/10/2017

06/30/2017

2017

1. Utah Conservation Corp Crews were hired for one week in April 2017 to remove Russian olive, tamarisk, perennial pepperweed, scotch thistle, and phragmites from the north side of the one mile reach of the Spanish Fork River that flows through the Spanish Fork Sports complex. All vegetation was removed and chipped by Spanish Fork City. Stumps were treated with Garlon or Tordon as per standard operating procedures for woody invasives removal. 2. River Restoration.org was hired to develop a concept plan for implementing stream restoration from the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon to the I-15 bridge over the Spanish Fork River. Documents provided.

The Spanish Fork River, like many rivers in the State of Utah , has long been a source of agriculture irrigation. Additionally, as the city of Spanish Fork has developed and population has grown, property along the river has become desirable for development. Due to these factors and many others including misguided attempts at flood control, the Spanish Fork river has lost much of its natural channel geomorphology. In addition to losses to stream structure, invasive species now populate the limited riparian area. Invasive species removal is a great place to start with a restoration project because results are evident immediately and it generally doesn't require excessive permitting. TU employees began meeting with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in the winter of 2016 to plan details of the invasive species removal portion of the project and began to develop a concept plan with River Restoration.org. Utah Conservation Corp Crew-Leaders-in-Training spent one week on the project from April 10-14. They used chainsaw and loppers to remove vegetation along 1/2 mile of the north bank of the river from Spanish Fork Main Street into the Sports Park Complex. They removed all of the vegetation from the vicinity as per the City of Spanish Fork request to an area where the city chipped the woody vegetation and burned the phragmites removed. In the meantime, TU and DWR employees met with River Restoration.org engineers and environmental scientists to begin the concept for stream restoration. Draft restoration reports were delivered in late summer 2017 and are currently being reviewed by all partners.

The Watershed Restoration Initiative funding was only a small piece of the funding for the Spanish Fork River restoration project. The project will continue to develop the concept restoration plan and TU, DWR, and Spanish Fork City will continue invasive removal effort and seek funding and permitting to pursue instream alterations. Utah Conservation Corp Crews are planned to return in October 2017 to continue these efforts as well as lead volunteer native vegetation planting efforts.