This project is a road realignment to remove a wet crossing of a system road and place it upstream ~800 feet. Movement of the crossing will remove it from a wet meadow/riparian area and place it at a natural narrowing of the geology. An arch culvert will be installed to reduce sedimentation and allow Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP).

Obliterate the road at the current stream crossing, reconfigure channel to a more natural state along its historic alignment. A new crossing would be constructed upstream ~800 feet at a natural narrowing of the valley. The new crossing would be a built-up road prism over an structural steel plate arch culvert. The new road prism would be constructed to maintain a higher path on the hillslope on both approaches. This would reduce the riparian area footprint of the road, remove a wet crossing (reducing sedimentation from roadway) and provide a deeper narrower channel to facilitate AOP, even at base flows.

Current road alignment is a wet crossing across a wide valley bottom with wet meadow and dispersed recreation camping site. Low slope and a wide (for this drainage) flat valley area have allowed the road to increase the length of the wet crossing area through general vehicle use, leading to increased sedimentation. Further, extension of the crossing have caused the stream flow to migrate from its historic channel, along the road and empty into the wet meadow, increasing sedimentation. This new channel creation is eroding the meadow, mobilizing sediments, increasing sedimentation and removing camping opportunities. With the increased area of the new channel stream, flows are dispersed over a large area, decreasing the depth of flow and removing AOP. Since the flow has been "captured" by the road prism and is emptying into a wet meadow it will continue to erode topsoil and eventually base materials. Each runoff cycle increases the riparian impacts and project costs. This stream contains Colorado River cutthroat trout a State and Forest sensitive species. This population is classified as a Conservation Population in a Meta-population state, giving it very high value to the species. Focal Species monitoring, shows a 3 fold population reduction in the last 5 years; from 208 fish/mile in 2011 to 64 fish/mile in 2016. Further bed characteristics, during the same period, have changes from a cobble/gravel substrate to a fine sediment embedded cobble condition; indicating a total loss of spawning habitat.

CRCT Coordination Team. 2006. Conservation strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) in the States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Fort Collins. 24p. -Plan identifies current conservation populations and outlines at what level these populations will be maintained. Low Pass is named a conservation population. Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Forest Plan, 2003 Land and Resource Management Plan, Uinta National Forest:https: //www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/uwcnf/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5076960&width=full-Plan sites management of of riparian areas (pg 2.2), management of aquatic species (CRCT) (pg 2.3), wildlife (pg 2.5), and vegetation (pg 2.5). Wasatch County Resource Management Plan: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cn80Wzst8eoa0o_BqoTBHOPfPm8M6MIe Indicates County's desired use and results of Natural resources on public lands within there jurisdiction. Specific related to this project are on pgs: 286 water quality, 294 wetlands, 296 riparian, 300 roads system and 315 fisheries.

Wildland firefighting will benefit by increased access and response time into upper Currant Creek Drainage.

Water Quality will be greatly increased. 2011 stream habitat surveys indicate that bed composition was gravel/cobble, with less than 25% fines in the stream channel. A duplicate survey in 2016 indicated a shift to fine sediment embedded cobble bed with a near 50% fine composition. 2016 visual surveys indicated that, above the crossing, fines were not dominant in bed composition. The Duchesne River drainage (of which Low Pass is part) TMDL identified TDS as a exceeding pollutant, with TDS standard violations in the Upper Currant Creek Drainage (Low Pass or Log cabin Creek - a Low Pass trib.). Sediment reductions will also benefit Currant Creek Reservoir from filling with earthen materials. Water Quantity will be increased by properly function steam channel (narrow, deep, not flowing on a road, etc.), and increased riparian vegetation. Placement of stream back into historical channel will limit loss to evaporation.

Will be completed by project initiation. NEPA will be covered under a CE.

Contractor will remove existing crossing, return historic stream channel to a natural form, reclaim wet meadow, grade a new road alignment and construct a new crossing over an aquatic organism passage designed 18' 7" x 12' hardened steel multi-plate culvert. Hand crews of USFS personnel or volunteers will re-vegetate old crossing.

Infrastructure (culvert and road) are inspected annually by USFS staff. Maintenance will be accomplished as needed. Fish and stream habitat are monitored every 5 years, per species conservation plan, this will continue (protocol available by request). Next scheduled survey is 2021. A supplemental survey will be undertaken the summer after crossing is complete to document post construction state for comparison with routine monitoring.

Monitoring of fish and amphibian populations and aquatic habitat project work, within Currant Creek drainage, are jointly operated by UDWR and USFS. Coordination is PRN but at least annually.

Road will be maintained at the upgraded functionality, as needed. Culvert design will have a life of 50+ years and incidental damage will be corrected. Stream function will be enhanced by the project and further enhanced through future stream focused projects if needed.

Road prism will be reduced and wet meadow areas will be maintained; both increase forage production within this existing allotment. Back country accessibility will be maintained and enhanced for campers, atv'ers, hunters, fishers, wood cutters and other recreationalists.