The Weber River Restoration project is needed to improve the stream health in approximately two miles of the Weber River, which has been degraded due to previous channel alteration and habitat simplification. This reach of the Weber River is currently listed on the Utah 303(d) list of impaired waters for not meeting the biological standard for cold water fish and their aquatic food chain. Additionally, this reach is one of the most urbanized rivers along the Wasatch Front. The Lower Weber River from the mouth of Weber Canyon to the confluence with the Ogden River is being studied to determine how improvements will benefit aquatic life. State fish biologists have hypothesized that there is a recruitment bottleneck in this location for juvenile Bluehead Sucker and studies are currently being conducted to identify key habitats in the area. The specific need that this funding request will address is the fish passage at the 24th Street Kayak Park, which is assumed to be a fish passage barrier due to vertical plunging water with high water velocities.

The specific objectives of the FY21 proposal are to provide funds for mobilization, materials, and care of water for the implementation of the fish passage channel proposed for the west side of the river at the 24th Street Kayak Park. A contractor was selected through a competitive bid process in 2020-2021 and began work in late FY21 on the river. The Care of Water phase of the project was implemented in April-May of 2021, where Best Management Practices were installed to reduce the potential for sediment and pollution to leave the site during construction. This involved setting up large sand bags in the river to divert the flow away from work zones for short periods of time. The water was diverted into a temporary bypass channel and work was completed on the river right and the center island, which is one side of the stabilized fish passage channel. Additionally, rock and other construction materials were purchased and the contractor mobilized into the project. Work will continue through the end of 2021 to complete both sides of the river and final grading on the fish passage channel. Some site revegetation will occur in fall of 2021 and the majority of final revegetation and reclamation will occur just after runoff in 2022. The invoice for the work completed in FY21 came to Ogden City at the end of June. The Swift building demolition delays [from finding more hazardous materials in the project area], balancing out internal funding sources and change orders, and with staff turnover within Ogden City, the State was not invoiced in time to cover the FY21 work before the year end books closed. The $30,000 FY21 ESMF funding did pay for the Mobilization of equipment and materials for the fish passage channel. These items were a $45,000 lump sum item paid out in this first invoice, so the ESMF grand covered $30,000 worth of that item. The objective of this FY22 ESMF proposal is to cover the $30,000 work on the project with FY22 ESMF funds.

The Utah State and Western Weber County Resource Management Plans have identified the preservation and enhancement of rivers and floodplains as important objectives to consider when planning projects. Additionally, wetlands and riparian areas have been identified as key resources to provide both environmental and economic benefits to Utah communities. Recreation has also been called out as essential to Utah ecological and economic vitality into the future. This project addresses these RMP objectives and also will help to bring the community together around this rare resource, the River. The Weber River is listed on the Utah 303(d) list for impairment of the cold water fishery and has been identified as a degraded reach. The Weber River Watershed Plan (USU 2014) identified Habitat Restoration as a key strategy to improve the river function and the City of Ogden developed a specific watershed plan to detail opportunities for habitat improvement and community engagement along this reach and this plan is included as a document in the WRI database. Lowland Riparian areas including Aquatic-Forested, Aquatic-Scrub/Shrub, Emergent, and Riverine Habitat types were identified as a Key Habitats in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan (2016). Many species rely on these habitat types for all or parts of their life cycles. The proposed project will improve all of these habitat types and will also increase the effectiveness of the vegetative buffer by removal of material and enhancement of riparian areas and floodplains adjacent to the river. Restoring the Weber River, which is in a moderately densely populated area will help the UDWR achieve Resource Objective 2 (Increase fish and game populations to meet management plan objectives, and expand quality fishing and hunting opportunities) and Constituency Objective 1 (Increase public awareness of wildlife as a quality-of-life issue in order to expand our support base and achieve stable funding). A map and narrative of priority reaches on the Weber River is included in the attached documents. In addition, restoring the Weber River will meet city master plan objectives.

The City of Ogden has conducted cultural resource inventories and delineation of Waters of the U.S. to comply with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Utah Stream Alteration Permit needs. A Utah Stream Alteration Permit and USACE 404 permit and all needed resource information, including that needed to comply with ESA and NHPA regulations will be secured before project implementation. An Environmental Assessment on the project has been completed by FEMA and the FONSI was published in 2018 and is included as a document in the database.

The proposed project consists of various habitat features to restore aquatic and geomorphic functions of the Weber River. Riparian and wetland enhancement is also proposed to buffer urban nonpoint source pollution, reduce in-channel water temperatures, and provide food sources for aquatic organisms. Stormwater return areas and best management practices are proposed to minimize water quality impacts from urban runoff. Project features include: delineating the riparian corridor, modifying the channel geometry, installing in-stream habitat features for improved geomorphic and habitat functions, creating interior floodplains, enhancing the riparian vegetation, removing invasive plant species, bio-stabilizing the banks, installing stormwater finishing areas, removing extensive concrete and litter and installing appropriately concentrated recreational access.

There have been several efforts in recent years to characterize the habitats and water quality in this reach of the Weber River. These include riparian vegetation surveys, water quality sampling, and fish surveys. An assessment of riparian areas was conducted in 2015 and 2017. The Utah Division of Water Quality conducted a targeted sampling for water quality at site #4920220 in 2015 and this will be repeated on a 6 year cycle. The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District conducts regular sampling of chemical water quality parameters at the project location and will continue to sample in the future. A Bluehead Sucker recruitment bottleneck study was conducted by Utah State University in 2014-2016 and the final report was completed in 2018 concluding that habitats and connectivity is limited. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conducts population monitoring for Bluehead Sucker in the Weber River on a three year rotating basis with the next survey planned for 2018. Additionally, we are working with Utah Water Watch at USU to develop a citizen science monitoring program and working to include students and professors from Weber State University.

The City of Ogden - project lead role completing the design and implementation of the project. Trout Unlimited - technical advice U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - technical advice Utah State University - Water Watch Program - monitoring. Weber State University - classroom groups learning in the field. Weber Pathways - local trail group working on access and trail connectivity. Weber Waterways - local boaters group - site stewardship. Utah Division of Natural Resources - technical advice. Utah Division of Water Quality - funding and technical advice. National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program - stakeholder development. Weber Basin Water Conservancy District - water quality monitoring. Weber Partnership - numerous members - stakeholder engagement and education.

The City of Ogden will continue to work to improve the river and riparian areas along the Weber River and will maintain improvements in the future with urban forestry and parks staff. Focused restoration and establishment monitoring of the aquatic and riparian habitat improvements will be conducted for 3-5 years post-construction. Then the City of Ogden will continue to manage invasive species and river ecosystems as part of their regular maintenance schedule. Follow up treatments for noxious and invasive species will be part of a long-term adaptive management strategy used in the river corridor.

07/01/2021

06/30/2022

2022

The Lower Weber Restoration project is a long-term multi-phased project with partners working together to improve conditions for the Bluehead Sucker along the Weber River from the mouth of Weber Canyon to the confluence with the Ogden River. This reach has been identified as important for the Bluehead Sucker, with limits on the juvenile recruitment of the sucker due to lack of backwaters and issues with connectivity of the main channel for fish migration. The Phase 3 project has been focused on increasing the longitudinal connectivity of the Weber River through Ogden City at the 24th Street Kayak Park, which has had a drop of more than 2' vertical, impeding the upstream passage of the sucker for more than a decade.

Ogden City worked with a wide variety of funding partners including FEMA, The Utah Department of Emergency Management, UWRI, UORG, Trout Unlimited, and other members of the Weber Partnership to develop this multi-phased plan for improvement of longitudinal connectivity of the main channel and lateral connection of floodplains and backwaters to benefit the Bluehead Sucker. The Ogden RDA also worked in partnership with the river project to evaluate the hazardous materials and develop a demolition plan for the Swift Building, which is adjacent to the Weber River at this project location. The accomplishments in the past 3 years include getting the Swift Building removed and getting hazardous materials out of the river project footprint. The river project and Swift Building demolition were completed in FY22. This project connected the Lower Weber River longitudinally through Ogden to upper reaches in Riverdale and Weber County. There are still a few fish barriers, floodplain connectivity opportunities, and backwater reconnections that are being evaluated as part of a Lower Weber River Geomorphic Assessment, led by Trout Unlimited. Several backwaters and side channels have been implemented in the last few years by Ogden City and Trails Foundation of Northern Utah. These reach wide efforts will continue in the next few years and UDWR will evaluate the benefit to the Bluehead Sucker. There are now places for the Bluehead Sucker brood stock to be released into the Lower Weber River and the river is more connected longitudinally than it has been in decades, so these efforts should continue.

The entire phase of the Lower Weber Project, including fish passage at the 24th Street Kayak Park was completed during FY22. No additional funding for this phase will be requested, but there are a few more fish passage barriers that will be addressed in the next few years. These include the Wilson Canal diversion, Riverdale Bench diversion, and an unnamed abandoned channel spanning line adjacent to the Ogden Business Exchange. Additionally, there are more opportunities to increase the area of backwaters along this reach to benefit the rearing of juvenile Bluehead Sucker. Thanks for the ESMF support for the project!