During the summer/fall of 2018 the Bald Mountain/Pole Canyon fire burned approximately 125,000 acres within the Central Region. Significant portions of both the Lower and Middle Diamond Fork River and drainage, and their associated upland and riparian vegetation, were impacted. Sediment plumes and high flows have resulted in several documented fish kills and habitat degradation. In addition, historical flows of 400-600 cfs were common during the summer months to deliver irrigation water down Diamond Fork until approximately 2006 when those high flows were put into a pipeline. These high flows resulted in a very straight and simple, featureless river lacking the necessary fish habitat, especially pools, required to sustain a healthy fish population. Over the past 17 years Diamond Fork has been settling into a "new river" but has not been able to develop those necessary habitats naturally. The habitat improvements we are proposing will help immediately develop essential pool and more complex habitats required for the fish populations to be self-sustaining and rebound from negative fire impacts. The fires also burned a lot of the shrub habitat that is important for mule deer during the winter. We received funding in past years to do cultural surveys on the USFS so that we can plant shrub seedlings. We planted the first phase of 20 acres in the fall of 2024. We are requesting additional funds to continue to restore shrubs to the area. This year, there is an opportunity to improve habitat resources on private land in Diamond Fork Canyon, especially for mule deer and least chub. The property is approximately 1,800 acres, and provides crucial winter/spring range for mule deer. Shrub communities were damaged in the fire, and revegetation is needed to improve forage resources for mule deer. Erosion is also evident in some areas, where headcuts and channels are forming. Left unaddressed, these points of erosion will worsen with time. Rock structures such as zeedykes could be used to stabilize these sites and prevent further damage. The landowner also has multiple stock ponds, which he is willing to use as least chub refuge sites. Least chub populations suffer due to competition with invasive fish species. Establishing refuge sites in private locations with few or no other fish provides one way to address this threat. These stock ponds appear to have adequate vegetation, depth, and food resources for fish to survive. Water conditions such as temperature, pH, and oxygen also appear suitable. Some of the ponds are fishless, and others support small numbers of stocked rainbow trout. As part of his NRCS contract, the landowner will be fencing off most of the ponds' shorelines to restrict livestock access to certain points, which will benefit shoreline vegetation, soil health, and water quality. Collaboration with this landowner provides a unique opportunity to improve habitat resources on private land on a valuable landscape.

1. Install 20+ boulder clusters consisting of 1-3 large diameter boulders (1500-2000 lbs each) to areas of low habitat complexity to enhance fisheries habitat and holding areas. Structures may be used in conjunction with root wads and J-hook vanes. 2. Install 1-3 root wads to deflect water from back and scour deep pools for fish habitat. 3. Install 1-3 grade control structures made of rock to create pools and maintain streambed elevation. 4. Install 1-5 rock vanes and/or J-hook vanes to redirect the water energy away from vulnerable banks, reduce near shore stress, and enhance habitat complexity. 5. Place woody veg/debris along shoreline and secure with boulders to provide complexity and narrow channel width. These structures in 1-5 will be installed in sections 17, 19 and 22 (see Diamond Fork Aquatic Habitat Evaluation and Enhancement Planning. October 2018 in Images/Documents). 6. Establish ground level photo point monitoring sites, monitor every 6-12 months (Summer 2025-Winter 2026). 7. Seed any riparian or upland areas disturbed by installation of rock vanes, or rock clusters, root wads and heavy equipment use. 8. Obtain NEPA/EA/CX from Forest Service (Summer 2025) and Arch Clearance from UDWR (already completed for river portion). 9. Stream Alteration Permit (Summer 2025). 10. Plant 20 acres with shrub seedlings and seed, and an additional 10 acres on private land. 11. Install zeedyk structures to mitigate erosion on private land 12. Introduce least chub to private stock ponds in Diamond Fork Canyon

Burned watersheds are vulnerable to intense pulses of high duration and short intensity discharge events triggered by spring runoff and/or monsoonal rains. Combine this with the high (400-600 cfs) historic flows and Diamond Fork looks very different than a well functioning river. The fish need more pools and habitat complexity. The proposed habitat improvements will provide the added complexity and help the Diamond Fork system function better and improve fish survival and numbers. This is especially important now after losing the fishery post fire 2018 and trying to speed up the fish recovery process. This work was originally proposed and awarded for fall 2024. However, with the high flows experienced in spring 2023 and the impacts we observed on Diamond Fork we decided it best to allow the river to settle for a year before we made these improvements. Two new members of the regional forest also requested additional time to review the project and develop improved BMPs to protect ULT habitat. It is now time to get back in there and get these improvements made now to help bring this popular fishery back and provide sufficient habitat to allow the fish to become self-sustaining. By not restoring the shrub component to the landscape we risk having crashes in our big game populations which will be very difficult to restore and will take many years. Additionally, the private landowner is currently working with the NRCS, which provides a time-limited opportunity to share in the cost of implementing this project. NRCS will contribute to the cost of seeding, planting shrubs, and installing zeedyk structures if the project is done now.

Stream restoration of the lower portions of Diamond Fork to improve habitat complexity and especially the development of pool habitats for fish lies within the original WRI focus areas and is supported by numerous management documents including the following. Diamond Fork Aquatic Habitat Evaluation and Enhancement Planning. October 2018. Allred Restoration, Bio-West, and URMCC. 123 pages. Diamond Fork Area Assessment. 2000. A cooperative project between URMCC and the U.S. Forest Service. 175 pages. Lower Diamond Fork Restoration Plan. 2008. Land and Resource Management Plan-Uinta National Forest. 2001. USDA Forest Service. -Plan sites management of riparian areas (pg 2.2), management of aquatic species (pg 2.3), wildlife (pg 2.5), and vegetation (pg 2.5). Utah County RMP: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cn80Wzst8eoa0o_BqoTBHOPfPm8M6MIe Document cites need and County support for: Fire Management (p31) Fisheries (p35) Floodplains and River Terraces (p39) Recreation and Tourism (p72) Riparian Areas (p75) Threatened, Endangered, & Sensitive Species (p78) Water Quality and Hydrology (p81) Wetlands (p90) 2015. Utah Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025. Project goals address major threats including "fire and fire suppression", "channel downcutting", "improper sediment balance", etc. and addresses threats to multiple WAP species, both aquatic and terrestrial. RANGE-WIDE CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR BONNEVILLE CUTTHROAT TROUT (Oncorhynchus clarki utah). Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Publication Number 00-19, Salt Lake City, UT. -Diamond Fork and tributaries are current (5th Water) or future potential (DiaFrk) BCT population centers. CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR COLUMBIA SPOTTED FROG (RANA LUTEIVENTRIS) IN THE STATE OF UTAH. Publication Number 06-01 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah. -Ponds in Lower Diamond Fork house a recently rediscovered breeding population of CSF. -Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Southern Leatherside Chub Publication No. 10-19. Recent eDNA samples and follow-up electrofishing surveys have confirmed the presence of SLC within Diamond Fork and the habitat complexity work can benefit the SLC population here. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan -Improve winter ranges CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR LEAST CHUB (IOTICHTHYS PHLEGETHONTIS) IN THE STATE OF UTAH -Private stock ponds in Diamond Fork Canyon could serve as refuge sites for least chub

Several experts in range and fire science have identified the role healthy riparian systems play in wildfire dynamics by serving as fire breaks, safety zones, water sources, and burn out points. Numerous authors cite similar observations. Proposed practices will improve the riparian zone in the Diamond Fork watershed in the identified river sections. Workshop on the multiple influences of riparian ecosystems on fires in western forest landscapes. Summary Report 2001. Kauffman, J.B. Fuels have been accumulating over the years due to human cultural practices and changing climatic conditions. The Utah Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal (UWRAP) designates this area as a Moderate and a few areas in Moderate-High Risk for wildfire (Utah Division of Fire, Forestry and State Lands The Oregon Department of Forestry completed this assessment on behalf of the Council of Western State Foresters with funding from the USDA Forest Service). Wildland urban interface areas are located around Little Diamond, Diamond Campground, and scattered private homes and summer cabins off Diamond Fork Road (#029) in Wanrhodes and Little Diamond areas. The Central Utah Project (CUP) also has infrastructure to be protected and there are two existing utility corridors within this management area. Utah Power and Light occupies the corridor along Highway 6 and Deseret Generation and Transmission occupies the corridor along the eastern edge of the management area boundary. The southwestern portion of the management area contains a large amount of private land, specifically the Wanrhodes Basin, comprising about a tenth of the entire management area. The Bureau of Reclamation has a withdrawal in the bottom of the Diamond Fork drainage to develop and maintain the water transmission pipeline.

There are two current TMDL's that are impacted by this project. Spanish Fork River has one and Utah Lake has another. This project will not directly but will potentially move the system towards attainment and will prevent further degradation cause by wildfire effects. The project will also directly benefit water quality in several ways, including the following: 1. Prevent channel downcutting and promote aggradation of sediments in entrained reaches. 2. Reduce sedimentation delivered further downstream (i.e. Spanish Fork River, Utah Lake, Jordan River and The Great Salt Lake) 3. Trap/filter sediment, nutrients, and contaminants thus prevent (reducing) its movement downstream. Riparian seeding and vegetation also can remove/alter organic nutrients through processes such as denitrification, absorption by clays, etc. The proposed efforts will make best use of the perennial water source by developing suitable pools, better fish habitat and overall riparian health. The Diamond Fork watershed is the largest headwater tributary of the Spanish Fork River. Water from the management area is used for stock water, irrigation, domestic, power, storage, and municipalities. Spanish Fork City receives municipal water from this management area. A major influence in this management area is the Central Utah Project (CUP). The CUP diverts Utah's share of Colorado River water (roughly 260,000 acre-feet of water annually) from the Duchesne River Basin. This project consists of a network of dams, water diversions, and reservoirs to transfer water from the Duchesne River and its tributaries to the Wasatch Front. The first diversion operations began in 1915 to transfer water from the West Fork Duchesne River to Strawberry Reservoir, then through the Sixth Water and Diamond Fork drainages to the Spanish Fork area. In order to deliver this amount of water and restore habitats adversely impacted by historically high CUP water flows, a series of pipelines, tunnels, and aqueducts have been built to remove a majority of the transported water from the stream channels. In the fall of 1997, a 510 cfs (cubic feet per second) pipeline was completed from the mouth of Diamond Fork to Monks Hollow, and after that connected this pipeline to the Sixth Water aqueduct via a tunnel and/or additional pipelines. One of the main objectives of the operation of the Diamond Fork System is to provide flows that will allow mitigation or restoration of past impacts from the Strawberry Valley Project. Impacts from augmented flows include loss of a multiple age cottonwood forest along lower Diamond Fork and Sixth Water Creeks, stream channel down-cutting, excessive stream bank erosion, decreased aquatic habitat, and increased sedimentation. The selected flow regime, including its magnitude, timing, and duration, are among the most important factors in achieving restoration of the Sixth Water Diamond Fork channels and riparian resources. Zeedyk structures can improve the quantity of water available for use by plants and the quality of water as it moves through the watershed. These structures help to stabilize soils and support plant root survival, which maintains the natural ability of root networks to filter water, slow it down, and use it for growth. Without these structures, roots die, soils destabilize, headcuts advance, and water rushes out of the system.

FS/DWR to complete cultural resources clearance (already finished for river work) DWR to complete stream alteration permit FS/URMCC to complete NEPA compliance All cultural clearances and NEPA have been completed for shrub planting.

ROCK CLUSTERS, GRADE CONTROLS AND J-HOOK VANES: Large rocks will be strategically placed in sections of the river to develop more pool and fish holding habitats. These structures will also aid in maintaining stream elevation, reducing stream energy away from the banks and attempt to redirect or add sinuosity and complexity to the river. ROOTWADS: Large rootballs will be placed and keyed into the banks of the river to generate large pools and redirect the river. PALS: some Post Assisted Log Structures may be installed to add stream complexity and narrowing of channel width. Based on previous work with PALS done in Diamond Fork most of these PALS will be secured using large boulders rather than driving posts around the woody debris. Monitoring of this method of PALS construction has proven to be as or more effective than using the 4" posts. SHRUB RESTORATION: The fires burned a lot of the shrub habitat which is important for mule deer during the winter. We will first scalp the ground with our shrub planter to remove the grass competition. The planter tills the ground and seeds at the same time. Afterwards, we will come in and hand plant seedlings in the tilled furrows.

Fish populations are and will continue to be monitored on a 3-5 year cycle to assess the recovery of the fish populations following the fires of 2018. Additional monitoring of habitat improvement sites in Diamond Fork was completed in 2023 of previous habitat improvements and may be monitored in 2025 to assess fish usage and presence in these areas post implementation verses pre-construction levels. Habitat structures installed will be monitored for effectiveness and function post installation through some photo point analysis every 6-12 months beginning in Fall 2025-2026. Shrub planting monitoring will be done by taking a random sample of the survival of seedlings one and two years after planting. NRCS requires monitoring of projects implemented on private land for the life of the contract. Photo monitoring will be carried out for WRI purposes, and photos will be uploaded to this project proposal and summary report.

In the fall of 2018, CRO DWR and the Forest Service convened a regional streams fire rehab coordination team which was attended by over 30 people from numerous agencies. From this meeting a subgroup was appointed to focus on restoration within the Nebo Creek, Spanish Fork and Diamond Fork Watersheds. Numerous people have contributed to the group, but the major partners working in Diamond Fork are UDWR, the U.S. Forest Service, Utah County, Utah State University, Bio-west, URMCC, TU and NRCS. U.S. Forest Service. Completed the NEPA for shrub plantings. Assistance with final design and project objectives. Fulfill NEPA requirements perhaps through a categorical exclusion. Funding assistance (in-kind). URMCC. Assistance with final design and project objectives. Funding assistance (actual and in-kind). Trout Unlimited. Assistance with final report, design and project objectives.

Multiple partners (USFS, URMCC, UDWR, TU, USU) have been heavily involved in developing both a "Habitat Evaluation and Enhancement Planning" and "Instream Flow" resource management plans. Future efforts within the basin will be guided by the two documents (and subsequent restoration plans). Given the importance of the Diamond Fork drainage's sportfishing and native species (Columbia spotted frog, Utes Ladies Tress, Bonneville cutthroat trout and Southern Leatherside Chub) and recent federal funding to assist with recovery from natural disasters we anticipate it will receive significant management priority for a minimum of the next 10 years.

The Diamond Fork Restoration Team determined that one of the main goals of the team is to establish a "medium sized fishery" or fishing opportunity in Diamond Fork. A river in size between the Provo River and Thistle Creeks. The habitat improvements will improve the fishery and provide better fishing opportunities for anglers. These improvements will also improve the success of the fish populations to be more self-sustaining. The projects goal centers on speeding up the recovery of the riparian and aquatic community with the ultimate goal of restoring a self sustaining trout fishery for recreation and conservation purposes. Diamond Fork has been on the potential Blue Ribbon Fisheries List and these efforts could help the Diamond Fork River reach that status and provide/restore great fishing opportunities to anglers. Diamond Fork Canyon is a High Use Recreational area for dispersed camping, fishing, hiking, hunting and ATV'ing, these stream restoration efforts will speed up the desirability of the area for the public. The shrub restoration work will help ensure that we have healthy big game populations that will increase hunting opportunities. The private landowner currently utilizes the landscape to grow cattle; this project provides an opportunity to utilize the same landscape to proactively benefit wildlife habitat and watershed health. Multiple-use management like this maximizes the benefits the landscape can provide to the human community, livestock, and wildlife alike.