San Rafael Stream Restoration
Project Goals and Objectives
The goal of the project was to increase instream geomorphic complexity to improve habitat for three native fish species. A parallel goal was to evaluate whether BDAs are a useful restoration tool in a sand-bed, flashy desert river.
Structure Construction Elements
We built both BDAs and PALS (referred to as 'constriction dams' in the design report) using willow harvested on-site and untreated wooden fence posts. Due to high amounts of scour, we also experiment used sand bags and burlap to force upstream pond formation and limit bed scour.
Project Photos
Cover Photo