MiddleForkSalineRestoration

Welcome to the Site

This website is an effort to keep all partners and public posted on the progress of the Middle Fork Saline River Stream Restoration project.  First, a little bit of background...

 The Middle Fork Saline, one of four headwater streams to the Saline River, has been designated by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality as an Extraordinary Resource Waterbody (ERW) and an Ecologically Sensitive Waterway (ESW).  The Middle Fork is alos listed on the State Registry of Natural and Scenic Rivers and designated an Ouachita Zone Quality Stream for Smallmouth Bass" by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC).  This major tributary to the Saline River and its watershed provides critical habitat for wildlife and harbors a suite of globally ranked species as well as species on the state list of concern.  Due to recent declines in water quality attributed mostly to non-point source pollution sources, the Middle Fork has also been recognized as a priority watershed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission (ANRC) with suspended sediment identified as a major problem in the watershed.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The  Middle Fork Saline River  is  impacted  by  the  removal  of  streamside  vegetation,  habitat  loss as a result of development, incompatible forestry, and nutrient and sediment loading from both point and non-point sources.  The Nature Conservancy has received funding to complete on-the-ground stream and riparian restoration activities to directly improve habitat for 14 aquatic species of greatest conservation need, including 11 mussel, 3 fish species (table 1) and a host of game species including smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. 

 

THE PROBLEM:

The proposed restoration site is privately owned by two cooperating landowners with a majority of the property in cattle and hay production and the rest in secondary residence.  There is significant, rapid erosion occurring on both sides of the river throughout both properties due to riparian vegetation loss and upstream sources of sediment.  The Nature Conservancy has been conducting a study for approximately 3 years in which this reach of stream has been surveyed and monitored to determine sediment loss and structural change, fish assemblage, and vegetation composition in preparation for restoration activities.  The channel is characterized by high bank erosion rates, excessive deposition occurring as both longitudinal and transverse bars, and annual shifts of the bed location as it tries to route the incoming sources of sediment.  Total sediment loss from this reach approximated 1772 tons over a one-year period from June 2006 - 2007, or approximately 71 dump truck loads!  The landowners both saw in excess of 7 feet of lateral erosion on their banks in a one-year period!  This project would directly address the problem and would be the first of its kind in this watershed.

 

THE PLAN:

The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of sediment in the channel and improve habitat for many key sensitive species for miles downstream of this disturbed site.  The completed project will restructure a braided channel into a single functionaing channel system, improve approximately 1 mile of in-stream and riparian habitat , restore 32 acres of riparian and floodplain area, and exclude approximately 200 head of cattle from the stream.  The project will be show cased to private landowners, land trusts, and other stakeholders in the watershed as a demonstration of successful restoration techniques.  Click here, Download PSGDesign_Final_rsz  to see the full design!...Now lets get to the good stuff!

Check out our new photos

Click on the top right of the screen, we have awesome new photos published.  The Toe Wood Structures held up perfectly on bend two through two consecutive bank full events on June 1 2013 .  As you will see, they provide excellent nesting structures for many species of fish.

Post-Project Maintenance

After a couple of floods of record (December 2010 and May 2011) swept through the restoration site, we performed a few "fixes" to Bend 1 and Bend 2.  We installed a new structure called "toe-wood" on the eroding bank on Bend 2 to hold the bank in place while vegetation reestablishes.  (See Photo Album titled Post Project Maintenance)

Project Complete!

The project is finished thanks to a lot of hard work from volunteers and employees.  A special thank you to Margaret Bartelt for over 150 hours of service!  Final before and after photos can be found under the links.  Check them out as well as our tree planting and kayaking albums!

Pond II Before and After

These before and after photos are of the second pond, which was created as an alternative water source for the cattle that are now excluded from the stream. Currently, it is only fenced in on three sides, but soon the fourth side will be fenced in.  The pond also includes a spillway, which will direct water to a natural creek in the event of rain. Click on the picture for a larger image.

Volunteers Needed!

The project is almost complete, but we've got a lot of bioengineering work left for January and February. Volunteers are needed to lay erosion matting and plant tree cuttings and saplings.  The work can be labor intensive, but no prior knowledge is needed.  If you are interested, please contact Cait Conn at cconn@tnc.org

Phase II: Bend II Before and After

On the second bend of phase II, we fashioned a single meandering channel out of a ill-functioning braided one.  We placed two J-Hooks to direct flow through the center of our engineered channel while plugging other channels. We were able to keep a fair number of trees to secure the outer banks in addition to the transplants, jutemat, and livestakes we placed.  Here are some before and after photos, so you can see the improvements for yourself!  Click on the picture for a larger image.

Thank You Volunteers!

Much of our project is dependent upon volunteers, and we have had some wonderful help lately.  It's been cold and muddy, but they have still come out without complaint.  They've put in long hours right beside us, and we at TNC would like to say thank you.  Thank you for for coming out and caring, thank you for keeping us enthusiastic and motivated, and thank you for spreading the word.

November Update

The clouds left.  The sun came out.  And we worked some long days on Phase II.  Download PH2Map.  We lost some daylight hours with the time change, so we decided to camp on site in order to avoid our 3 hour daily drive.  Tim created an awesome fire circle, which we gladly used throughout the week.  Sitting around the campfire, we were able to enjoy the true perks of stream restoration: falling asleep under a blanket of stars and the sound of the water falling over the nearby cross-vane.  It wasn't all soothing sounds and big skies, though.  We worked hard while the sun was up, and managed to finish the entire second bend.  J-Hooks, jutemat, livestakes, complete! We diverted  water away from the active channel while constructing the J-Hooks and broke the constructed "berm" once the structures were complete.  We then allowed water to fill the newly engineered route while plugging the other channels.  This eliminates the "braided" system that existed prior to restoration, a system that was unable to move sediment through the reach as a stable river should.  A single stable channel now exists through the second bend where an ill-functioning braided one once did.   The two J-Hooks direct flow through the center of the newly engineered stream, while bio-engineering now secures the outer banks.

 

 
 

Though we stopped camping after a week, we didn't stop working. We continued on to the third bend.  Similar to the second bend, the third bend consists of a series of braided channels during high flow.  In order to have one properly functioning channel, we are plugging the active channel and redirecting the water through the relic channel.  With our sunny days, we were able to make a lot of headway on the third bend.  We constructed a berm above the portion that would connect to the relic channel,diverting flow away from our in-stream work.  A vast amount of material was removed and the final two structures were placed at strategic locations along the bend in the relic channel.  Though we still have to plug multiple channels flowing through the site, we have successfully completed all six structures planned in the restoration design!  Next steps:  Complete final pond on the south side of the river and utilize fill material to plug braided channels throughout bend 3... and of course more planting and streambank erosion control! 

We are working to complete the project, don't wait till its over to come out and lend a hand!  We have had a great group of volunteers helping out along the way so far, we eagerly invite you to join us!  Contact Cait Conn at cconn@tnc.org or 501-663-6699, if you're interested.  That's all for now, but before and after photos of bend II are soon to come, and bend III photos are already up.  Check them out!

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

Since the project began, the restoration site has experienced a tremendous amount of rainfall, and it just continues.  Though our progress has been slowed, it has still been steady.  And the unexpected bank full events have truly tested our structures, as you can see in our September Rains post.  To give you an idea of exactly how much rain we've received, check out the updated USGS rainfall graphs.  You can click on the pictures for larger images.

Rainfall from Oct. 23-30                Rainfall from Aug. 31- Oct. 30

      

The total rainfall since August 31st is 26 inches!!!

Autumn Rains

The rains Arkansas experienced in September are pushing on through October.  Below are graphs showing the rainfall amounts for the past week and for the past month.  Both are taken from the USGS website.  Click on the picture for larger image.

 Rainfall from Oct. 7-14                         Rainfall from Sept. 14 - Oct. 1