Remodeling and Restoring Rivers for trout and those who hook them by Todd Hartman, Denver Water
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t’s not exactly the remodeling work you see on HGTV's Property Brothers, but Denver Water and its partners have wrapped up another big river restoration project that the trout — and the people who like to catch them — will enjoy for years to come. The Williams Fork River Restoration Project tackled a nearly 1-mile stretch of Williams Fork near the town of Parshall within the Kemp-Breeze State Wildlife Area. Denver Water and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with the support of Grand County Learning By Doing partners, joined forces to get the job done. Instead of knocking down walls and placing new tile, workers are reshaping the river channel in ways that create far better living and spawning quarters for trout and the bugs that they eat. “We are restoring these river reaches to create conditions for trout and other aquatic species to thrive,” said Jessica Alexander, lead environmental scientist for Denver Water. “Many factors combine to alter waterways and degrade fish habitat, but through these partnerships we can
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High Country Angler • Winter 2020
repair and improve the river’s ecological function and increase fish populations.” The improvements are designed to improve habitat diversity for all life stages of trout. Workers are reshaping the channel and removing sediment to create deeper pools and creating more variety in rock riffles and point bars, all of which give trout greater opportunity to survive and reproduce in larger numbers. “Williams Fork is one of the real jewels of our state wildlife areas, and the project has effectively addressed some habitat shortcomings that we had observed over the past decade,” said Jon Ewert, Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist based in Hot Sulphur Springs. “It’s a whole different river now, with far more good quality fish habitat. The angling public would not have enjoyed these benefits without strong partnerships between CPW, Denver Water, Grand County and other entities.” The Kemp-Breeze State Wildlife Area is one of several river improvements Denver Water and various partners have tackled over the last seven years. The work is tied to commitments in the
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