Bordeaux Creek Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation | Dawes County, NE
CLIENT: Nebraska Game & Fish Department
PROJECT TYPE: River Restoration, Fish Habitat Improvement
PROJECT LOCATION: Dawes County, NE
WaterVation was hired by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to prepare stream restoration design for approximately 7 miles of Bordeaux Creek within the State Wildlife Management Area and on U.S. Forest Service Property in Dawes County, Nebraska. Bordeaux Creek is a perennial coldwater B aquatic-life stream that supports a wide variety of Nebraska’s flora and fauna within the Pine Ridge Landscape.
The Bordeaux Creek WMA has been impacted by streambed incision and a loss of floodplain connection. This has resulted in accelerating shear stress which as displaced excessive sediment in the lower reaches of the WMA. These disturbances have caused changes to the channel slope, bedform diversity, and micro habitats for coldwater dependent species. These ongoing conditions have destabilized the stream banks causing aggressive pioneer species such as Smooth Brome to thrive within the WMA. The Bordeaux Creek USFS property is experiencing stream widening from extended cattle grazing within the riparian corridor. Deposited alluvium now impedes sediment transport and has reduced desirable pool depths and habitat diversity within the low flow channel that aid in fish survival during the summer and winter seasons. The accumulation of fine sediments has reduced desirable spawning areas for Brook Trout.
