Telluride Valley Floor Project | Telluride, CO

CLIENT: Trout Unlimited (TU) 

PROJECT TYPE: Site assessment, Conceptual design, and Preliminary Design 

PROJECT LOCATION:  Telluride, CO

WaterVation was hired by Trout Unlimited (TU) to complete the Telluride Valley Floor Project. The project scope includes a site assessment, conceptual design, and preliminary design. The goal of the project is to: 

• Restore approximately 1,000 feet of the San Miguel River upstream of the 632 Road Bridge by increasing sinuosity, restoring floodplain connectivity, improving river interaction and the bridge crossing, and limiting the potential for future degradation at the existing utility corridor at the upstream end of the project. 

• Restore floodplain function for approximately 2,000 feet of the San Miguel River downstream of the 632 Road Bridge by strategically placing wood snags that encourage floodplain deposition, native revegetation, and activation of overflow channels. 

Other goals for this project include mine-tailing removal, enhancing recreational opportunities along the San Miguel River and improving fish habitat. 

The site assessment included detailed geomorphic survey for 3,000 feet of the San Miguel River. The understandings gained from the geomorphic survey are directly input into the design calculations and models and are used to understand the processes within the San Miguel River and help guide the project approaches.