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Little Thompson River Riparian Restoration
Lyons, CO
Client
Big Elk Meadows Community Association
Partner
Aquaworks
Services
Ecological Design
Section 404 Permitting
Schematic Design
Restoration Design
Great Ecology provided ecological design and Section 404 permitting services for the restoration of over one mile of riparian corridor along the Little Thompson River near Lyons, CO. Following the devastating floods of September 2013, the Big Elk Meadows community faced a major infrastructure reconstruction process, including the reconstruction of earthen dams and the community’s water supply system. The floods scoured the ponds, loosened sediment, wiped out wetland and riparian habitat, and eroded banks adjacent to residential property and roads.
Big Elk Meadows Association engaged Great Ecology to develop riparian and wetland restoration plans to address the unstable banks, abundance of mobile sediment, and reestablishment of riparian and wetland habitat along the Little Thompson. Great Ecology developed schematic alternatives that proposed a range of improvements, from native planting and seeding to regrading banks and employing bioengineering stabilization measures. Great Ecology ultimately worked with Big Elk Meadows to develop a preferred schematic design that addressed project objectives within the available and anticipated construction budget.
The proposed restoration design would reestablish wetlands and riparian habitat, reshape and stabilize eroded banks, reduce sedimentation of ponds, reduce sediment entering the community’s water supply intake, and restore the corridor’s natural aesthetic. The reestablished habitat would provide a multitude of ecosystem services that benefit water quality, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, and the Big Elk Meadows community.
Great Ecology’s work on this project won the ASLA-Colorado Merit Award for Flood Restoration in 2015.
Site Analysis & Restoration Plan