Saeltzer Dam was removed from Clear Creek in October 2000 to restore ten miles of upstream habitat access to spring run chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Since the dam removal, an estimated 50,000 cubic yards of sediment has eroded from the banks and channel at the former dam site. Some of the eroded sediment has been deposited downstream on Renshaw’s Riffle, a stretch formerly known for its spawning habitat, aggrading the bed up to 2.5 ft. To evaluate characteristics of the sediment deposition, we performed roughly 60 pebble counts and created a facies map for a 1.43 mi stretch downstream of the former dam site. We created maps in ArcMap GIS using the data to depict changes in gravel bar location, the d50 (the size at which 50% [...]
