California Gulch NRDAR Arkansas River In-Stream Habitat Restoration

Background information. Settlement funds from the California Gulch Superfund site have been used to improve instream aquatic habitat and increase brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations in the Arkansas River. The upper Arkansas River Basin is a high-elevation mountain river that supports trout populations. Historically characterized by a relatively narrow channel with fast moving water, recent degradation of the upper Arkansas River due to historic land-use practices have contributed to an altered river channel and a decrease in important habitat features for trout, such as deep-water pools. This restoration project was designed to address three major issues: bank erosion, altered river channel morphology, and degraded instream trout [...]