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River Restoration: Exploring Institutional Challenges and Opportunities The conference report summarizing Reclamation's river restoration activities in support of its goal of securing the nation's energy resources and sustainably managing water for future generations is now available online at the Utton Trasnboundary Resources Center. The Utton Center at the University of New Mexico School of Law hosted the River Restoration Conference with Reclamation in Albuquerque form September 14-15, 2011. More... Download report (PDF - 1.8 MB) Videos of Major Presentations    The video of Commisioner Michael L. Connor's welcoming participants at the River Restoration Workshop in September.

River Restoration

In support of Reclamation's mission goals of securing America's energy resources and managing water in a sustainable manner for the 21st century, extensive river restoration activities are conducted on many of its projects throughout the West. Restoration activities involve partnerships and cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, tribes and various non-profit environmental conservation organizations and stakeholders.

Sample restoration activities include: the construction of fish passage facilities, or, the removal of fish barriers, as well as the establishment of native vegetation, or, the removal of non-native vegetation. Additionally, activities can involve: river and stream-bank protection and enhancement, floodplain restoration, increased or improved water supply, the construction of wetlands, propagation of fish and the installation of water temperature control devices. Through extensive partnership coordination, successful restoration benefits fish and wildlife and their respective habitats.

Reclamation’s river restoration work directly supports the President’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) initiative. AGO takes as its premise that lasting conservation solutions should rise from the American people – that the protection of our natural heritage is a non-partisan objective shared by all Americans. Reclamation incorporates AGO goals of protecting and renewing rivers, enhancing recreational opportunities, conserving and restoring federal lands and waters, and engaging young people in conservation, into all its operations.

Through sustained partnerships, coordinated activities, and public engagement, Reclamation’s river restoration work continues to produce significant measurable results.

Some of the River Restoration Projects and Programs at Reclamation:

Great Plains Region:
Platte River Recovery Implementation Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 149 KB)
Intake Diversion Dam Modification, Yellowstone River - Fact Sheet (PDF - 252KB)
Missouri River Ecosystem Recovery Plan - Fact Sheet (PDF - 183KB)
Upper Missouri Basin (Above Fort Peck) - Fact Sheet (PDF - 235 KB)

Pacific Northwest Region:
Columbia/Snake/Salmon Recovery Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 382 KB)
Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement
Program - Fact Sheet (PDF -235 KB)
Savage Rapids Dam Removal - Fact Sheet (PDF - 238 KB)
Methow River M2 Project Restoration - Fact Sheet (PDF -290 KB)

Tributary Habitat Program: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/fcrps/thp/index.html, contacts for the Tributary Habitat Program are Jeff Peterson (phone 208.378.5093 or email fpeterson@usbr.gov ) and Joe Spinazola (phone 208.378.5378 or email jspinazola@usbr.gov). The Columbia/Snake/Salmon Recovery Office is also based out of the Regional Office in Boise.

Mid-Pacific Region:
San Joaquin River Restoration Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 265 KB)
Trinity River Restoration Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 317 KB)
Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) - Fact Sheet (PDF - 242 KB)
Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project - Fact Sheet (PDF - 258 KB)

Upper Colorado Region:
Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 273 KB)
Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 267 KB)
San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 217 KB)
Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 268 KB)

Lower Colorado Region:
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (MSCP) - Fact Sheet (PDF - 199 KB)
Gila River Basin Native Fishes Conservation Program - Fact Sheet (PDF - 318 KB)

Technical Resources:

TSC Resources for Water Resources Engineering: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/tech_services/engineering/hydro-eng.html

Environmental Applications and Research Group: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/eco_research
Staff: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/eco_research/staff.html

Fisheries and Wildlife Resources Group: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/fish/index.html
Staff: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/fish/Staff.html

Fluvial Geomorphology--Geophysics and Seismotectonics Group: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/tech_services/8330.html

Hydraulic Investigations and Laboratory Services Group: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/hydraulics_lab/
Staff: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/hydraulics_lab/contact.html#staff

Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment
Staff: http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/sediment/about/staff.html

Research and Development Office:
http://www.usbr.gov/research

River Restoration Research Examples:
6606, Prediction of Bank Erosion to Improve River Restoration Strategies and Reservoir Sediment Management: http://www.usbr.gov/research/science-and-tech/projects/detail.cfm?id=6606

6499, Development of a Continuous Bedload Transport Measurement Technique: http://www.usbr.gov/research/science-and-tech/research/detail.cfm?id=6499

1436, Armoring and Embedding Processes in Sediment Impact Analysis Methods (SIAM): http://www.usbr.gov/research/science-and-tech/research/detail.cfm?id=1436

1196, Invertebrate Communities Used as Indicators of River Restoration: http://www.usbr.gov/research/science-and-tech/research/detail.cfm?id=1196

Other related links outside Reclamation:

Adaptive Management Documents: http://www.doi.gov/initiatives/AdaptiveManagement/documents.html

Deschutes River Conservancy: http://www.deschutesriver.org

Federal Stream Corridor Restoration Handbook: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/stream_restoration

River Management Society http://www.river-management.org/index.asp

Salmon Recovery in the Columbia River Basin: www.SalmonRecovery.gov

San Joaquin River Restoration Program: http://www.restoresjr.net

San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program http://www.fws.gov/southwest/sjrip/

Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program http://coloradoriverrecovery.org

USGS Real-time Water Data  http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt

Water Education Foundation: http://www.watereducation.org

Last updated: 3/28/12