Stream Rehabilitation on a Rural/Urban Watershed

Friar’s Creek, located in Temple, Texas was selected to evaluate responses to stream restoration. Friar’s Creek is located within a moderately urbanized watershed (approximate area: 10 sq mi) where parts of the stream have been widened and deepened to handle increased runoff from urban development. The proposed Friar’s Creek project area is experiencing dramatic changes in channel morphology due to upstream channel modifications. This project represents an opportunity to implement and demonstrate stream restoration techniques using primarily natural materials; simultaneously, we assessed the biological integrity of the stream reach before and after the project. To handle the increased flow from urbanizing areas, channel dimensions were modified along 800 m of selected reaches to help maintain the channel bank. Site specific native wetland vegetation and grasses was selected and planted to help stabilize the channel bank. In addition, stream integrity was determined before implementation via fish and macrophyte surveys. This paper presents a summary of the activities associated with the project.