With this project, Trout Unlimited (TU) aims to enhance water supply for Colorado River reservoirs and promote climate resilience through nature-based solutions in the Green River, Wyoming. This project focuses on two key actions: implementing multi-year demand management agreements with local ranchers to conserve water and constructing Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) and other structures to restore hydrologic function, improve water infiltration, and enhance habitat. By reducing irrigation withdrawals and increasing stream flows, the project will support federal reservoirs and stabilize water supply for downstream communities, while also increasing resilience in Colorado River tributaries.
State / Province: Wyoming
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Laramie County Mariah Pasture Rehabilitation
The Laramie County Conservation District (LCCD), in collaboration with the City of Cheyenne, is restoring hydrologic and ecological function in Sand Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River. The project involves dredging a sediment-filled reservoir on city-owned land to restore its storage capacity for recreation, irrigation, and stock watering. Additionally, LCCD will install Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) along 1,800 feet of Sand Creek to improve floodplain connectivity, increase groundwater recharge, and enhance aquatic habitat. By addressing sediment buildup and stream channelization, the project aims to stabilize streambanks, support riparian vegetation, and provide long-term ecological benefits for water resources in southeastern Wyoming.
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Crow Creek Stream Restoration
The Laramie County Conservation District (LCCD) will implement a stream restoration project on Crow Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River in southeastern Wyoming. The project will install barbs, Post Assisted Log Structures (PALs), and Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) along a 2-mile stretch of the creek, aimed at improving floodplain connectivity and stream meander. These structures will enhance hydrologic and ecological function by raising the water table, increasing bank storage, and promoting riparian vegetation growth.