Paper No. 100-8
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RESILIENT ST VRAIN PROJECT: HOW GEOMORPHOLOGY AND MACAROINVERTEBRATES PROVIDE INSIGHT TO FLOOD MITIGATION EFFORTS IN NORTHERN COLORADO
MATTHEWS, Danielle1, BYWATER-REYES, Sharon2, AGARD, Sara3, MACMILLAN, Keaton4 and HOLLAND, Sarah2, (1)University of Denver, 1931 Vance St., Apt. 2, Lakewood, CO 80214, (2)Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Campus Box 100, Greeley, CO 80639, (3)Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, NM 87106, (4)Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Campus Box 100, 501 20th St., Greeley, CO 80639
The St. Vrain Creek flood of 2013 was a catastrophic 100-year flood that displaced hundreds of people and caused billions of dollars in collective damages, wreaking havoc on the people of Longmont, Colorado. In response, in 2016, the city of Longmont started a multi-year restoration project called The Resilient St. Vrain Project (RSVP). The purpose of this proposal is to repair and revitalize the St. Vrain floodplain, bridges and trails.
Over the course of our 11-week internship, we have monitored changes occurring within the St Vrain Creek channel through satellite mapping, charting flow frequency, as well as conducting sediment and macroinvertebrate surveys. This gave us the opportunity to observe how vegetation, bug life, and water flow impacted the river prior to, and after, restoration. We characterized sediment deposits along the creek using the Wolman method and then examined macroinvertebrates to infer water quality from upper (restored) to lower (controlled) stretches of the river. After plotting our findings, we were able to identify patterns of change, which enabled us to contribute to the RSVP knowledge base as well as identify what may be necessary for future restoration activity.
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