At a Glance
A thorough assessment of restoration opportunities enabled two newly combined municipal departments to prioritize regeneration projects that will improve the ecological health of the City of Longmont’s largest stream system.
Project Description
The City of Longmont Public Works and Natural Resources Department has the important role of overseeing a 10-mile long riparian corridor of St. Vrain Creek which flows through the center of the City. With the recent combining of its Natural Resources and Public Works departments, the City realized they needed help sorting through the multiple objectives of habitat, water quality, floodplain management, and recreation. Additionally, after 10 years of greenway planning, trail construction, and wildlife habitat management planning, there was a need to update resource inventory information, prioritize specific improvement projects, and develop guidelines for implementing projects along the river.
To help the City, Biohabitats conducted field assessments of in-stream habitat, geomorphic condition, and vegetation communities, and remapped natural features including habitat types. The work involved creating and implementing an inventory method to assess proper functioning, data analysis, and reporting. After completing the field work, Biohabitats developed priority restoration alternatives and implementation guidelines which will be used over the next several years to guide City improvement projects.