Tsegi & Nitsin Canyon Stream Restoration Project: Assessment & Preliminary Design

Tsegi & Nitsin Canyon Stream Restoration Project: Assessment & Preliminary Design

Oxbow Ecological Engineering collaborated with Fred Phillips Consulting, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and local grazing permittees to develop conceptual riparian and stream restoration plans for four pilot sites within the Tsegi and Nitsin Canyon Systems located in the Navajo Nation. All sites are in isolated locations, with challenging access and have high concentrations of culturally sensitive sites. Restoring these reaches requires techniques that minimize excavation and construction access disturbances, minimize impacts on cultural resources, and avoid known cultural resource sites. As part of a field work OEE visited all sites and conducted detailed geomorphic and topographic surveys to establish key baseline parameters, including long profile and cross-sections, pebblecounts, and bar samples for the reaches. This information formed the foundation of the concept designs, which included the development of a low impact stream and riparian restoration “toolbox”. This “toolbox” included bioengineering and low impact stream stabilization techniques, including post, brush, and boulder vanes, j-hooks, and cross-vanes, one rock dams, step pools, Zuni bowls, and head-cut arresting treatments. This concept was integrated into an overall grazing management plan and presented to cooperators and grazing permit holders for comment.