Watershed: Palouse River
Stream Name: Paradise Creek
Date Established: 04/01/2002
Project Status: Complete, maintenance and monitoring ongoing
Overview
Funding Agency: Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Project Location: Latitude: 116.9719 N, Longitude: -46.7933 W
Target Pollutants:
- Sediment
- Temperature
- Nutrients
Waterbody Type(s): Perennial
Hydrologic Unit Code: 17060108
Description
The restoration site is located on a tributary to Paradise Creek in a rural area north of Moscow, Idaho on private property. The stream channel had been straightened and was deeply incised in several stretches. Woody vegetation was largely absent and reed canary grass was the dominant vegetative cover. The streambanks were bare, steep and eroding. Adjacent land was in agricultural use.
PCEI joined a multi-agency effort to restore the riparian area in this reach. In 2000 and 2001, several thousand seedlings of native riparian deciduous species were planted into a riparian forest buffer under the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). Due to circumstances beyond the landowner’s control, the planting suffered high mortality and re-planting was needed to accomplish the wildlife and water quality goals of the project.
PCEI worked with community members and natural resource agencies to provide replacement and supplemental planting of plants in a riparian buffer area approximately 60 ft wide. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) provided materials and assistance coordinating the project. The plantings by PCEI included 3,950 woody plants in an area approximately 2700 ft by 60 ft. Plant maintenance tasks were carried out over the entire 5,725 ft site and included installation of protective tubes, watering, and weed control.
Previous Conditions
The stream channel had been straightened for agricultural development. The channel was deeply incised in some stretches, and the vegetation was a monoculture of reed canary grass. The steep, bare banks eroded during high water events. The lack of woody native vegetation along the stream channel contributed to bank erosion and high water temperatures for this stretch of the stream.
