Buffalo River Watershed Stream Habitat Program - Phase 2

Throughout the last century, channel straightening efforts and poor field practices have significantly reduced the habitat quality within the BRRWD. Channel straightening efforts have eliminated hundreds of acres of quality stream habitat. Straightened channels create homogenous habitats that no longer have the shallow riffles and deeper pools that are required by fish at various stages in their life cycle. The straightened reaches also tend to lose access to their floodplains which increases erosion in the channel and causes downstream flooding. In addition, aggradation of the downstream channel, due to increased sediment loading, reduces habitat quality and makes flooding worse. Over the last several years, the BRRWD, with input and in partnership with landowners, federal, state, and local agencies, designed comprehensive subwatershed restoration plans and intends to implement these plans over the next several years. A component of these plans includes the restoration of numerous reaches of straightened and abandoned creek and river channels throughout the Watershed District. Prioritization of projects is largely based on ecological benefits, being shovel-ready and having landowner and other stakeholder support. In the second phase of this multi-phase project, the BRRWD plans to restore 7 miles of the Upper Buffalo River channel, within an 11-mile stream reach, and associated riparian habitat corridor. In addition, this phase will restore 4.2 miles of the South Branch Buffalo River channel in the 280 acre associated riparian habitat corridor. The Upper Buffalo River and the South Branch Buffalo River will be restored using natural channel design principles. The river restorations have been designed with direct input from the MN DNR Stream Habitat Program as well as the MN Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR). A sinuous riffle-pool natural channel design is proposed to recreate the aquatic habitat diversity that was lost in the straightened channel. The naturally stable restored channel will not only recreate lost habitat but will reduce the current erosion that is overloading downstream reaches of the Upper Buffalo River and South Branch Buffalo River. This project is being completed in conjunction with a Reinvest in Minnesota project implemented by the MN BWSR. As part of their comprehensive subwatershed planning process, the District has completed planning and design on three additional stream reaches which are included as part of this application package. These include the restoration of Whisky Creek, its south tributary, and the Buffalo River tributary near Glyndon and their associated riparian corridors. Additional stream restoration enhancement along the Buffalo River tributary near Glyndon and Whisky Creek will be completed as funding permits when and if additional sources of match funding become available. Combined, these comprehensive projects have the potential to restore and enhance more than 46 miles of natural prairie stream. Ultimately, over 970 acres of stream, river, floodplain, wetland, and grassland habitat along these restoration reaches will be protected and restored.