AUTHORIZATION: Section 3118, Water Resources Development Act of 2007, as amended by Section 114 of P.L. 111-8.
TYPE OF PROJECT: Ecosystem restoration with complementary recreation.
PROJECT PHASE: Construction.
NON-FEDERAL SPONSORS: Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and Pueblo of Sandia.
BACKGROUND: In 2001, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) requested initiation of a reconnaissance study to determine Federal interest in a project to restore bosque riparian habitat along the Rio Grande. The reconnaissance study was completed in June 2002. Later in that year, a portion of the project was carved out as the Ecosystem Revitalization at Route 66 project, an early action project under Section 1135 authority (project modification for the improvement of the environment). The Route 66 project functioned as a pilot for the larger Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem Restoration Project. Construction on the Route 66 project was completed in spring of 2010.
Meanwhile, in April 2004, a feasibility cost sharing agreement was executed between the MRGCD and Corps for the larger study. From May 2004 through July 2010, there was a study period to determine a recommended plan; final plan design followed completion of the Route 66 project. In May 2011, the project was approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. In September 2011, construction began for phase one of the project, consisting of 11 areas, and was completed in 2014. The second phase of construction began in September of 2014 and is scheduled for completion in 2016. Following construction, the Corps will conduct monitoring and undertake adaptive management for a peridod of five years.
DESCRIPTION: The project focuses on ecosystem restoration with supporting recreation. It improves native bosque habitat quality and quantity, and reestablishes fluvial process to a more natural condition, enabling scour and sediment mobilization within the channel. The project also restores hydraulic processes between the bosque and river via overbanking flows and increased groundwater recharge, while also reducing the risk of catastrophic fires. The project protects, extends, and improves areas of potential habitat for listed species. It also integrates recreational and interpretive features with restoration in select locations. There are approximately 916 acres to be restored within the 26 miles at 18 locations. Restoration includes restoring native vegetation and enhancing hydrologic function by:
· Removing unnecessary jetty jacks.
· Removing select exotic vegetation and planting native vegetation.
· Establishing shrub thickets and native canopy.
· Excavating backwater channels, seasonal high-flow channels, wetland swales, and an oxbow wetland.
Recreation includes:
· Formalizing soft-surface and crusher fines trail system with benches, bridges, boardwalk, educational kiosks and interpretive signs, overlooks, and wildlife blinds.
· Formalizing parking areas at key locations to give the public access to the bosque and river.
· Designating and developing canoe/kayak launch areas.
STATUS: The first of three years of construction is complete. Following construction, the project will be monitored according to the monitoring and adaptive management plan for up to ten years, or when success has been determined.