Aggrade and Recover: ProcessBased Restoration After Monsoon Floods on Dugout Ranch, UT
William W. Macfarlane, Dallin Baker, Jeff Adams, Kristen Redd
In April 2024, we implemented LowTech ProcessBased Restoration (LT-PBR) across 1.6 km of streams and 22.5 acres of riparian habitat at Dugout Ranch, UT. We installed 64 instream structures (38 machinebuilt, 26 handbuilt) including postless beaver dam analogs (BDAs), assisted log structures (ALS), hingefelled trees, and rock structures using locally sourced pinon, juniper, and cottonwood. A hybrid monitoring protocol (ground-based structure surveys and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV)derived orthomosaics/DEMs) assessed inundation, geomorphic response, and habitat change. UAV imagery indicated an immediate 93% increase in inundated area postconstruction, declining to an 18% net increase by October 2024 after several major monsoon driven floods (June and August 2024). Ground surveys found ~48% structure survival through floods (13% intact; 29% buried), with surviving structures promoting channel aggradation and enhanced floodplain connectivity. Riparian vegetation recruitment and vigor were substantially higher within restoration reaches versus controls. Key lessons: tailor instream structure design to geomorphic context; anticipate structural loss and sediment dominant responses in flashy, high sediment systems; and plan iterative, multiyear treatments with long term monitoring to maximize gains.