Sprague River Hydrologic and Geomorphic Assessment

Supplemented Project 2001-1 by providing sediment budget information needed to complete a hydrologic and geomorphic analysis of the Sprague River. Project yielded important insights into Sprague River sediment dynamics that are important considerations for designing restoration projects.

Successful, efficient planning and implementation of a river restoration program hinges on having a clear understanding of its historic, current, and potential geomorphic characteristics, and how those characteristics dictate ecosystem function. We propose to supplement ongoing efforts to develop such an assessment of the Sprague River using the following rationale. First, assessing the historic, unaltered condition of a river enables us to understand its original morphology (width, sinuosity, floodplains, etc.) and the extent, distribution, and composition of the associated riparian ecosystem. Second, assessing the current condition of a river helps us understand the extent to which the structural and functional components originally present have been modified. Third, by combining the insights generated by the previous two steps, we can define the recovery potential of the river, and intelligently design the actions to be taken to restore vital structural and functional components to the river system.