Dry Creek Streambank Restoration
Bank Shaping Rehabilitates Section of Dry Creek
Dry Creek offers some of the highest quality habitat for local aquatic wildlife; however certain sections, including a site near the confluence of Dry and Hopper Creeks, are subject to erosive forces that result in vertical creek banks with no vegetation. Many non-native plant species also exist along the riparian corridor that reduce the quality of habitat and pose a threat of disease to local vineyards.
In a project completed in 2008, construction crews laid-back a section of stream bank that had eroded to the point of becoming a vertical face in order to make a more gentle slope that would be resistant to erosion, could sustain vegetative cover, and could provide shade to keep Dry Creek cool. The end result of the project was a more stable creek bank that required less landowner maintenance and could better support local flora and fauna. Empowering the community to voluntarily conserve, protect, and restore natural resources in a landscape that supports agriculture, urban areas, and wild spaces.
Quick facts:
- Significance: Dry Creek offers significant high quality habitat for steelhead spawning and rearing; however, a section of the stream experienced significant erosion, which was making conditions more difficult for local fish. This project aimed to reduce bank erosion and improve the quality of the riparian vegetation.
- Where: Dry Creek, just upstream of the confluence of Dry and Hopper Creeks, North of Napa
- Results: The project addressed vertical bank erosion along the creek and introduced native plants to improve riparian habitat and shade the salmon-bearing creek.
- Funds: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
- Partners: RCD, Natural Resources Conservation Service, California Conservation Corps, Prunuske Chatham, Gates Big Ranch, Trefethen Vineyards, and Trubody Ranch.