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Pueblo Channel Project at 13th Street

Pueblo County Colorado

May contain: water, outdoors, nature, scenery, and land
May contain: soil, outdoors, rock, water, vegetation, plant, scenery, nature, land, landscape, wilderness, creek, stream, and grass
May contain: vegetation, plant, land, nature, outdoors, grass, tree, grove, woodland, pond, water, scenery, city, and fir
May contain: neighborhood, city, road, urban, outdoors, and intersection
May contain: water, outdoors, nature, scenery, and land
May contain: soil, outdoors, rock, water, vegetation, plant, scenery, nature, land, landscape, wilderness, creek, stream, and grass
May contain: vegetation, plant, land, nature, outdoors, grass, tree, grove, woodland, pond, water, scenery, city, and fir
May contain: neighborhood, city, road, urban, outdoors, and intersection

Project Details

  • Bank ID Number: PC053
  • Project Channel Length 2,600 feet
  • Estimated Project Cost: $2.6 Million
  • Completion: Spring 2021

Project Summary

This half-mile reach of Fountain Creek, adjacent to downtown Pueblo, has the 8th Street bridge at its downstream end. In its unstable form, the creek was an over-widened channel, in part due to the upstream sediment loading. The largest source of erosion within the reach is the outer bank of the bend, just upstream of the bridge. As bank erosion continues, loss of riparian vegetation also occurs, which could contribute to further erosion and destabilization.

The goals of this stream restoration project included channel realignment with improved cross-section geometry and a more stable meander platform. The bank was stabilized through riprap revetment, and a robust vegetation plan to encourage longer-term stability and improved riparian function. Besides reducing erosion, the project will decrease risk to nearby infrastructure, such as the 8th Street bridge, as Fountain Creek makes its way through Pueblo.