Copper River Watershed Restoration Program: Debris Catcher Construction

Goals of the project included the improvement of fish habitat and educational purposes such as showing debris catchers as alternatives to traditional riprap bank protection for public stewardship. The site is located adjacent to the Copper River forest services road, between km 2 and 3, approximately 10 km east of Terrace. Channel erosion at this site has resulted in accelerated channel migration towards access roads and hydro towers. The increased lateral channel activity is due to the formation of a large mid-channel bar in the early 1990’s after flooding, that split the flow towards the channel margins. Also logging effects are visible. Adult salmon holding and spawning and habitat was negatively impacted due to bedload accumulation and sediment input from channel widening. This project aimed at the creation of a web of logs that will catch debris and deflect flow away from the eroding banks. The structure creates a slow velocity deposition zone. Overall result is bank stabilization and a deep scour pool which fish can utilize.