NRCS Coordinates Major Emergency Watershed Protection Work Following Washington County Floods

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact information:
Ron Francis,  (801) 524-4557
Blake Walbec, (535) 691-7201

St George, UT, February 23, 2006 – After one year of work and $60 million in Federal funding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Washington County Government is showing progress toward protecting Washington County residents and their property from future flooding of the magnitude that devastated the area in January, 2005.

The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program was set up by Congress to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters, such as the floods that occurred in the St. George area.  This EWP project is administered by the NRCS state office in Utah, in partnership with the Washington County Government, who stepped forward to accept the role of the required official local sponsor of the project. The partnership recently took time to share some of their impressive results with conservation leaders and the news media at a VIP/Media Briefing and Tour.

Sylvia Gillen, NRCS state conservationist, complimented the more than 60 NRCS employees who have worked an estimated 33,000 hours this past year to evaluate, coordinate, engineer and monitor the following work that is underway or completed to date:

• The removal of 275,000 cubic yards of debris from river channels. Much was shredded and left on site as a mulch.
• Approximately 250,000 cubic yards of sediment was removed to help reshape river channels.
• Placement of 78,000 linear feet (14 miles) of rock walls in strategic locations to protect homes and property from future flooding. An estimated 37,000 feet of work remains.
• Work has begun to collect willow cuttings and plant up to 66 acres of willows along the riparian corridor to establish vegetative cover and provide wildlife habitat.
• An estimated 50 acres of upland grasses and shrubs will be seeded in disturbed adjacent areas.
• Wildlife biologists from the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources are under contract with NRCS to capture and translocate any sensitive fish found in the work area.

She also complimented the Washington County Government for their vital role as official sponsor in coordinating much of the contracting that has achieved these results. Washington County Commissioner James Eardley said the EWP project is a good example of how local, State and Federal government agencies can work together efficiently to accomplish a lot of work in a short period of time. Elected officials from local municipalities were also on hand to express appreciation for the emergency restoration work that has benefited each of their communities.

Gillen noted that while much of the work has been completed, there is still a significant amount of work and follow-up remaining. NRCS, in concert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), has begun implementation of a vegetative rehabilitation plan that will provide further protection to stream banks and suitable wildlife habitat. The cutting and planting of native willows is a cooperative effort between county-organized volunteers and a private contractor hired through a competitive bidding process. The willow cuttings are being harvested from private, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service lands. It’s estimated the willow plantings will cover 66 acres of land.

NRCS State Wildlife Biologist Karen Fullen said the revegetation work “is necessary to minimize ‘take’ of riparian habitat for sensitive wildlife species in the area.” Most notably, she mentioned the endangered southwestern Willow flycatcher, which has only three known nesting locations in Utah—all of which are located along the Virgin River in Washington County.  Another bird, expected to show up during spring, is the western yellow-billed cuckoo, a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Several fish species are also being managed carefully during EWP work. The woundfin and Virgin River chub are listed as endangered, and the Virgin spinedance is proposed for listing as a threatened species. Biologists from the UDWR are monitoring all EWP work in an effort to capture and translocate out of harms way any sensitive fish that may be found in the work area.

“While the massive EWP work that has been completed here is designed to restore the integrity of the stream corridors to a state that will protect from future flooding of a similar magnitude, we are hopeful that residents will not only appreciate the assurance of future safety, but will also look forward to the time that the new vegetation and abundant wildlife will take on the original beauty that drew them to the area,” said Gillen.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical and financial assistance to help agricultural producers and others care for the land.

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