Location: Sugar Creek Watershed, Caddo County, Oklahoma

Participants: Richard Stark, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office; Steve Elsener, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Helen Williams, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers-Regulatory Division; and Mark Howery, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Executive summary: Richard Stark of the Oklahoma ES Field Office participated in an environmental evaluation of a Flood Water Retarding Structures (FWRS) in the Sugar Creek Watershed (L-44) that is proposed for rehabilitation under the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments of 2000 (PL-106-472).  Helen Williams of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Steve Elsener of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Mark Howery of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation also participated in the site visit.  Flash flood events that occurred during the summer of 2007 resulted in the partial failure of the earthen embankment and the severe undercutting and collapse of the county road immediately downstream of the structure.  Proposed rehabilitation measures include moving the embankment 375 feet downstream to the location of the County road where the embankment also would serve as the County road.  The proposed measure also would consist of raising the permanent pool elevation by 1.7 feet and increasing the permanent pool surface area from 14 to 18 acres.  The Service is working with other members of the environmental evaluation team to determine the biological change that would occur as result of the proposed rehabilitation measures.  The Service has requested additional information regarding impacts to the riparian zone and stream caused by the back toe of the new embankment and possible impacts from the auxiliary spillway.  The Service will continue to work with the NRCS, ODWC, and COE to develop site specific mitigation measures should it be determined that the impacts are significant and would result in an overall net loss of habitat value.