Stone Creek Master Plan and Restoration

The EagleVail Metro District brought in WWE’s Scott Schreiber to help restore a 1.6-mile stretch of Stone Creek, a mountain stream nestled between an 18-hole golf course and residential community. Scott worked with EagleVail to assess priorities and create a project plan. Scott Schreiber performed a stream restoration Master Plan for development of a healthy, sustainable creek with increased habitat and stable channel form parameters, while reducing the need for ongoing maintenance through natural design techniques. The Master Plan evaluated existing site conditions and deficiencies and provided a field survey to develop prioritization areas. The Plan addressed variable impacts such as diversions, homeowners, and golf course maintenance. It also included a tool box of conceptual designs, grant funding opportunities, and permitting requirements to direct capital improvement projects in the future. LOMR documents and construction design documents were submitted for a bypass floodway channel to remove multiple homes and structures from the 100-year floodplain of Stone Creek through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Mitigation grant.

Phase One of the project was completed in 2019. Priorities included: creating a cohesive flowing waterway with natural features (such as riffles to improve streamflow); improving fish passage; and removing man-made structures. Additionally, the brown trout that reside in this stream will flourish with the creation of new pools for spawning as well as removal of the obstructions preventing them from reaching these areas before. The above photo shows the project after about one year of revegetation. A time-lapse video of Phase One is available at: https://youtu.be/eKaIpTd6bEw.