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NINNINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
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Management Efforts on Public Land Restored Riparian Zone and
Reduced Water Temperature in Jaramillo Creek
Waterbody ImprON/gd Jaram'"° Creek was once a productive trout fishery on the Valles
Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico. Fish surveys conducted
in 2003 showed a dramatic decline in water quality, and the stream was listed as impaired for
temperature, turbidity, and aluminum. Beginning in 2011, the New Mexico Environment Department
(NMED) funded multiple stream restoration projects. The watershed group Los Amigos de Valles
Caldera used plug-and-pond methods to raise the water table and restore wetlands. They also
installed in-channel structures to prevent erosion and sedimentation. Another project from the
watershed group Wild Earth Guardians protected riparian areas by planting native vegetation and
constructing cattle and elk exclosures. As a result, Jaramillo Creek was delisted for temperature in
2016. The creek remains listed for turbidity, aluminum, and nutrients. NMED expects the creek to
continue improving as the vegetation matures and riparian conditions improve.
Problem
The NMED conducted a special water quality survey in
2001-2002 when the Valles Caldera National Preserve
was transferred from private to public land owner-
ship. This survey indicated water quality problems;
as a result, NMED listed Jaramiilo Creek as impaired
for temperature, turbidity and aluminum. The creek
was failing to meet its designated use for High-Quality
Cold Water Aquatic Life Use. jaramillo Creek was once
considered a productive trout fishery, but a 2003 fish
survey captured only two fish in the project reach,
compared with a similar reach on the nearby East Fork
jemez River where 279 fish were found. The probable
sources of impairment on jaramillo Creek included
road runoff, rangeland grazing and wildlife use.
Story Highlights
The successful restoration of Jaramillo Creek results
from several projects, including meadow wetland
restoration, fencing and planting (Figure 1). First, Los
Amigos de Valles Caldera group completed a project
to preserve and restore high elevation slope wetlands
using the plug-and-pond method, which involves
plugging an incised channel with excavated soil from
meadow sediments and creating small ponds as a
byproduct (Figure 2). Los Amigos de Valles Caldera
successfully restored wetlands and retained sediment
'HeMP^xewtQ
Figure 1. Volunteers plant native species along
Jaramillo Creek in the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
by installing machine-built plug and pond structures
at 25 sites, with 10 built by hand and 15 with heavy
machinery. Additional post-fire sediment and turbidity
pollution prevention was achieved by installing one-
rock dams at 25 sites, sod clump bank protection at 10
sites, Zuni Bowls at two headcuts, and rolling dips and
trial drains at seven sites.
Subsequently, the Wild Earth Guardians, with help
from the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps,
planted native riparian vegetation on a 2.3-mile reach
of Jaramillo Creek with over 60,000 willow stems,

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Figure 2. Jaramillo Creek before (top) and after
(bottom) plug-and-pond treatment.
which exceeded the workplan objective. Additionally,
they mixed in 400 cottonwood, 400 thinleaf alder,
400 aspen, and additional forage species. They con-
structed nine exclosure fences that protected a total of
43 acres of newly restored riparian habitat. Crews also
built small exclosures to protect individual cottonwood
and aspen from rodent depredation.
Results
The many projects that have been implemented in
Jamarillo Creek have helped improve the water quality.
The Surface Water Quality Bureau (SWQB) at NMED
has measured stream temperature on Jaramillo Creek
to monitor the effects of these projects since 2012.
The surveys showed decreases in temperature; the
creek met all criteria for High-Quality Cold Water Life
Use, including maintaining a maximum temperature
below 23°C. As a result, Jaramillo Creek was delisted
for temperature impairment in 2016. The creek met
temperature criteria during 2017 as well (Figure 3).
Keystone Restoration Ecology monitored additional
effects of the Los Amigos de Valles Caldera project.
Before/after project photo point monitoring shows
that the plug-and-pond treatments successfully
spread water and restored wetlands (Figure 2). The
Figure 3. The 2017 thermograph for Jaramillo Creek
downstream of the restoration reach shows that
temperatures have remained below the standard.
Bank Erosion Hazard index (BEIHI), which evaluates the
susceptibility of stream banks to erosion, showed that
the average score for treated banks dropped from
31 (high) to 8 (very low).
Monitoring byTimberline Environmental on behalf
of WEGUARD indicates that over 75 percent of the
riparian species planted have survived, and they are
expected to further enhance shading as they mature.
Shade has significantly increased within the project
area, with densiometer monitoring indicating that
shade has increased to 49.5 percent, which is greater
than the 30 percent objective. Enhanced shading due
to the high survival rate of riparian plantings have
contributed to lower water temperatures in Jaramillo
Creek. The exclosures that were constructed to
protect plantings and alter resource use by livestock
and wildlife have been successful. The exclosures
are protecting the native riparian woody plantings as
well as the existing herbaceous vegetation from the
impacts of grazing, which has allowed the opportunity
for the vegetation to grow and shade the creek.
Partners and Funding
The primary partners on the restoration projects
were Los Amigos de Valles Caldera, Keystone
Restoration Ecology, Wild Earth Guardians, Timberline
Environmental, New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps
and the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The total
Clean Water Act Section 319(h) funding for these proj-
ects was $596,746, and the projects were managed by
the Watershed Protection Section of NMED SWQB.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
W .1
^ EPA 841-F-19-001I
PROt^° February 2019
For additional information contact:
Nina Wells, Los Amigos de Valles Caldera
505-660-2351 • nwells9@gmail.com
Daniel Guevara, NMED Surface Water Quality Bureau
505-476-3086 • daniel.guevara@state.nm.us
Jim Matison, Wild Earth Guardians
505-795-1131 • jmatison@wildearthguardians.org

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