The Little Bear River drains 185,000 acres at the southern end of Cache Valley in northern Utah. The river has two main forks that travel through relatively narrow and steep valleys, meeting at the approximate midpoint of the watershed near the town of Paradise

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 Watershed Description:   The Little Bear River drains 185,000 acres at the southern end of Cache Valley in northern Utah.  The river has two main forks that travel through relatively narrow and steep valleys, meeting at the approxi-mate midpoint of the watershed near the town of Paradise.   From that point the Little Bear drains to Hyrum Reservoir, and then continues north, meandering through the much flatter landscapes left behind by ancient Lake Bonneville.  The river  eventually drains to the south end of Cutler Res-ervoir.    Hyrum Reservoir holds water for irrigation uses, but is also a popular recreational area, with a state park on its shores.  Porcupine Reservoir, on the East Fork of the river, is also managed for irrigation and is home to a healthy Kokanee Salmon population.  These fish have established a spawning run up the East Fork River in the fall, where they create “redds” in the river’s gravel and lay their eggs.    During the 1990s, the Little Bear River was the target of a major water quality improvement effort to reduce nutrients and sediments in the river.  Between 1990 and 2000, more than 100 farmers in the watershed voluntarily imple-mented a wide range of conservation prac-tices, with the goal of reducing nutrient and sediment runoff from dairies, rangeland, and pastures.  Thirty-six animal waste manage-ment systems were installed, more than 5 miles of stream banks were  re-vegetated, more than 7,500 acres of rangeland were im-proved, and many flood irrigation systems were re-placed by sprinkler systems.    Improving Utah’s Water Quality   Little Bear River Watershed   LOCAL    C ONTACT :    Justin Elsner   Lower Bear River    Watershed Coordinator     (435) 753-5616 (X130)    MAJOR  WATERBODIES    Little Bear River   Porcupine Reservoir   Hyrum Reservoir  MAJOR  C ITIES    Hyrum   Mendon   Wellsville   Paradise   MAJOR  LAND  USES    Agriculture   Rangelands   Recreation  LOCAL  WATER                      QUALITY  I SSUES    Phosphorus   Sediment extension.usu.edu/waterquality Published June 2014 NR/WQ/2014– 04pr Project Description:   In 2005, USU began a USDA funded project to evaluate the impacts of these conservation practices.  The project asked three basic questions:  1. Did the conservation practices improve water quality?   2. Were the conservation practices maintained over time?   3. Are there more effective ways of tracking impacts of these projects?   The project researchers analyzed existing data, collected new data, developed computer models of the watershed, and interviewed landowners and residents.  The following are some of their findings.   Water quality in the Little Bear River has improved compared to twenty years ago.  The actual  impact of the conservation practices could not be quantified, however, because other changes in the watershed also likely affected water quality.  These include increased population in the watershed, conversion of some agricultural lands to new housing        developments, and drought and flood cycles.  In addition, the traditional monitoring     approaches that had been used were inadequate for measuring water quality changes in  dynamic rivers that are common in these watersheds.     The majority of the original  structural conservation projects are still in place and effectively keeping nutrients and sediments from entering the river.  These include fences, manure bunkers, irrigation systems, land leveling and re-vegetation of uplands and pastures.  In contrast, requirements to track and account for nutrients from all possible sources, grazing management plans that require modifications in pastures or number of animals throughout a year , or other management changes were far more likely to have been discontinued.   These plans were either impractical or poorly explained to landowners.  This feedback is important for conservation planners since these manage-ment plans are a critical part of protecting water quality.   The researchers also explored new ways to monitor watersheds.  They evaluated historic aerial photographs to show that the fencing and in-stream structures implemented during the original project had contributed to improved vegetation near the river.  They installed auto-matic monitoring stations that measure water quality every 30 minutes (rather than every 2-4 weeks) to better understand the dynamic changes in a river.  These results reinforced the need to develop  monitoring plans that focus on the actual target pollutants and the project objectives.  Using these improved approaches to monitoring will assure that future projects are located in the most effective locations.    Little Bear River Water Quality Improvement Project Related Pro jects  Review of Utah’s 319 Nonpoint Source Program for UDWQ   Jackson-Smith et al.  2013.  www.extension.usu.edu/waterquality   References   Bear River Watershed Information System      bearriverinfo.org.  Lower Bear River & Tributaries, TMDL(2002) http://www.waterquality.utah.gov/TPar tners  Utah State University  Extension Utah Association of Conservation Districts U.S. Natural Resources  Conservation Service Utah Division of Water  Quality Utah Division of Water  Resources Utah Division of Water  Rights Utah Department of Natural  Resources County and City governments  Funding  Throughout the 10 year  pro-ject, over $3.5 million in USDA, EPA and other funds were in-vested in these projects.  In addition, landowners matched approximately $1.5 million in labor, equipment or cash. A USDA Conservation   Effec-tiveness Assessment   Project grant to USU funded the       evaluation.  To learn how you can participate or lend your support to Utah commu-nity water quality projects, please contact your local conservation dis-trict or county agent. P r o d u c e d  b y  U S U  W a t e r  Q u a l i t y  E x t e n s i o n ,  U t a h  W a t e r s h e d  C o o r d i n a t i n g  C o u n c i l ,  U t a h      A s s o c i a t i o n  o f  C o n s e r v a t i o n  D i s t r i c t s ,  a n d  U t a h  D i v i s i o n  o f  W a t e r  Q u a l i t y .  U t a h  S t a t e  U n i v e r s i t y  i s  a n  a f f i r m a t i v e  a c t i o n / e q u a l  o p p o r t u n i t y  i n s t i t u t i o n .  

Watershed Fact Sheet: Improving Utah\u27s Water Quality, Little Bear River Watershed

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Watershed Fact Sheet: Improving Utah\u27s Water Quality, Little Bear River Watershed

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