Solicitation_Amendment_140R4026R0024_0001_Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_0001.pdf

Combined Synopsis / Solicitation

Solicitation #: 140R4026R0024 Amendment: 0001

Native Plant Propagation, Delivery, & Installation IDIQ

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

INTERIOR REGION 7 • UPPER COLORADO

BASIN SALT LAKE CITY REGIONAL

OFFICE ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT

DIVISION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A – SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 7: Middle Strawberry 2026 Final Design Report – Task Order No. 0001

SECTION A – SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate Attachment 7, titled Middle Strawberry 2026 Final Design Report, into the solicitation as supporting documentation for Attachment 6, titled Task Order No. 0001 – Request for Proposal (140R4026Q0128). Attachment 7 shall be considered by Offerors in preparing their proposals for Task Order No. 0001.

Except as specifically amended herein, all other terms and conditions of Solicitation No.

140R4026R0024 remain unchanged.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

E. IMPORTANT: is not is required copies to the issuing office.

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

7.ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. is extended. is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

PAGESOF

Contractor

The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers to sign this document and return

Johnny Lyons

See continuation page

Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado Region Regional Office 125 South State Street, Room 8100 Salt Lake City UT 84138

R40

140R4026R0024

08/05/2026

08/05/2026

4 6

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGES

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(B)

UNIT

(D)

UNIT PRICE

(E)

AMOUNT

(F)

OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

ITEM NO.

(A)

QUANTITY

(C)

NSN 7540-01-152-8067

140R4026R0024/0001

The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate

Attachment 7, titled Middle Strawberry 2026

Final Design Report, into the solicitation as supporting documentation for Attachment 6, titled Task Order No. 0001 Request for Proposal

(140R4026Q0128). Attachment 7 shall be considered by Offerors in preparing their proposals for Task Order No. 0001.

Except as specifically amended herein, all other terms and conditions of Solicitation No.

140R4026R0024 remain unchanged.

Period of Performance: 11/02/2026 to

11/01/2031

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 7: Middle Strawberry 2026 Final Design Report – Task Order No. 0001 (Attachment 7 - Middle Strawberry 2026 Final Design Report – Task Order No. 0001 can be found under the paperclip icon within the PDF document.)

Sponsored by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

Middle Strawberry River Restoration Project Final Design Report

2026 Project Area—River Mile 8.5 to 12.5

Photo credit: Milada Majerova (BIO-WEST)

Prepared for Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (URMCC) 230 S 500 E Suite 230 Salt Lake City, Utah 84102-2045

Prepared by Allred Restoration 5725 W 12000 N Tremonton, Utah 84337

BIO-WEST, Inc.

1063 West 1400 North Logan, Utah 84321

June 2026

Page i

CONTENTS

Background Information (from Contract Performance Work Statement) 2026 Project Area Brief Summary of Recent Mapping and Data Collection

Mapping Efforts Wetland Mapping Vegetation Mapping Aquatic Habitat Mapping

Data Collection Aquatic Invertebrate Sampling Groundwater Assessment

Hydrology of the Middle Strawberry River Daily Mean Streamflow Flow Duration Flood Peak History Timing of Peak Flows Flood Magnitude and Frequency HEC-HMS - Peak Flow Magnitude and Frequency

Aquatic Habitat Mapping Analyses Spatial Assessment of Habitat

Recent MSRRP Restoration Efforts Proposed Restoration Actions—2026 Project Area

Brief Summary of Proposed Actions Proposed Actions—Habitat Feature Details

Instream and Cross-stream Rock Habitat Structures Large Woody Debris (LWD) Large Boulders Excavated Groundwater Pond Repairs of Existing Instream and Cross-stream Rock Structures and Relocation of Large Boulders in Specified Areas

Non-Habitat Features Expansion of an Existing Roadside Parking Area New Parking Area and Lake Access for Small Watercraft

Additional Project Details Rock Sizing

Page ii

Rock Quantity and Logistics Heavy Equipment Site Access Planning

Revegetation Plan Summary of 2026 Proposed Project

ATTACHMENT 1 AQUATIC HABITAT MAPPING SUMMARIES (APPENDIX G OF 2026

TECHNICAL MEMO)

Tables Table 1. HEC-HMS model results for the 2026 project area (from Jones and Demille)

Table 2. Middle Strawberry River 2026 revegetation order by habitat type for 40,200 live plantings and cuttings to be installed fall 2026

Table 3. Middle Strawberry River 2026 seed mixes for 10 acres of construction disturbance areas to be seeded and mulched in fall 2026

Table 4. Middle Strawberry River 2026 seed mixes for 8.1 acres of habitat enhancement to be seeded and mulched in fall 2026

Maps and Figures Map 1. Middle Strawberry River Restoration Project (MSSRP) area location map

Map 2. Map showing location of Middle Strawberry River Restoration Project (MSRRP) area analyzed in the Dollar Ridge Fire FONSI and EA for the DRF Restoration Plan

Map 3. Map of Middle Strawberry River, mile 8.5 to 12.5, 2026 aquatic restoration project features

Figure 1. Mean daily discharge for USGS Station 09285900

Figure 2. Flow duration relation for USGS Station 09285900

Figure 3. Instantaneous peak discharge history for USGS Station 09285900

Figure 4. Count of months when peak annual discharge occurred for USGS Station 09285900

Figure 5. Log-Pearson and systematic record flood frequency analyses for USGS Station 09285900

Figure 6. Typical cross section for a rock habitat structure installation

Page iii

Figure 7. Typical cross section for a large woody debris installation

Figure 8. Typical cross section for large boulder installation

Figure 9. Typical cross section for the excavated pond

Figure 10. Figure illustrating the locations of (1) a new parking area and lake access for small watercraft launching at Slab Lake and (2) the expansion of an existing parking area near the mouth of Slab Canyon

Map 4. Middle Strawberry River restoration project revegetation map

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

(FROM CONTRACT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT)

The Central Utah Project includes the Bonneville Unit, the largest of the five original authorized units. The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System (SACS) is a component of the Bonneville Unit consisting of a series of pipelines, tunnels, aqueducts, and reservoirs that capture water from the Colorado River Basin and divert it to the Bonneville Basin for use along the Wasatch Front. As a result of SACS construction and operation, some streams were inundated, and others were adversely impacted by altered stream flows. Multiple agreements and mitigation plans were developed to identify measures to offset the impacts of project operations (SACS and the Municipal and Industrial System (M&I System) water exchange from Strawberry Reservoir via the Diamond Fork System to Utah Lake) including minimum instream flow requirements, water rights and land acquisitions, angler access, instream habitat improvements, etc.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (Commission) have acquired approximately 12,630 acres of property within the Strawberry River Watershed as mitigation for the construction of and operation of the SACS. Since the late 1990’s, the Commission has been providing funding to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to manage the federally owned properties on an interim basis as part of the UDWR’s Wildlife Management Areas, specifically the Strawberry River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Habitat Management Plan (UDWR, 2021). These goals include preserving and enhancing wildlife habitats and populations and preserving public angler access to the Strawberry River between Soldier Creek Dam and the river’s confluence with Red Creek near the Strawberry Pinnacles. Following a NEPA process, a determination was made in 2020 to transfer the federally owned properties to UDWR (Bonneville Unit Land Transfer EA & FONSI 2020). The property transfer is on hold for now.

As one of the streams impacted by SACS, the Strawberry Valley has been a focal area for fish and wildlife mitigation resulting from the construction and operation of the Bonneville Unit of CUP for more than 40 years. The aquatic mitigation measures are outlined in the 1999 Environmental Assessment for the Angler-Access Mitigation Program of SACS and other appropriate plans (1988 Aquatic Mitigation Plan, 1987 Wildlife Mitigation Plan, 1987 Wetland Mitigation Plan, and 1988 DPR and supplements,). The primary management objective for the middle Strawberry River between Soldier Creek dam and the Pinnacles (Map 1) is to provide the highest level of protection to the biological productivity and diversity of the riparian and aquatic ecosystem and to provide angling access and opportunities. This area is important not only for the state and federal agencies but also to the public for compatible recreation, hunting, and fishing opportunities. Prior to the 2018 Dollar Ridge Fire, this section of the river was considered one of the Utah Blue Ribbon fisheries as determined by the State of Utah. Blue Ribbon fisheries are waters that provide highly satisfying fishing and outdoor experiences for diverse groups of anglers and enthusiasts.

In 2018 the Dollar Ridge Fire burned nearly 70,000 acres within the Strawberry River watershed, including along the mainstem Strawberry River and numerous tributary basins.

Heavy rain events immediately following the fire created massive debris flows that destroyed the road and associated infrastructure, private property, and dramatically changed the conditions along the river negatively impacting the aquatic habitat quality. In 2020, Duchesne and Wasatch Counties, with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), began making repairs and improvements to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure through their Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. Work in 2020 was conducted along lower Timber Canyon Road and the Strawberry River Road from the Strawberry Pinnacles to just above Timber Canyon. Repairs to the Strawberry River Road above Timber Canyon continued in 2021. Additional work on sections of the road and river near Lost Canyon and Timber Canyon were completed in the Fall of 2022. The primary purpose of the EWP Program was to protect infrastructure, water quality and public safety from impacts resulting from the Dollar Ridge Fire. EWP projects ranged from road realignment, three new bridge spans within 2.5 km (1.5 miles) in the vicinity of Timber, Simmons, and Lost Canyon with capacity to pass larger flows, stabilized water crossings, and construction of retention basins. Other instream projects included installation of bank armor, bridge abutment protection, debris catchers, cross vanes, J-hooks, and root wads.

To address ongoing issues as a result of the Dollar Ridge Fire and to correct unintended impacts to the river associated with the EWP Program, Reclamation, Commission, and the UDWR partnered to hire a team of consultants, led by Martin & Nicholson Environmental Consultants, LLC (Martin & Nicholson), with expertise in post-wildfire restoration to conduct a watershed assessment and upland hazard analysis which informed the development of a restoration plan. The documents were completed in April of 2023 (DRF EA & FONSI 2023) and provide a framework for the Middle Strawberry River Restoration Project treatment activities for the riverscape and upland areas through a condition-based assessment of site conditions and associated treatment options. The river was divided into four reaches starting at Soldier Creek Dam to the confluence near the Pinnacles (Map 2). No riverscape restoration is recommended for reaches one and two. Restoration activities recommended for reaches three and four primarily included low tech, process-based techniques such as structure addition, riparian planting, and addition of large woody debris. Within these two reaches, riverscape restoration recommendations also suggested more extensive modifications to the river channel and floodplain reconnection that require a higher level of design. Areas for channel modification were broken out into smaller specific subsections but, due to the nature of our NEPA approach, there is flexibility to expand those treatment areas if they have the conditions justifying the treatment actions.

The focus of recent work has included detailed habitat mapping efforts to provide a more in-depth review of existing habitat and identification of areas requiring additional work including detailed designs to implement riverscape restoration and detailed direction for a range of process-based treatments. This comprehensive approach, based on habitat mapping and other factors, was needed to ensure that all restoration elements work in conjunction with each other to improve the entire reach of the river rather than in a piecemeal fashion.

2026 PROJECT AREA

The middle Strawberry River consists of 19 miles of channel between Soldier Creek Dam and the confluence with Red Creek at the Strawberry Pinnacles. Although mapping and other data collection activities were completed for the entire length of the Middle Strawberry, the proposed river reach for the 2026 restoration project area includes river kilometer sections from 13.5 to 20 (river miles 8.5 to 12.5) (see maps 1 and 2). Note that no work is proposed in section 13.5 due to existing habitat quality that was determined to be excellent (see Habitat Mapping Analyses section, below).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF RECENT MAPPING AND DATA

COLLECTION

Mapping Efforts

Wetland Mapping Aquatic Resource (wetland) delineations inform restoration ecologists about the nature, quality, and quantity of wetlands in a restoration project area, and they are required for federal permitting before implementing restoration designs. Wetland delineations provide details about the soils, hydrology, and plants that define naturally occurring wetlands in the restoration project area, which can then be used to inform the design to avoid impacts and enhance wetland functions where possible.

BIO-WEST personnel performed an aquatic resources delineation on November 24 and 25, 2025, to delineate potential wetlands and surface-water boundaries within the 2026 Aquatic and Riparian Habitat Enhancement study area, which consists of the upper 4-mile (approximately) portion of the project area with road access (from 13.5 km to 20 km). The wetland boundaries were identified in accordance with the US Army Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory 1987). In addition, the Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coasts Region (Research and Development 2010) was used for regional specificity. The results from the wetland mapping effort were used to help guide the restoration actions proposed in this report.

Vegetation Mapping To establish existing conditions and prepare revegetation plans, BIO-WEST personnel mapped vegetation communities for the entire 19-mile river corridor. The vegetation inventory method consisted of classifying and mapping vegetation species composition along the Middle Strawberry River and the adjacent fields and slopes within the survey area by tracing the boundaries of vegetation communities on field maps. Surveyors located aerial signatures on the field maps and matched them with vegetation community boundaries. This was done by walking the extent of the vegetation community looking for changes in plant assemblages and species composition. Wherever a change in species composition was detected in the field significant enough to classify a new community type, a new boundary was established. The boundaries of the vegetation communities were hand-traced on the field maps. Species composition was recorded for each observed vegetation community. Additionally, locations of invasive, weedy species were noted on maps and recorded on a digital field map with a handheld GPS unit. Photos were taken of the observed vegetation communities. Vegetation community data mapped in the field were digitized using an ArcGIS mapping program. The vegetation communities were then further classified into functional categories based on their species make-up and potential for restoration, and to guide future weed treatments and/or revegetation efforts associated with restoration.

Vegetation communities were classified for the entire 19-mile river corridor based on the dominant species visually observed. A comprehensive plant list of all species positively identified was generated. If suitable habitat for any rare or endangered plant species was observed, it was noted in the vegetation community data. Specifically, suitable habitat for Ute ladies’-tresses has been identified within the project area but no flowering plants have been observed.

Vegetation communities observed in the field were classified to the alliance and group level based on observed community composition and the best match to the community data described by NatureServe Explorer, Ecological Communities and Systems (NatureServe 2025).

Because NatureServe’s ecological systems database reports data from large regions, the community classifications may contain species that weren’t found within the Middle Strawberry River project area, but the community description available on NatureServe mostly contained species that were observed, with a few minor exceptions.

The results from the vegetation mapping effort were used to help guide the restoration actions proposed in this report.

Aquatic Habitat Mapping Aquatic habitat mapping provides baseline data on the current condition and distributions of key aquatic habitat units, such as pools, runs, riffles, cascades, and backwaters etc. Different habitat units play crucial roles in supporting ecological functions, offering habitat for aquatic species, and maintaining hydrodynamic balance within the river system.

BIO-WEST completed aquatic habitat mapping on the Middle Strawberry River to establish baseline conditions and inform restoration planning following the 2018 Dollar Ridge Fire.

Mapping of approximately 19 miles of the river was completed in two phases. The lower 11.5 miles of the Middle Strawberry River were field mapped from September 16 to September 22, 2024. Due to access constraints in the upper canyon, additional field mapping was completed during October 6–8, 2025, with the reach accessed from both the Soldier Creek Reservoir dam and the upstream gate. Due to its remoteness, approximately 2.75 miles of intervening river were mapped using aerial imagery only. The habitat-quality assessment included detailed data from location-specific habitat units and their attributes (e.g., pool depths, substrate sizes, elements of fish cover, and locations of woody debris). This comprehensive data was analyzed to help identify and prioritize target areas for an aquatic and riparian habitat restoration plan (see Habitat Mapping Analyses section, below).

Data Collection

Aquatic Invertebrate Sampling Determining the condition of an ecosystem helps us understand the current condition of the system while also providing a tool for measuring restoration success. However, restoration projects often focus on only one environmental component, and they often lack sufficient monitoring (Buss 2009, England 2021, Dillingham 2022). Selecting appropriate restoration-response indicators requires sound ecological theory and, ideally, multiple indicators representing a suite of ecological processes (Hobbs and Harris 2001, Ruiz-Jaen and Aide 2005, Dillingham 2022). Aquatic macroinvertebrates (insects, snails, worms, etc.) and water-quality characteristics (the chemical, physical, and biological condition of the water) both represent a suite of processes and can be useful to determine the condition of the ecosystem. For example, in riparian ecosystems, disturbances including fire or a modified hydrograph (e.g., damming, flooding, irrigation) can directly impact aquatic life and can cause changes in the abiotic physical characteristics (e.g., erosion, sediment deposits) and chemical characteristics (e.g., acidity, turbidity, dissolved minerals) of a river. These physical and chemical changes can further impact plants and animals.

Because fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates have differential tolerances to the physical and chemical characteristics of rivers, changes in these attributes can trigger shifts in community structure, often resulting in the reduction or extirpation of the most-sensitive species first (Sousa 1984, Fukami 2001). Such shifts reflect degraded conditions and can be used to quantify change. However, water quality and macroinvertebrates likewise respond to restoration. If restoration improves degraded conditions, animal numbers may increase, and sensitive species may reestablish restored areas, making both components useful indicators of the habitat improvement that restoration efforts may induce. Therefore, BIO-WEST conducted water-quality and aquatic macroinvertebrate monitoring of the Middle Strawberry River between Soldier Creek Dam and the Pinnacles in 2024–2025 to help establish post-fire baseline conditions of this system prior to the restoration efforts that began in 2025. These baseline results will be compared to post-restoration monitoring results to determine the efficacy of restoration in improving water quality and habitat for aquatic animals, including macroinvertebrates and fishes.

Groundwater Assessment Ecosystem restoration specialists must gain a solid understanding of the local environmental conditions (e.g., hydrology, growing season, climate) and processes (e.g., sediment transport, plant recruitment, succession, resilience) to support a restoration project once it is built.

Understanding near-river groundwater dynamics is critical when developing riparian-restoration designs, and groundwater monitoring can help restoration ecologists evaluate ecological conditions, determine whether their efforts will be sustainable and function as planned, and simultaneously provide a tool to measure restoration failure or success once a project is built.

For example, groundwater can help sustain water levels in restored channels, ponds, and backwaters, but a reach without a near-surface water table can drain water from restored channels and limit the distribution of recovering riparian vegetation. Further, restoring a groundwater-river connection, and the associated hyporheic exchange, can buffer temperature extremes, enhance nutrient cycling, influence bank stability, and support macroinvertebrates and food-web productivity in rivers (Hunt 2006; Kaandorp 2019; Wei 2024). Therefore, the project team selected seven groundwater-monitoring well locations throughout the Middle Strawberry River project area in areas showing restoration potential.

Because of the unusually low water levels in some areas, Allred Restoration, working with BIO- WEST and Reclamation personnel, installed eight groundwater-monitoring wells in fall 2024.

Each area was cleared by a US Bureau of Reclamation Tribal consultation specialist prior to installation. Groundwater levels were monitored throughout the 2025 calendar year and is ongoing. The results of this study helped guide the restoration design and provide the information needed to determine if the groundwater in those areas will support the proposed efforts.

Hydrology of the Middle Strawberry River The USGS has maintained a streamflow gage near the bottom of the 19-mile reach of the Middle Strawberry River, named “Strawberry River at Pinnacles near Fruitland, UT” (Pinnacles gage). The period of record is relatively short and discontinuous; thus, its usefulness is limited.

Despite this, the record provides some useful information, as outlined in the following sections.

Daily Mean Streamflow Figure 1 shows the mean daily discharge for the period of record for the Pinnacles gage. Note that the record is discontinuous and shows no daily means over 500 cfs. This presentation of streamflow tends to mask the flashy peak discharges that occur when high-intensity monsoon rains cause short flashy peaks that often only last for an hour or less. The short peaks will be discussed further in subsequent sections of the report.

Flow Duration Flow duration analyses of mean daily flows at the Pinnacles gage, provides the flow duration relation shown in Figure 2. Examination of the plot shows that a discharge of roughly 36 cfs is exceeded approximately 50% of the days, whereas a discharge over 85 cfs is exceeded only 10% of the days.

Flood Peak History Annual instantaneous peak discharges for the Pinnacles gage are shown in Figure 3. The highest instantaneous annual peak discharge for the gage was 1,770 cfs, recorded in 2018.

This peak occurred while the Dollar Ridge fire was burning and resulted in several major debris flows within the canyon, including those that wiped out sections of roads and destroyed bridges. Other short duration peaks that caused debris flows occurred in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

These peaks all occurred because of high-intensity monsoon storms that occurred in years following the fire.

Timing of Peak Flows As mentioned previously, most annual peak flows are the result of short-duration high-intensity monsoon storms that primarily occur during the months of July-September, whereas snowmelt runoff peaks typically occur in late May or early June. Figure 4 illustrates this relationship with a count of annual peaks versus months when those peaks occurred. Also note that no annual peaks have occurred between November and April.

Flood Magnitude and Frequency Analyses of flood frequency and magnitude were completed for the Pinnacles gage despite the short period of record. The results of those analyses are shown in Figure 5. Because of the short record, these results have very large potential errors and are of limited use. They are included here for completeness. The section below outlines other analyses that were added to better represent high flows in the Middle Strawberry River.

HEC-HMS - Peak Flow Magnitude and Frequency Given the short period of record at the “Strawberry River at Pinnacles near Fruitland, UT” gage, an analysis of flood frequency provides limited information. However, a detailed hydrologic analysis was completed for the Wasatch County portion of the Middle Strawberry River, by Jones and Demille Engineering, as part of the EWP work primarily done in 2020 and 2021. They used HEC-HMS (HMS) to determine flood magnitudes for selected frequencies in several river reaches. HMS uses runoff characteristics and timing to provide flood frequency and magnitude estimates. For each of the half-kilometer river sections included in the 2026 project area, their model showed the result listed below in Table 1.

Table 1. HEC-HMS model results for the 2026 project area (from Jones and Demille).

REACH (KM)

2-YEAR PEAK

DISCHARGE (CFS)

25-YEAR PEAK

100-YEAR PEAK

13,500 214 1,317 2,178 14,000 214 1,317 2,178 14,500 214 1,317 2,178 15,000 256.7 1,564 2,597 15,500 256.7 1,564 2,597 16,000 256.7 1,564 2,597 16,500 326.9 1,886 3,093 17,000 326.9 1,886 3,093 17,500 326.9 1,886 3,093 18,000 326.9 1,886 3,093 18,500 326.9 1,886 3,093 19,000 326.9 1,886 3,093 19,500 326.9 1,886 3,093 20,000 326.9 1,886 3,093

Note that estimated flood magnitudes for a given recurrence interval increase as you move lower in the basin, with 2-yr peak flows ranging from 214 cfs to 326 cfs, and 100-yr peak flows ranging from 2,178 cfs to 3,093 cfs.

AQUATIC HABITAT MAPPING ANALYSES

Application of a scientific approach to identify where aquatic habitat is lacking within the ecosystem is a major goal of the present work effort. The first steps included mapping the existing aquatic habitat and then using that data to identify work priorities. The methods used for that analysis and the subsequent results are described in the following sections.

Spatial Assessment of Habitat Previous work within the basin had broken up the river into half-kilometer segments to aid discussion and comparisons between various areas. Those divisions were based on half-kilometer lengths of the river bottom, and they are used for all discussions of mapping analyses and proposed work.

A total of ten mapped habitat categories were included in the following habitat assessments, including:

1. Pools

2. Side Channels

3. Beaver Dams

4. Large Woody Debris

5. Structures, Steps and Grade Controls

6. Backwaters and Ponds

7. Cascades

8. Runs

9. Riffles

10. Glides

We used these habitat elements to evaluate the aquatic habitat present in each of those segments using two approaches, as outlined below.

1. Assessment of the number of aquatic habitat categories present in each segment (Example

– if three pools are mapped, it counts as only one category—pools)

2. Assessment of the number of aquatic habitat elements present in each segment (Example – if three pools are mapped, it counts as three elements)

The results of these assessments were included as Appendix G in the 2026 Technical Memo prepared by Allred Restoration and BIO-WEST for the Commission. A copy of that Appendix is included in this report as an attachment. The Appendix was organized in three ways:

1. sorted by geographic position in the watershed (upstream to downstream) (Table G1)

2. sorted by the number of habitat categories present, from low to high (Table G2)

3. sorted by the total number of individual habitat elements, from low to high (Table G3).

Note that these tables were based on the same underlying data but are simply sorted using three different parameters to assist in interpreting results.

The assessments in Appendix G were supplemented with additional analyses based on aerial imagery assessments, field visits, and input from other agencies and personnel. Each segment was then assigned a priority for future habitat improvement work (from 1 to 3), with 1 being highest priority for future habitat enhancement work and 3 being the lowest. The resulting priorities were used to identify the recommended actions detailed later in this report.

RECENT MSRRP RESTORATION EFFORTS

After collecting the extensive watershed data briefly outlined in the previous sections, The MSRRP planning effort moved into the design phase. A small project was designed and approved by URMCC personnel, and then constructed during the Fall of 2025, by US Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) crews. The project focused on stabilizing the outlet channel of the newly formed lake that was rapidly eroding, located at river mile 10.3. The lake was formed by several large debris flows following the Dollar Ridge Fire. These debris flows pushed the river from the south side of the valley and partially blocked the Middle Strawberry River, creating a small lake. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) recommended maintaining the lake levels because the lake provides unique habitat for fish and wildlife within the 19-mile river section below Soldier Creek Dam.

PROPOSED RESTORATION ACTIONS—2026 PROJECT

AREA

The aquatic habitat mapping effort, summarized previously in this report and detailed in Appendix G of the MSRRP 2024-2025 Final Baseline Data Technical Memo, demonstrated the lack of habitat diversity within many sections of the Middle Strawberry River. Numerous long sections of the river were mapped with riffles and runs but many lacked substantial numbers of pools and other important habitat elements. The recent debris flows of 2018, 2019, and 2021 delivered massive volumes of sediment to the river that simplified the available habitat.

Improving the diversity of aquatic habitats is a primary goal of the proposed actions presented in this report.

Following construction of the River Mile 10.3 Project in the Fall of 2025, restoration planning proceeded to design features that will improve aquatic habitat within the lower portion of the 19-mile stretch of the Middle Strawberry River, from 13.5 through 30.5 km (river miles 8.4 through 19). This reach is too long to complete construction in a single season; therefore, the decision was made to divide the lower river into three reaches for restoration design and subsequent construction during 2026, 2027, and 2028. Completing the habitat restoration actions over several years will allow planners to learn from previous work and adjust practices accordingly.

The 2026 project area includes river segments from 13.5 km through 20.0 km. The 11 pages of Map 3 provide the locations of proposed actions and how those areas will be accessed by heavy construction equipment. Again, note that no work is proposed in section 13.5 because habitat there is diverse and of good quality. Mapped wetlands are included for reference. The access roads are intended to allow access to the river with minimal wetland impacts, and work will be completed either upstream or downstream (or both) from those access locations using the channel.

Map 3 omits the Slab Lake area because no habitat enhancement work is proposed there, although some recreation access improvements near Slab Lake are proposed as shown in the “Non-Habitat Features” section of this report.

Brief Summary of Proposed Actions The following provides a summary of proposed actions and features within the 2026 Project Area, which include the following:

1. placement of instream and cross-stream rock habitat structures, at 50 locations, to promote pool formation and maintenance and provide better connections between the river and its floodplain

2. placement of roughly 375 grouped and/or isolated large boulders to provide hydraulic habitat diversity in localized areas

3. placement of large woody debris (LWD) at 38 locations including roughly 114 trees and root balls, to provide scour pools, overhead cover and a host of other diverse habitats for fish and wildlife

4. excavation of one large pond and its surrounding wetland fringe at a location where groundwater data was collected to ensure successful creation of quality habitat with adequate water levels

5. repair of existing instream and cross-stream structures that are not providing desired quality of hydraulic habitat (installed previously by EWP road crews)

6. relocation of a series of large instream boulders that are not aligned in a way that promotes quality aquatic habitat (installed previously by EWP road crews)

7. expansion of an existing parking area along the main road near Slab Canyon, and

8. construction of a new parking area for fisherman parking and access to Slab Lake, along with an access road to allow for launch of small watercraft into Slab Lake.

Each of the actions listed above will be explained in the report sections that follow.

Proposed Actions—Habitat Feature Details

Instream and Cross-stream Rock Habitat Structures The canyon setting of the Middle Strawberry River is dominated by debris flows that have been occurring for millennia, forcing the river from one side of the canyon to the other. One expected habitat type in such areas includes large boulders that have been delivered to the river during debris flows along with large quantities of finer sediment. In periods between large debris flows the river winnows away finer sediments and leaves behind the large boulders that cannot be transported by typical flows. These tend to form rocky structure that provides fish habitat. The excessive volumes of sediment that were delivered to the river following the Dollar Ridge Fire overwhelmed many of these features and filled in large areas with finer-grained sediment, leading to a simplified channel form dominated by long riffles and runs.

Instream and cross-stream rock habitat structures can provide aquatic habitat diversity in a variety of ways. They can change local hydraulic conditions to create backwaters that slow flow velocity and improve connections to floodplains and riparian areas. These structures can also be used to direct and concentrate flow to cause scour and maintain pools.

The proposed locations for 50 rock habitat structures within the 2026 project area are shown on Map 3. Each location has changing widths, depths, hydraulics, and local conditions that require a design-build approach. In fact, the river has moved in several locations since the project imagery and LiDAR were collected in May of 2024. For each location, project designers will need to work closely with experienced BOR construction crews to install and adjust the structures to create local benefits that are lacking in those areas. Creation of pools will be one major goal of numerous structures, but many other habitat types and other benefits can be realized through careful placement of rock in and around the structures. An example of a typical rock structure is shown in Figure 6 and located on Map 3 Page 2 (XS A). The figure shows idealized structures in typical settings, but installed structures will vary greatly from one to the next, depending on local conditions.

Large Woody Debris (LWD) In many settings like the Middle Strawberry River, large woody debris within the river and floodplain is an important source of habitat diversity, promoting localized scour and deposition, while also providing overhead cover for fish. Some large woody debris is present in the system, but much of it was carried from the channel onto nearby floodplain areas during high flows that occurred during the years following the Dollar Ridge Fire. In other cases, burned trees have fallen and are available for use. These large trees are scattered on the floodplain in many locations and are available to be used for habitat creation within the Middle Strawberry River.

Restoration planners have identified 38 locations where LWD created habitat is targeted within the 2026 Project area (see Map 3). Each location may include one or more large trees that are either buried into or adjacent to the stream channel or are held in place with large boulders. A typical example of a LWD placement is shown in Figure 7 and located on Map 3 Page 2 (XS B).

These LWD installations will vary from place to place and will be individually configured to enhance local habitat diversity and take advantage of site features. In some cases, LWD will be incorporated into the instream and cross-stream rock habitat structures (described previously) to further enhance the habitat benefits.

Large Boulders Large boulders provide very localized habitat diversity whether isolated or in groups that interact with the flow to alter local hydraulics. Planners expect roughly 375 large boulders to be placed at 125 specified locations along the channel, as shown in Map 3. These boulders will be placed and oriented in the field to promote local habitat complexity. Figure 8 provides a typical boulder installation for the location shown on Map 3 Page 7 (XS C).

Excavated Groundwater Pond A single groundwater-fed pond is proposed for excavation as part of the 2026 project. It is located adjacent to the channel at the 17.5 km section. One of the groundwater wells described in a previous section of this report was sited specifically to determine if the proposed location was suitable for a pond. The collected data demonstrated that groundwater levels at this site are relatively close to the surface throughout the year and will support a pond with a variety of depths and habitat types. A typical section through the pond is shown in Figure 9 (see Map 3 Page 7, XS D).

Repairs of Existing Instream and Cross-stream Rock Structures and Relocation of Large Boulders in Specified Areas When EWP construction crews were working on road and bridge repairs following the Dollar Ridge Fire and subsequent debris flows, they installed a substantial number of rock habitat structures. These structures provide limited habitat improvement, largely because the crews that installed them were not specialized in the creation of fish habitat. As a result, many of the structures they installed could be enhanced with some restructuring. Additionally, many large boulders were placed by EWP road crews in nearly straight lines down the middle of the river channel in an effort to improve fish habitat. Like the rock structures, these boulders provide only limited habitat benefits as they are currently configured. Several UDWR fisheries biologists requested that improvement of the areas described above could be incorporated into the 2026 project, and the Commission agreed. Two major locations were identified where improvements are warranted:

1. the section at river-kilometer 18.5 has many rock structures that will be reworked, as part of the 2026 project, to enhance the limited habitat they provide (Map 3 page 8)

2. the section at river-kilometer 20 has many large boulders that will be regrouped and repositioned to enhance the limited habitat they currently provide (Map 3 page 11).

Non-Habitat Features

Expansion of an Existing Roadside Parking Area An existing roadside parking area near the downstream end of river km 16.5 will be expanded, as shown in Figure 10, using primarily relocated fill from the nearby pond excavation. This location will also be used for a temporary access road as part of the habitat enhancement efforts described previously in this report, then it will be finished as a larger parking area to allow more vehicles.

New Parking Area and Lake Access for Small Watercraft A new 40’x60’ parking area and access lane will be created at the location shown in Figure 10 to provide some limited parking and access for launching small watercraft on Slab Lake. This feature will have only minimal improvements such as clearing large rocks and grading the lane and parking area.

ADDITIONAL PROJECT DETAILS

Rock Sizing The software package “RDS Riprap Design System 3.0” was used to explore the rock sizing needed for stability of the rock structures within the project area on the Strawberry River. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and US Geological Survey (USGS) methods were used to compute rock size, using exaggerated flow velocities and a safety factor of 2. The computational results suggested a D30 of 1.95 feet and a D90 of 2.82 feet would provide the desired erosion protection. However, since the reach is steep and stability and longevity are desired, larger rock is recommended for the proposed design of Instream and Cross-stream rock habitat structures. Riprap with a D50 of 3 feet (b-axis), and with a D90 of 6 feet is recommended for the rock habitat structures, LWD and placed boulders features.

Rock Quantity and Logistics The quantity of rock required to construct the rock structures, in-channel boulders and for added stability of LWD structures was computed using standard methods. The projected quantity of rock that is needed to complete the proposed 2026 project is roughly 3,700 tons, although additional rock may be advantageous and allow for some field-fitting during the design-build construction effort.

The entire 2026 project area is upstream of river km 21.5 and cannot be accessed by long semi-trucks directly due to the angle of a bridge that doesn’t allow passage of long vehicles.

As such, rock will be temporarily stored at locations identified and culturally cleared during the 2025 construction effort (from Timber Canyon upstream to near river km 21.5). Above these temporary storage locations, the delivered rock would need to be reloaded and trucked to the various proposed sites using 6-wheel drive heavy haul trucks that can utilize the Texas crossings that were incorporated to allow heavy equipment to bypass the bridges. Many of the canyon mouths have experienced debris flows that affect the road. Crews will need to determine if road cleanup is required when they arrive to begin hauling the rock to the project area.

Heavy Equipment The activities planned for the 2026 work effort will require the following heavy equipment:

1. Cat 352 Hydraulic Excavator with Krypto Klaw (or equivalent)—2 each

2. Cat 745 Three Axle Articulated Trucks (or equivalent)—2 each

3. Large Capacity Water Truck—1 each

4. Road Grader—1 each

Additional equipment may be required depending on site conditions and other factors.

Site Access Planning Access to the many proposed habitat improvement sites will be accomplished using a series of temporary access roads which were chosen to minimize or completely avoid wetland impacts (see Map 3). Crews will need to clear large rocks and other debris from the temporary roads to allow large construction equipment to access the many river restoration sites. After reaching the river using the temporary access roads, crews will use the river channel to access restoration sites upstream and downstream of each location, as needed. Following construction, these temporary roads will be rehabilitated and revegetated, then they will be blocked with large boulders to prevent future use by the public.

REVEGETATION PLAN

The existing vegetation community, wetlands, ULT habitat and weed inventory efforts summarized previously in this report and associated maps shown in Appendices D, E and F of the MSRRP 2024-2025 Final Baseline Data Technical Memo provide a variety of sensitive habitats and wetland areas to avoid during construction and where revegetation efforts are planned to further improve watershed vegetation conditions and enhance wildlife habitat along the river and across the valley bottom. The 2024-2025 inventories demonstrate a highly altered post-fire vegetation condition, especially in high intensity burn areas, where landslide materials were deposited, where the new channel moved next to uplands, and also where previous near river farming practices have failed and are mostly growing weeds. Many of the cottonwood trees and willows that were burned in the 2018 fire are coming back via root suckers. However, natural recruitment of desirable vegetation has not been successful everywhere, and large bare disturbed areas are mostly unvegetated and sediment sources during stormwater events.

Map 4 shows the plan view where revegetation activities are scheduled to occur fall 2026 for the Mile 8.5 to 12.5 project area, and includes 18.1 acres of drill or broadcast seeding and mulching, and 40,200 live native plantings and cuttings fall 2026 in areas impacted by 2026 construction activities and other specific areas to enhance…