Bear Branch

The Bear Branch project began in 2007 and is over 2,000 ft lying in Perry County, KY, and contributes to the North Fork of the Kentucky River Basin. This project exemplifies the typical topography of Eastern KY. The project begins very steep with step-pool morphology and eventually changing from A to B stream type. The impacts within the Bear Branch watershed were from gas line activities that resulted in the clearing of roadways and the placement of pipeline that affected the hydrology, sedimentation, and the riparian zone.

Aquatic Resources utilized the natural channel design methodology to implement the correct geomorphology necessitated by the topography. Many structures such as rock and log step-pools, rock cross-vanes, log cross-vanes, and rock and log cross-vanes combos. These structures were constructed to control the grade on an unstable channel bed initially. Once the channel became stable in its dimension, pattern, and profile the structures began acting as habitat for macroinvertebrates, while maintaining pools for most of the dry season.