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Commissioners approve stream‑stabilization project at 126 River Ranch Road with native revegetation
Summary
The Board unanimously approved a Stream Alteration Permit and a Floodplain Conditional Use Permit allowing bank regrading, wood barbs, and native revegetation at 126 River Ranch Road; staff required a 150% vegetation security and avoided streambed excavation.
The Board held a public hearing on a Stream Alteration Permit for 126 River Ranch Road to address severe riverbank erosion on a 230‑foot reach of the Big Wood River.
Project engineer Eric Powell described erosion that accelerated after the 2017 flood and proposed regrading the bank to a 2.5:1 slope, installing toe logs and seven wood barbs, and using native plants and ballast rock instead of riprap. Landscape architect Mark Spencer described a revegetation plan with native willows, sedges, shrubs, and trees to restore layered riparian habitat and replace mowed lawn in the setback.
Land Use Planner Denise Ford and County Engineer Jeff Loomis explained the revised design responded to agency and public comments, reduced streambed disturbance by pulling the wood barbs back toward the bank, and included a recommended security agreement for planting success. "We modified the design to avoid excavation and focus on bank stabilization and revegetation," the project engineer said.
Vice‑Chair Lindsay Mollineaux moved and Commissioner Muffy Davis seconded motions to approve the Stream Alteration Permit and a Floodplain Conditional Use Permit, finding the application met Title 9 standards. Both motions passed unanimously. Conditions include implementation of the revegetation plan and a security agreement set at 150% of vegetation costs, subject to annual review.
