Well the day has finally come- we’re excited to announce that work has wrapped up at Jennings Pond and on the greater Burke Creek Rabe Meadow Riparian Restoration Project. On the morning of Wednesday September 25th the contractor removed the diversion pipe that had been temporarily diverting flows from Burke Creek around the pond, and the pond has begun to naturally refill. Construction limit fencing is being taken down, construction equipment is being removed from the site and the Lam Watah Trail along Jennings Pond has been reopened. As well the contractor is rehabilitating and reseeding access routes and staging areas, and any beaver dams that were disturbed during construction are being repaired.

The Lam Watah Trail along Jennings Pond has been reopened. This section of trail was raised and the floodplain was expanded on the north side of the pond. This will hopefully allow beavers to continue to cause flooding out of the pond but with more water ending up continuing downstream into the meadows thereby increasing riparian health, while decreasing flooding towards the trail, bike path and Kahle Drive which degrades pavement and creates pollutants that adversely affect the meadow and Lake Tahoe.

How long will it take for the pond to refill?

Were Burke Creek flowing freely into Jennings Pond, based on the flows in the creek and the volume of the pond we would expect it to take around four to seven days for the pond to refill. However, Beaver activity in the creek upstream of the pond has significantly altered the flow entering the pond. The extensive complex of dams is slowing the flow of the creek through the historic channel that was constructed during the early 1980s, and is instead pushing flow through alternative side channels towards the pond. As well the dams are also likely pushing significant amounts of flow into groundwater that then makes its way to the pond through the subsurface. Because of these factors it may take a few weeks for the pond to refill to its natural rim. As well, beavers continue to be active in the vicinity of the pond so if they begin building additional dams in the area this could also increase the time it will take the pond to fill.

NTCD and US Forest Service staff will be continuing to monitor the rate the pond is refilling and water quality in the pond and the creek over the coming weeks. As the pond initially refills we will expect it to initially have a “murky” look as it will take some time for natural sediments in the water to settle back into the bottom of the pond. The project permits from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection have strict water quality standards that must be met. So far the project has met these requirements throughout the entire course of work and water quality monitoring will continue to ensure these standards are met as the pond refills and reconnects to Burke Creek.

Next steps for the restoration

With the construction phase of the restoration finished, we now look forward to our favorite part of riparian restoration- when natural processes begin to take over and continue to improve the health of the creek and meadow ecosystems over the coming years. The goal of our restorations is not the end product when the construction equipment is done with its work. Instead, the goal is to create a dynamic creek with a connected floodplain that allows water to spread across the meadow, allows natural sediment transport and deposition and allows animals like beavers to drive change in the wetland while coexisting with other uses in the watershed.

This area along the previous location of Kahle Ditch was two feet higher prior to the project and was lowered to the elevation of the adjacent meadow. With the higher water table, we are excited to already see sedges growing in this area that was previously high and dry and we’ll be looking to see the riparian vegetation propagate further next spring after the wet season.

All of the areas where work was done this summer are places where heavy construction previously altered the wetland limiting these natural processes from occurring. In the coming years NTCD and the US Forest Service will continue to observe and monitor the meadow and creek to quantify the return of these natural processes and the associated changes in ecosystem health.

We are already seeing really nice growth along the reconstructed Burke Creek channel at the downstream end of the project. The smaller channel will have increased overbanking frequency which will cause increased water saturation and sediment deposition in the floodplain. As well, fill was removed from adjacent high and dry lands on the Tahoe Beach Club leaving a wider riparian corridor.