Creek repair - rock dams

Awesome!

How is the task progressing?

And what does this mean please?

Water is one of my biggest concerns for this property

Too much, not enough?

The rock dams have been totally successful.  The creek has complete grass cover in the rock dam area.

Water - too much alternating with too little!  But with earthworks and plant management I think we can even it out.

Around here you often see either hay bales placed at regular intervals (every 10-20 feet or so) in roadside ditches to slow water flow; commonly where there are construction sites.  

I wonder if it is to slow the movement of the water and/or to trap silt so that the water flowing into the larger creeks/rivers are not muddied with soil, compromising fish spawning habitat?

Could this be a short term ( a year or two before degradation would make the bale no longer a "dam") solution to water run off?  I would think one could use bad (mouldy?) bales for little to no cost...

For those in areas that flood, sand bags are basically considered "toxic waste" and end up in the landfill.  Perhaps it would be worth salvaging them and using them for mini dams?

A more effective way to capture sediment, increase water holding capacity, and expand the floodplain is something called Beaver Dam Analogues. Not sure how much internet resources are out there these days for it, but it is a common “low tech” restoration tool used in the PNW. I am glad to provide more resources upon request. This is something i do for work in my area, and have constructed hundreds.

The basic idea is to use plant material (fir branches are BEST, but most anything will do), and mud/sediment to create a dam that allows water to flow gently & evenly over the top of the structure to prevent scouring & further erosion. When done correctly it requires little maintenance, is very quick and easy to do, and a great way to make use of excess forest material. The majority of plant material & mud is placed on the upstream side of the structure, making sure to create a dense mat of material that ramps up to a “crest” and cascades downstream of the structure evenly.

I am not sure how to attach images, but if folks are interested & cant find good resources on the web, i am happy to figure it out.