Point Mountain river channel restoration project update

[Rusty Spinner]

Unfortunately, if you were initially excited to see the Point Mountain TCA stream restoration project happen when it was first discussed a bunch of years ago, you, like me, now have a lot more gray hairs. But I am happy to say that the project is finally moving forward with the DEP working on our permit application. This is for the approx. 1/3 mile reach above the "S-Bend" where I first met SIMMS, in fact, upstream to the tight run well upstream where the river widens. See photos shot recently at a low 102 cfs.


Below: the "S-Bend" looking upstream at the flat water. Plan here is to build a boulder weir upstream and direct the flows flows around the bend and greatly deepen the pool at the bend to help dissipate energy in high flows while making deep pool habitat.


Below: Boulder weir to begin around where this large boulder is currently. I'm sure it (boulder) will be incorporated into this weir.



Below: Bad erosion from both high river flows and anglers stepping off the high banks. This will be less than a foot drop when we're done restoring a point/gravel bar here and planting native trees strategically to keep pressure off certain entry locations anglers currently use while making new ones that won't damage the banks nearly as much in the future.




Below: Currently crappy fishing water and bug water that won't remain crappy when we're done




Below: More currently crappy water we want to fish better, and it will




Below: the top of the project looking downstream where the overly wide section is at its worst. We will deepen the tailout of the existing pool that ends just upstream of this shot that fishes great and begin moving the channel from here down nearly .33 miles, narrowing it and deepening it as we work from top to bottom. We will wind up with three new pools and improvements to other sections including some additional pocket water for those that love your high stick nymphing (and you all thought I was a dry fly snob).

Work to begin as soon as we get our DEP permit and water is low enough. We can't work in any year between March 15 - June 15 for trout stocking, so we hope to have this done long before that. Stay tuned for more details.



Funders: TU's Central Jersey Chapter, Trout & Salmon Foundation, Musconetcong River Management Council (part of the Wild & Scenic River program for this Partnership river which TU is a full partner), and grant funds I've raised from various sources. Thanks for the support of National Park Service for the Wild & Scenic support, US Fish & Wildlife Service, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife for support of both the project and for allowing us to do it on lands they own, and the support from Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation with whom we are also working on their lands as well as accessing the river on their property with a large track machine. And obviously, a big thanks to our important funders who have been waiting patiently for several years to see this project come to fruition.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Awesome news.

Every time I walked through that this year I thought of the restored sec across 31.

:thumb:

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Awesome news. Every time I walked through that this year I thought of the restored sec across 31. :thumb:

Thank me when it's done. This has been nearly 6 years in the making. Delays when the old Hunterdon Park Director left for a high level state Parks and Forestry job. Delays by Hunterdon County in re-working county government and appointing someone over Parks and Recreation and several other county government agencies. Delays in funding after that wait. Then, when everything seemed back in place and it was all rockets "go", some TU employee decides to have a significant heart attack which delays it further. Then delays from county and state agencies add to the delays and it become nothing but a solid delay that seems unending.

But we've broken through and enough delays. Time to rip 'er a new one and soon!

 

[lightenup]

Good to hear...more great local water.......
You need help plantin' trees, let me know....

 

[MACFLY]

Unfortunately, if you were initially excited to see the Point Mountain TCA stream restoration project happen when it was first discussed a bunch of years ago, you, like me, now have a lot more gray hairs. But I am happy to say that the project is finally moving forward with the DEP working on our permit application. This is for the approx. 1/3 mile reach above the "S-Bend" where I first met SIMMS, in fact, upstream to the tight run well upstream where the river widens. See photos shot recently at a low 102 cfs.


Below: the "S-Bend" looking upstream at the flat water. Plan here is to build a boulder weir upstream and direct the flows flows around the bend and greatly deepen the pool at the bend to help dissipate energy in high flows while making deep pool habitat.
View attachment 10920

Below: Boulder weir to begin around where this large boulder is currently. I'm sure it (boulder) will be incorporated into this weir.

View attachment 10921

Below: Bad erosion from both high river flows and anglers stepping off the high banks. This will be less than a foot drop when we're done restoring a point/gravel bar here and planting native trees strategically to keep pressure off certain entry locations anglers currently use while making new ones that won't damage the banks nearly as much in the future.

View attachment 10922


Below: Currently crappy fishing water and bug water that won't remain crappy when we're done

View attachment 10923


Below: More currently crappy water we want to fish better, and it will

View attachment 10924


Below: the top of the project looking downstream where the overly wide section is at its worst. We will deepen the tailout of the existing pool that ends just upstream of this shot that fishes great and begin moving the channel from here down nearly .33 miles, narrowing it and deepening it as we work from top to bottom. We will wind up with three new pools and improvements to other sections including some additional pocket water for those that love your high stick nymphing (and you all thought I was a dry fly snob).

Work to begin as soon as we get our DEP permit and water is low enough. We can't work in any year between March 15 - June 15 for trout stocking, so we hope to have this done long before that. Stay tuned for more details.

View attachment 10925

Funders: TU's Central Jersey Chapter, Trout & Salmon Foundation, Musconetcong River Management Council (part of the Wild & Scenic River program for this Partnership river which TU is a full partner), and grant funds I've raised from various sources. Thanks for the support of National Park Service for the Wild & Scenic support, US Fish & Wildlife Service, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife for support of both the project and for allowing us to do it on lands they own, and the support from Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation with whom we are also working on their lands as well as accessing the river on their property with a large track machine. And obviously, a big thanks to our important funders who have been waiting patiently for several years to see this project come to fruition.

Excellent

Because I believe in doing my part I will lend you my 2 boob servants for a weekend of rock moving or on Dluvers case come pebble counting ( he's lacks upper body strength) beetle on the other hand has that freakish crazy man strength like the dude in Mice and men. You can have him move boulders all day long. In fact he enjoys having rocks thrown at him while he works. You can charge money for it an raise additional funds. You are welcome

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Excellent Because I believe in doing my part I will lend you my 2 boob servants for a weekend of rock moving or on Dluvers case come pebble counting ( he's lacks upper body strength) beetle on the other hand has that freakish crazy man strength like the dude in Mice and men. You can have him move boulders all day long. In fact he enjoys having rocks thrown at him while he works. You can charge money for it an raise additional funds. You are welcome

I plan to take you up on that generous offer! Also, we will be "grubbing" large boulders from the hillside and Parks is somewhat worried about us removing too many. Perhaps after they are done with their restoration duties, we can use them both as fill where some of the boulders were removed?

 

[flymantis73]

a good stretch of water about to get better....i approve!

 

[Simms]

Brian,

This is great news!!

Is the same company from MT that did the stream restoration at my dads fishing club doing this one as well?

Again, great news!!

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Brian,

This is great news!!

Is the same company from MT that did the stream restoration at my dads fishing club doing this one as well?

Again, great news!!

Yes, Urbani Fisheries LLC out of Bozeman, MT. We're also doing a mile below Point Mountain likely next year on state land (Warren side) and Hunterdon Park land as well as several private homes on the Hunterdon side. Anglers will have full public access almost all the way to Butler Park save for the Mannon Farm just above Butler Park by staying on the Warren side. NJ Audubon has managerial control over the Musconetcong WMA on the Warren side that qualifies them for Farm Bill funds as a non-profit, so they will hold that contract and I got funding for the survey, design and boulders from Theodore Gordon Flyfishers. If you see Theodore Gordon folks around, please be sure to mention it and to thank them for their first ever grant for a NJ based stream restoration project. Although that is general regulations water, the bait and spin guys will stick to the bridge area and maybe a short distance downstream even after we restore that stretch next year.

We do have to avoid work in a couple hundred yard stretch due to the presence of state endangered dragonfly larva, but below that will be some sick water for those not too lazy to do some walking or access it from Anderson Asbury Road on the NJ Audubon property that abuts state land. Most of that water is pretty boring right now with wide but fairly deep, sandy pools with little cobble, bugs and fish.

 

[tomfly]

I sounds like a great project Rusty. I for one am thrilled that it is taking place Anyone who has fished PM knows what the scope will fix. One of the problems I had with PM is the flat shallow water that is productive when the water is cool but gives the fish very little protection from predators. Not to change the subject. But The SB a similar situation on it. The stretch below the Raritan Inn club has some silt issues as well. Is there anything in the works to remediate that stretch of the SB?

 

[Rusty Spinner]

But The SB a similar situation on it. The stretch below the Raritan Inn club has some silt issues as well. Is there anything in the works to remediate that stretch of the SB?

Not currently, but mainly because it is publicly owned which means there is no funding available to restore it. I am working with our Ken Lockwood TU chapter to see if we can gain permission to remove the breached Weiss Mill dam above the park in Califon using a Grip Hoist (fancy come-a-long that can pull up to 4,000 pounds between 30' and 40' per pull). We've been slowly plowing through lots of red tape on that project. But the Raritan Headwaters Association who does great work, currently has no restoration staff to help and I'm not funded to work in the Raritan watershed. So I help where I can, but I can't dig in and get big projects done over there right now.

 

[JeffK]

I take my morning walks in the area and with the low water am amazed at the at the damage left over from the old forge dam. That dam was breached about 200 years ago, I guess (at least the forge stopped operations over 200 years ago). However, the shallow, featureless bottom from the millpond is still with us.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I take my morning walks in the area and with the low water am amazed at the at the damage left over from the old forge dam. That dam was breached about 200 years ago, I guess (at least the forge stopped operations over 200 years ago). However, the shallow, featureless bottom from the millpond is still with us.

Jeff - where exactly was that dam? Call me or reply here as I'm curious. Sometimes when I see a degraded river channel, I can easily know what caused it such as being channelized like the Krasny/Heiser site or tons of big box stores and parking lots and roads were built upstream like with the Cliffdale Inn project that flash the river during runoff and force it to widen and become shallow and lifeless. The middle section of Point Mountain has always left me scratching my head although I do know the Penwell dam impedes normal sediment transportation downstream for quite a distance.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Here is a copy of our design plan so you guys and gals can get a better idea of the plan:

 

[JeffK]

Brian,

I'm always surprised when people don't notice the old Squires Point (old name of hill before Point Mountain) Forge dam. It is only 75 yds above the Pt Mountain bridge and every one that follows the trail up from the bridge goes up and over it. It has a large breach, but if you look carefully you can still see a tiny drop where the pool ends. At the lower side it is a rocky riffle; at the upstream side it is immediately a silty pond bottom.

The forge was built in 1760 and got its ore from the Oxford mines. It had grist and saw mill add ons. The late 18th century were rough economic times and the forge didn't last until 1800. The dam should be obvious if you look for it. There are more subtle hints, like a largely gone raceway from the right of where you cross the dam angling towards the bridge and some decaying foundations across the river where I think the forge was. That is a guess because I've never found much to make a good estimate of the original layout. Maybe some funds for a dig can appear?

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Brian,

I'm always surprised when people don't notice the old Squires Point (old name of hill before Point Mountain) Forge dam. It is only 75 yds above the Pt Mountain bridge and every one that follows the trail up from the bridge goes up and over it. It has a large breach, but if you look carefully you can still see a tiny drop where the pool ends. At the lower side it is a rocky riffle; at the upstream side it is immediately a silty pond bottom.

The forge was built in 1760 and got its ore from the Oxford mines. It had grist and saw mill add ons. The late 18th century were rough economic times and the forge didn't last until 1800. The dam should be obvious if you look for it. There are more subtle hints, like a largely gone raceway from the right of where you cross the dam angling towards the bridge and some decaying foundations across the river where I think the forge was. That is a guess because I've never found much to make a good estimate of the original layout. Maybe some funds for a dig can appear?

And I was always mad at anglers for building that stone dam. I never knew it was a remnant dam! But I know exactly where you are talking about. Part of a sycamore fell across the channel just below it recently. That dam backs the river up about 200 yards just enough to let a ton of sediment drop out into the channel bottom there.