Red River Riparian Project
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Turtle River (Benson Site)
This site along the Turtle River in Central Grand Forks County came to the attention of the Red River Riparian Project
in 1999 when Mardi Benson was living on the site. At this time there was only a small cutbank along the river in front of
the Benson home. As restoration activities were about to begin in the spring of 2000, this drainage basin received over 18
inches of rain in one weekend. The little Turtle River became a raging torrent, damaging the banks up and down the river.
The flooding that resulted from this deluge greatly increased the damage at this site, creating a large and potentially dangerous
blowout which threatened the integrity of the adjacent driveway and, subsequently, the home.
The Riparian Project, working with several partners, including the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), North
Dakota Game and Fish Department, and Grand Forks County Water Resource Board put together a revised restoration plan for the
site to mitigate the extensive damage caused by the 2000 flood event.
The NRCS took the lead in reshaping the river bank, while the Riparian Project designed and implemented a revegetation
plan consisting of nearly 500 willow posts and 45 willow stakes. Restoration activities at the site were completed in the spring
of 2003. The willows planted at the site began to grow immediately, forming a complex root system to help stabilize the reshaped
bank and protect it from further erosion. The Benson site has remained stable through several periods of high water since the
restoration activity was completed.
The following series of photographs depict the restoration of the Benson Site. Click on an image for a larger version.
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Aerial photo of the Benson site along the Turtle River in the Fall of 2000 showing the area after a 17" downpour in the watershed. |
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Photographs showing the extent of erosional damage that occurred along the stream bank in front of the home. The photo-board scale increments are 0.5 meters. |
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Heavy equipment being used to reshape the stream bank. |
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Benson site after bank reshaping and willow post planting. Note use of fieldstone rip rap at the toe of the slope. |
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The restoration site after vegetation establishment. |
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Riparian Project tour visiting the site. Note the degree to which planting the willow posts and other plantings have grown. Their root system will help stabilize the bank. |
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Aerial photograph taken June 2003, a year after the restoration work was completed and vegetation was reestablished. |