Log Check Dam and Polyacrylamide Utilization in Post-Wildfire Restoration

Rural communities, such as Luna, New Mexico, face significant challenges in recovering from watershed degradation following wildfires, including increased sedimentation and decreased water quality. Given the limited infrastructure and funding for restoration efforts, these issues pose substantial risks to the environment and local livelihoods. The proposed watershed protection plan aims to mitigate these challenges by reducing runoff flow rates, turbidity, and total suspended solids (TSS) of floodwaters by 50% each, along with promoting infiltration. Another important goal of this protection plan is to have implementation complete before rain events occur, to protect downstream communities. This plan focuses on innovative, low-cost, high-impact solutions that can be quickly implemented, require minimal routine maintenance once installed, and that emphasize erosion control and water quality improvement.The proposed approach includes using log check dams, cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) application, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping to achieve the most effective, and quickly implementable, results to protect the watershed from further degradation post-wildfire. Installing log check dams helps slow water flow and control erosion. Additionally, PAM improves water quality by supporting soil stability, enhancing water retention, and decreasing runoff. These methods mitigate sedimentation and runoff risks, promoting a more sustainable recovery process within watersheds.The watershed of interest was chosen due to its proximity to Luna, New Mexico, a community at-risk to wildfires. This 4,942-acre watershed is a sub-basin within the HUC 12 Stone Creek-San Francisco River watershed (HUC ID: 150400040303). For flow modeling, the most common storm event over the last 10 years near Luna was used, a 0.330-inch event (1yr-10min storm). Shown through HEC-RAS modeling, implementing log check dams and PAM effectively decreases runoff flow rates on watersheds, demonstrated by a 50% reduction in peak flow through from 0.78 cfs to 0.39 cfs. Modeled bench-scale results show average reductions for TSS, turbidity, and flow velocity of 48.8%, 66.7%, and 35.1% respectively. This innovative and efficient strategy positions itself as a viable solution for watershed protection in rural communities, promoting long-term environmental health.