Spring Gulch #2 Greenway & Habitat Restoration
Longmont, Colorado
2-mile greenway extension • 32 acres habitat restoration • multi-agency environmental permitting
Confluent Design assisted Drexel, Barrell & Company with conceptual design and construction documents for drainage improvements, ecological restoration, and a two-mile extension of the Spring Gulch #2 Greenway for the City of Longmont. The project transformed a heavily channelized reach of the creek into a more functional stream corridor while improving flood conveyance and expanding a key regional trail connection.
The existing stream reach was incised, relatively straight, and largely devoid of in-stream habitat structure, with narrow riparian zones dominated by non-native vegetation. The design introduced varied channel cross sections, floodplain grading, and strategically placed large woody habitat structures to restore hydraulic and ecological complexity. Grading and planting strategies created diverse soil moisture gradients supporting aquatic, riparian, wetland, and upland plant communities.
Restoration work included more than 32 acres of native seeding, over 70,000 wetland plugs, nearly 1,700 shrubs, 300 trees, and extensive live willow staking to accelerate riparian establishment and stabilize streambanks.
Implementation required extensive environmental review and coordination across multiple infrastructure crossings including Weld County Roads 1 and 26, Highway 119, the Great Western Railroad, and several irrigation ditches. Environmental permitting was coordinated by Confluent Design with ecological support from NRSI, including twelve Nationwide Permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Memorandum of Agreement among the City, the Corps, and the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office.
The project illustrates Confluent Design’s approach to adapting disturbed stream corridors to support flood management, habitat restoration, and regional trail connectivity.
2-mile greenway extension • 32 acres habitat restoration • multi-agency environmental permitting
Confluent Design assisted Drexel, Barrell & Company with conceptual design and construction documents for drainage improvements, ecological restoration, and a two-mile extension of the Spring Gulch #2 Greenway for the City of Longmont. The project transformed a heavily channelized reach of the creek into a more functional stream corridor while improving flood conveyance and expanding a key regional trail connection.
The existing stream reach was incised, relatively straight, and largely devoid of in-stream habitat structure, with narrow riparian zones dominated by non-native vegetation. The design introduced varied channel cross sections, floodplain grading, and strategically placed large woody habitat structures to restore hydraulic and ecological complexity. Grading and planting strategies created diverse soil moisture gradients supporting aquatic, riparian, wetland, and upland plant communities.
Restoration work included more than 32 acres of native seeding, over 70,000 wetland plugs, nearly 1,700 shrubs, 300 trees, and extensive live willow staking to accelerate riparian establishment and stabilize streambanks.
Implementation required extensive environmental review and coordination across multiple infrastructure crossings including Weld County Roads 1 and 26, Highway 119, the Great Western Railroad, and several irrigation ditches. Environmental permitting was coordinated by Confluent Design with ecological support from NRSI, including twelve Nationwide Permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Memorandum of Agreement among the City, the Corps, and the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office.
The project illustrates Confluent Design’s approach to adapting disturbed stream corridors to support flood management, habitat restoration, and regional trail connectivity.
Key Project Partners
Drexel, Barrell & Co. - Prime Consultant, Civil Engineer
Natural Resource Services, Inc. - Environmental Services
Hines Inc. - Irrigation Design
Natural Resource Services, Inc. - Environmental Services
Hines Inc. - Irrigation Design