Juday Creek Channel Relocation and Habitat Restoration

   Confluence and J.F. New & Associates provided design, permitting, and construction supervision services for the relocation and restoration of Juday Creek on the University of Notre Dame campus. The purpose of the project was to preserve and improve a spawning population of brown trout unique to northern Indiana.

   The work was funded along with the construction of Notre Dame's new golf course, designed by Coore and Crenshaw. Juday Creek was impacted historically by ditching (straightening) and by poor land use practices. Consequently, much of the stream was silt-laden and had very few pools, riffles, or other habitat features important to trout.

   To remedy these potential impacts, nearly 2,400 feet of the stream was relocated to a new, meandering channel complete with pools, runs, boulders, woody debris, and spawning gravel. All construction was restricted to the channel alignment to prevent disturbance to surrounding vegetation. The banks of the new channel were stabilized using bio-engineering technology and revegetated with native plants.

   An additional 600 feet of Juday Creek was restored in place by adding similat habitat features. Within months of completing the project, University of Notre Dame researchers found 26 trout redds (spawning nests) in the restored reaches of Juday Creek and none in nearby unimproved sections of the stream. These studies provide evidence that our improvements have not only restored Juday Creek, but have given this unique population of brown trout an excellent chance of survival for the future.