Laguna Grande Restoration Design and Monitoring

Location

Colorado River Delta
Baja California, Mexico

Client

Sonoran Institute, Upper Gulf Legacy Program

Project Description

GSA is assisting Sonoran Institute in the restoration of the 1,200 acre Laguna Grande Restoration Area on the Colorado River Delta in northwest Mexico. We are supporting the Sonoran Institute with completing pilot restoration projects to help them develop successful and cost-effective restoration practices, including developing large-scale restoration designs and monitoring and adaptive management plans.

Most recently, we assisted with restoration associated with the "Minute 319" amendment to the 1944 international water treaty, which allocated a one-time environmental pulse flow to the Colorado River in Mexico. Work included clearing vegetation, reconnecting historic river meanders, and land contouring to maximize inundation and native vegetation establishment in restoration areas. We designed vegetation monitoring transects to determine native species establishment, and mapped pre- and post-pulse flow soil salinity to document improvements in soil conditions and correlate with vegetation results.

Project Highlights