Effects of Gully Plugs and Contour Furrows on Erosion and Sedimentation in Cisco Basin, Utah

Abstract

Site Description B. COLTHARP The areas selected for study are located approximately 5 miles to the west and south of the town of Cisco, Grand County, Utah. This area, Highlight: The effects of contour furrows and gully plugs on known as Cisco Basin, is bounded on the north by the Book Cliffs and erosion and sedimentation within the Cisco Basin, Utah, were on the south by the Colorado River. It is typical of the upper Colorado evaluated over a 3-to byear period. Soils on the study area were River Drainage basin of western Colorado and much of Carbon, generally less than 10 cm deep and were developed from Mancos Emery, Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Uintah, and Wayne shale and sandstone. Contour furrows and gully plugs together aunties in eastem Utah. Mean elevation above sea level is 1,280 to held all runoff and sediment, while contour furrows alone held only a portion of the runoff and sediment. Diffkulties in constructing furrows on the contour resulted in a shortened useful life of the structures. Projected life expectancy of the contour furrows ranged from 6 to 12 years; for the gully plugs the projected life expectancy was from 14 to 33 years.

A review of the magnitude and response times for sediment yield reductions following the rehabilitation of gullied landscapes

“…They are important for supporting the establishment of vegetation (Stokes et al, 2014), however, this can be a slow process that takes longer than the limited life expectancies of engineering measures, especially in more arid regions. For example, earthen gully plugs in Utah had life expectancies of 6 to 33 years (Gifford et al, 1977). In Ethiopia, Nyssen et al (2004) found that ~39% of check dams collapsed after just 2years.…”

“…In Ethiopia, Nyssen et al (2004) found that ~39% of check dams collapsed after just 2years. In addition to the structural failure of check dams, soil cracking in many areas can lead to soil piping (Gifford et al, 1977), resulting in the bypassing of the dams. Also, in France, vegetated fascines showed only a limited effectiveness due to their poor maintenance (Frankl et al, 2018).…”

ASSESSMENT OF GULLY‐CONTROL STRUCTURES IN THE RIO NUTRIA WATERSHED, ZUNI RESERVATION, NEW MEXICO1

“…To reduce erosion in the Cisco Basin, Utah, 25,000 gully plugs and contour furrows were constructed since 1958, covering 6,000 acres. An evaluation of contour trenches and gully plugs that were constructed in four areas from 1962-1966 and evaluated from [1966][1967][1968][1969] indicated that both were effective in catching and holding sediment (Gifford et al, 1977). In areas treated with both contour trenches and gully plugs, all runoff and sediment were held on site.…”

Effects of Gully Plugs and Contour Furrows on the Soil Moisture Regime in the Cisco Basin, Utah

“…A description of the study area and treatments applied has been given by Gifford et al ( 1977). For this study, two 40-acre areas were selected: Area 2 in a Nuttall's saltbush (Atriplex nuttallii) community which had been treated with gully plugs and contour furrows in 1964, and Area 3 in a mat saltbush (Atriplex corrugatu) community which had been similarly treated in 1962.…”