VHGs before and after beaver dam analogue installation: Red Canyon Creek, WY, USA

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are widely used as restoration structures in western US. Thirty-one (31) new BDAs were installed in the 1.2-km study reach at Red Canyon Creek (RCC), Wyoming, USA in summer 2021, along with the repair and upgrade of four existing ones. The patterns and controls in streambed upwelling and downwelling around these dams were investigated using over 100 mini-piezometers and quantified as vertical hydraulic gradients (VHGs), both before and after installation of the structures. Results indicate that the magnitude of elevation gradient across the BDA acts as primary control: VHGs were highest near the BDAs and diminished once more than a few meters from the BDAs.