BOZEMAN, Mont. - Under a recently signed agreement, Trout Headwaters, Inc. (THI) of Livingston, Montana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will study and further develop techniques for using living plants and other biotechnical approaches to restore streams and banks. These approaches are considered more environmentally friendly than traditional hard armor approaches that can deteriorate river ecosystems.

Under the research agreement brokered by the MSU TechLink Center, a technology transfer organization in Bozeman, Mont., THI and the Army Corps will evaluate biostabilization techniques during field demonstrations at the Army Corps' Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The evaluations will be useful in the development of an innovative software program for creating models and predicting the success of various biotechnical restoration materials and methods, an important focus of this agreement.

Hard armor, a restoration approach in common use, includes placing rip rap, chunks of concrete and large boulders, on stream banks. Rip rap stabilizes the stream bank, but can change stream flow and reduce the overall health of the stream ecosystem. According to Mike Sprague, president of THI, rip rap is also invasive, expensive, and provides no real long-term solutions. THI¹s soft armor approach uses an abundance of native materials such as gravel and vegetation that help maintain natural channels and flow patterns, and improve river ecology and habitat.

THI works on restoration projects nationwide. The company recently completed restoration projects on short stretches of two of Montana¹s legendary rivers, the Blackfoot and the Yellowstone.

The Army Corps Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory works worldwide to improve waterways, bridges, dams and other infrastructure through technology development and testing.

TechLink is located at Montana State University in Bozeman and funded by the Department of Defense and NASA to link companies in Montana and the surrounding region with federal laboratories for joint research and technology transfer. Its overriding purpose is to contribute to the success of both technology-based companies and key resource-based industries in the state and region.

Contacts:
Nick Zelver
MSU TechLink
(406) 994-7706
nzelver@montana.edu

Mike Sprague
Trout Headwaters
(406) 333-4715
mike@troutheadwaters.com

Back to Top