Beaver Lake above Marble to the Base of McClure Pass
Crystal River headwaters arise in the Elk Mountains in the White River National Forest at elevations between 11,800 and 12,000 feet. Headwater streams cascade down through steep gorges to the town of Marble, where the gradient suddenly decreases and the valley opens into a wide willow carr. Our assessment begins here just above the town. Historically, mining and related activities likely destabilized the stream system, which resulted in channel braiding, bank failure and channel widening. In these areas stream structure and velocity/depth regime is simplified. In those areas where the valley narrows and the channel are controlled by bedrock, channel structure is typically stable with a diverse velocity/depth regime. Currently, residential, recreational, and agricultural development in the riparian zone and along stream banks has resulted in channelization, bank destabilization, erosion and ultimately in stream imbalance.