Big T restoration work has begun west of Loveland

LOVELAND — ECI Site Construction Management Inc., a Loveland-based general contractor that specializes in complex river work and parks and recreation, has begun work on restoration of the Big Thompson River and the Rist-Goss Ditch west of Loveland.

The project is called The Legacy River Resilience and Rist-Goss Ditch Improvement Project. It is located between Rossum Drive and Wilson Avenue.

The project is spearheaded by the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, a nonprofit organization based in Loveland with a mission to protect and restore the ecological health of the Big Thompson Watershed. This project will address improving the river corridor, including recreation, aquatic habitat and fishing, while making improvements that will help limit damage to the corridor during future floods.

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The project will reconnect the floodplain to the river channel, encourage channel narrowing in over-widened portions and improve bank protection and stability. In addition, the Rist-Goss Ditch point of diversion will be removed and replaced with a more river- and fish-friendly design that includes natural rocks and boulders to direct and deliver water to downstream water users.

In addition to ECI Site Construction, the project team includes FlyWater Inc. of Fort Collins, Connell Resources Inc. of Fort Collins and Western States Reclamation Inc. of Frederick. Construction has begun and is expected to be complete by summer 2019.