Denver Country Club hired Matrix to evaluate channel stability on a 1-mile reach of Cherry Creek as it transects the golf course, from University Boulevard to 1st Avenue. The Cherry Creek channel meandered in a 30- to 60-foot-wide, low-flow channel section and was experiencing bank erosion. The average channel slope through the Country Club varied between 0.2% and 0.4%, which is steeper than the average 0.15% equilibrium slope recommended in the Cherry Creek Stabilization Plan. 

To analyze channel hydraulics, the Cherry Creek floodplain HEC-RAS hydraulic model that Matrix developed in 2013 was updated with new survey data to refine the channel profile and cross-sectional geometry within the Country Club property. The goals were to restore Cherry Creek to a stable channel that would be resilient to a range of storm events and enhance Cherry Creek as a unique amenity. These goals were accomplished by establishing the equilibrium slope, reconnecting the low-flow channel to the floodplain, and re-establishing a riparian corridor that supports native vegetation and habitat.

Matrix recommended the replacement of two existing drop structures and the addition of three new grade control structures, realigning or removing grade controls that aggravate bank erosion, modifying the channel section with grading and bank protection, and revegetating the banks with a riparian buffer strip. Construction drawings, specifications, and an engineer’s estimate of probable costs were developed.