American Rivers performed an assessment of Alpine Meadows in the Carson River watershed, and identified Faith Valley as its highest priority meadow for restoration. Faith Valley was prioritized because of its poor hydraulic condition. American Rivers hired Waterways to complete a baseline conditions assessment and develop designs for habitat improvement. The baseline assessment included topographic survey, modeling, geomorphic mapping, botanical and other assessments. The assessment determined that the primary cause of impairment in Faith Valley is channel incision of the West Carson River, which initiated a cascade of detrimental impacts including the formation of high, unstable, and erodible banks; a series of headcuts eroding parts of the meadow; a reduction in the frequency of overbank flooding, and a drop in the water table in the adjacent meadow system, causing a transition of vegetation type from wet meadow and riparian to conifers and upland shrubs.. Much of this impairment can be traced to recent collapses of large beaver dam complexes in the meadow. 

Waterways worked with American Rivers, the US Forest Service, and other stakeholders to develop a process based restoration plan that will stabilize the valley and bring the channel closer to the meadow surface, while enhancing the site for recreational users.

The project included stabilizing the valley through installation of a grade control structure in year 1, followed by installation of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) in strategic locations throughout the meadow to aggrade the stream, increase bank stability, and raise groundwater levels. Due to the high stream power of the river in the meadow, unusually robust BDAs were installed using equipment in a phased manner so that lessons learned from the first year of construction could be adopted and implemented more widely during the second year. 

The extensive beaver population in Faith Valley is expected to adopt and maintain many of the BDAs over time, creating a self-sustaining restoration project that will continue to evolve over time to create a dynamic environment that will support wet meadow assemblages, prepare for the possibility of re-introducing native Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and help to increase rare wet meadow habitat for endangered birds including the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. The project also included road improvements and access management to reduce recreational impacts on the meadow. Construction was phased over 2 years to maximize the benefits of project components. Project was constructed in 2022 and 2023.