Horse Linto Creek / Waterman Ridge Road De-commissioning

This project entailed de-commissioning seven stream crossings with a total fill volume of approximately 18,000 cubic yards in the Horse Linto Creek (Trinity River) watershed on US Forest Service property. The stream crossings were in corrugated metal pipes on a road.

Horse Linto Creek, Waterman Ridge Stormproofing which the Forest Service could no longer maintain because of lack of funds. Because of the deep placement of the pipes, the crossings had significant volumes of soil above them. With the potential for these pipes to clog in a high flow event, they presented a significant volume of sediment that had potential to enter an important anadromous fish bearing stream. RCAA hired and supervised a heavy equipment operator to perform the excavation and disposal work. Spoils disposal areas were scarified and brush was removed before placement of spoils. RCAA provided the labor to fell the trees that had established over the pipes. Shrubs and tree limbs were stockpiled while the crossing excavation occurred and were later used to mulch the bare soil areas.

The Ridge Tie project involved re-locating a US Forest Service road, removal and disposal of perched overburden from a landslide to prevent it from falling into Horse Linto Creek, cleaning a sediment retention pond, disposal of dredged material, and re-constructing a portion of trail affected by the landslide. A heavy equipment operator was hired by RCAA. RCAA also provided on-site supervision for the heavy equipment operator and a hand crew for trail re-construction, application of mulch, and re-vegetation of spoils disposal sites. By working closely with the heavy equipment operator, RCAA was able to respond to logistical problems as they arose and was able to double the volume of material that was removed. When the spoils disposal site reached its limit, RCAA was able to locate a suitable alternate site and saved costly delays caused by down time. The efficiency of the heavy equipment time translated into 4,000 cubic yards of material being moved as opposed to the 2,100 cubic yards estimated in the contract specifications. RCAA used brush and tree limbs from the new section of road as mulch and made cuttings from Baccharis pilularis (coyote brush) which were installed at the end of the project and successfully established. The natural mulch was supplemented with weed free straw mulch to protect bare soil from erosion. This project was the first time RCAA had the opportunity to demonstrate to the Forest Service how an on-site supervisor paid for him(her)self by cost savings realized though a smooth, un-interrupted project which did not have to pay for non-productive equipment time (down time).