Aggregate and Industrial
Minerals Projects
Avery Sand and Gravel
Molalla Quarry
Expansion
Aggregate
Exploration for Dam and Nuclear Power Plant Sites
Sandy
River Gravel Mine Development
Blockhouse Butte Cinder Mine
Eagle
Creek Sand and Gravel Permitting
Selah Sand and Gravel Mine
East Rowley Rock Quarry
Confidential Quarry Evaluation
Ballast
Quarries
Evaluations,
Volume Estimates, and Quality Testing
Monson
Gravel Prospect, Selah, Washington
Yellow
Butte Silica Mine
Family
Estate Rock Quarry Evaluation and Development
Water Resources Projects
Selah Sand and Gravel Mine
Wetland
Restoration, Toledo, Oregon
Wetland
Delineation, Toledo, Oregon
Wetland
Delineation, Vancouver, Washington
Dalton
Creek Meander Belt Design, Division of State Lands, South Slough NERR
Wetland
Delineation, Silverton, Oregon
Stream Restoration Education, Portland, Oregon
Silverton
Industrial Park Wetland Mitigation
Collier
International, Tigard, Oregon
Kunz
Marsh, Charleston, Oregon
Cox
Canyon,
Charleston, Oregon
Tillamook
State Forest Area Stream Enhancements
Fox
Creek Restoration,
Rainier, Oregon
No
Name Creek Erosion Control,
Fairview, Oregon
Pulliam
Properties, Corbett, Oregon
Herr
Wetland Delineation,
Milwaukie, Oregon
Caster
Companies Wetlands Consulting,
Silverton, Oregon
Wetland
Delineation, Jim Botger Property, Washington County
Wetland
Determination, Lumber Mill,
Clackamas County, Oregon
Wetland
Mitigation Plan Review, Fairview Lake, Troutdale, Oregon
Avery Sand and Gravel
Mine, Klickitat County, Washington
The n
ew
operator of this well-known, high quality sand and gravel resource, located onthe north bank of the Columbia River in The Dalles Dam pool on Yakima Indian
Nation property, retained David Brown & Associates, Inc. as their primary
mining and regulatory consultant. The
initial task was to investigate possible discrepancies in reported production
volumes from before the client began operations.
This involved locating and reviewing historical aerial photographs from
the 1930s up to present time. Historic
stereo-pair aerial photos from 1951 were obtained and topography from 1951, six
years before the mine was opened, was generated.
This topography, versus that known to exist in late 1997, allowed for a
reliable estimate of the total volume excavated from the site.
Close inspection of historical construction documents from the time of
The Dalles Dam construction in the late 1950s, and relocation of infrastructure
from the dam pool area, gave further information as to the disposition of a
large share of the missing material.
David
Brown & Associates, Inc. has been tasked with a number of additional
projects for the mine, including:
q
Evaluating the quality and quantity of potential sand
and gravel and rock quarry prospects
directly adjacent to the eastern, northern,
and western boundaries of the existing Avery Pit, using a number of geologic,
geophysical, and mining evaluation techniques;
q
Performing a geostatistical analysis of the
distribution of size gradation samples taken throughout the exposed mine
highwalls;
q
Mine safety issues;
q
Barge transportation issues;
q
Railroad transportation issues; and
q
Other regulatory issues with the BLM and BIA.
Present work tasks include preparation of an up-dated Mining and Reclamation
Plan and Environmental Assessment to be submitted to the BLM for analysis. Because the site is located on Yakama Indian Nation allotment
land, the supervising regulatory agency is the BLM. This work calls for the development of pre- and post-mining
contours and volume calculations using various scenarios relative to the
presence of the State Highway, local homes, and protection of local Native
American burial sites.
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Molalla Quarry
Expansion, Clackamas County, Oregon
A natural resource development
company wanted to expand their quarrying operations to the full limit of their
land holdings, which meant they needed to expand their ongoing mining operations
through an existing topographic high into an abandoned quarry south of the
active mine.
In
1997, David Brown & Associates, Inc. (DBA) successfully completed and
submitted a Conditional Use Permit for land use change and operation expansion
of the existing rock quarry, which was then issued by the County.
Tasks included:
q
Confirmation of the presence of 14 million tons of high quality quarry
rock resource;
q
Definition of the local biological, riparian and wetland habitats;
q
Performance of a reconnaissance-level archeological and cultural resource
surveys;
q
Monitoring of operational noise levels during crusher and loader
operations and during a blasting event;
q
Performance of a truck traffic review.
Tasks also included the design
of a 40-year Mine Plan and design of a Mine Reclamation Plan that returned the
land back to its primary use as forest. This
plan included design of a mine drainage plan using a combination of windrows,
bio-filters, and check dams that incorporated infiltration into a mapped bedrock
fracture zone in the bedrock, which effectively eliminated all offsite
discharges.
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Aggregate
Exploration for Dam and Nuclear Power Plant Sites
During exploration for dam and nuclear power plant sites
at the Oregon Coast, in Central Oregon, in Northeastern Oregon, on the Snake
River Plain in Idaho, and near Saveh, Iran, in the late 1970s, DBA personnel
conducted exploration and evaluation of rock quarries and gravel mines for use
in constructing the projects. The
resources investigated and evaluated included jettystone and crushed rock for
haul roads, rip rap, dam facings, and asphalt; round rock for select backfill
and drain material and concrete; pit run for bulk backfill and structural fills;
and fine to impervious material for impermeable cores and slurry trenches.
The resources were explored using churn drills, core drills, air drills
or track-mounted backhoes, and sampled for laboratory testing for quality. Each prospective resource site was evaluated for volume, rock
quality, and economical trucking distance to the point of use.
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Sandy
River Gravel Mine Development, Clackamas County, Oregon
A natural resource development company retained David
Brown & Associates, Inc. in 1997 to evaluate a large ranch holding, east of
the town of Sandy, in the Sandy River Valley for development as a source of
round rock aggregate for the East Portland, Gresham, and City of Sandy markets.
DBA personnel performed the initial exploration and testing of the
property, confirming the presence of high quality aggregate ranging from sand
and pea gravel to jetty-stone size, on a glacial bench, isolated by bedrock
ridges from the nearby Sandy river, a well-known salmon and steelhead stream.
In the course of the investigation, DBA geologists identified the
resource as glacier-derived gravel deposited at the end of the last Ice Age at
the distal end of an alpine glacier originating in the High Cascades Mountains.
This type of gravel deposit is somewhat geologically unique to the
Portland area.
The deposit and local hydrogeological setting was then
further explored with a number of Becker Hammer drill holes, which were
completed as monitoring wells. The
test drilling confirmed the presence of approximately 12 million tons of easily
mineable resource. At that point in
time, the client directed DBA to complete a Goal 5 Resource Inventory and Mining
Permit Application to Clackamas County in the form of a Post-Acknowledgment Plan
Application
(PAPA). During preparation of this
application, a number of tasks were carried out either by DBA personnel or by
subcontractors under the direction of DBA personnel.
These tasks included:
q
a detailed 40-year mining plan (see figure above) with a detailed
mine reclamation plan;
q
a detailed mine runoff and stormwater drainage plan;
q
a delineation of habitat and definition of any critical habitat;
q
an in-depth cultural resource and archeological study;
q
performance of a noise engineering study, performance of a traffic
impact study; and
q
a detailed geological and hydrogeological study of the area,
In addition to the Mineral Overlay Application and
Resource Inventory Report in the PAPA, an Economic, Environmental, Social, and
Energy Analysis was made of the project by DBA staff. The PAPA was submitted to Clackamas County, deemed complete,
and has been approved. The mine plan developed for this mine site included a
closed-loop drainage system and a mine operation plan that insulated operations
from any impact to the nearby Sandy River and to nearby inventoried cultural,
historical, and visual resources.
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Blockhouse
Butte Cinder Mine, Klickitat County, Washington
The
owner/operator of the Blockhouse Butte cinder mine near Goldendale, Washington
needed to come into compliance with the Washington Surface Mining Act. DBA staff were retained in 1996 to perform the work, and
successfully complete a fully-revised Washington State Department of Natural
Resources Surface Mining Reclamation Permit for the existing pit.
Issues involved in the permitting process included;
q
post-mining topography that would protect the scenic beauty
of the Klickitat Valley;
q
an Operating and Reclamation Plan that would fit with past
schemes and allow for future expansion;
q
design of the mine;
q
water diversion and retention facilities to control
stormwater run-off; and
q
State Environmental Policy Act documents and additional DNR
guidelines.
The permit was approved on both County and State levels, and the
mine was able to continue production.
In addition, DBA was tasked with evaluation
and completion of all local and state requirements for expansion of the mine to
the remainder of Blockhouse Butte by a new operator of the site. This project, which is presently on hold, will include
preparation of a Surface Mining Reclamation Permit, as well as Forest Practices
Permits, filing of a Department of Ecology “Notice of Intent” (an NPDES
general permit), State Environmental Policy Act preparation and mitigation,
County approval, and site and access layout.
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Eagle
Creek Sand and Gravel Permitting
An operator of an off-channel sand and gravel
operation in rural Clackamas County was denied an operating permit, after he had
operated a mine and distribution facility on the site since the 1980s.
David Brown & Associates, Inc. was retained in 1999 to prepare a
Non-Conforming Use application to be presented to the Clackamas County for the
operation. The initial task was to
confirm continuance of the Non-Conforming Use Permit for the property.
The permit was presented to the County and has been approved.
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Selah
Sand and Gravel Mine, Selah, Washington
One of the largest Yakima Valley aggregate producers had
their major source of concrete aggregate made unavailable for mining, due to
concerns raised after the mine ponds were captured during an avulsion event of
the Yakima River during the February, 1996 100-year flood event.
The
mine was closed by order of the Washington Department of Natural Resources until
a detailed hydraulic/hydrogeologic and avulsion risk study could be made of the
relationship between the local groundwater, the mine ponds, and the adjacent
Yakima River. The study was
completed by another contractor, and proved to be controversial and raised a
number of additional questions. The
foremost question raised by the study was the thermal loading effect of the mine
ponds on the nearby river and its potential impact on endangered fish species.
David Brown & Associates, Inc. was retained in 1999
by the mining company to perform a thermal monitoring and modeling study of the
interaction between the mine ponds, the groundwater, and the Yakima River.
The initial task was to prepare a monitoring and modeling study Work Plan
that would be acceptable to all agencies. The
Work Plan was accepted and, based on the Plan, the mine was allowed to re-open,
putting entire mining, hauling, and processing crews back to work.
The Work Plan was implemented and data was being collected within one
week of the issuance of the mining permit.
The key to allowing the mine to re-open was the performance of a
hand-measured thermal and hydrogeochemical monitoring program instituted for
several months before the thermal study work plan was submitted to the DNR. The data collected during the preliminary study was used to
demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed Work Plan approach.
The accepted Work Plan called for the
placement of thirty thermal logging devices in the Yakima River.
In order to hold the sensors, special devices were designed and built in
the client’s shop that could be anchored to the river bank, but would suspend
the thermal loggers above the river bottom (see picture above).
In addition, a number of thermal loggers were placed in monitoring wells
and stilling wells at the mine site, and thermal gradients were measured in the
mine ponds on a regular basis. An
aerial thermal infrared (IR) survey of the Yakima River reach near the mine, and
the mine ponds was carried out using a helicopter and portable IR video
equipment. The results of the
aerial survey were found to be consistent with the initial results of the
in-river study.
A
comprehensive model of the groundwater flow at the mine site and on both banks
of the river was prepared using the Visual MODFLOW® hydrogeologic
modeling program. Thermal loading
into the local aquifer and the nearby river was modeled using customized probabilistic
methods because no pre-made software was applicable.
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East
Rowley Rock Quarry, Selah, Washington
A
large asphalt and crushed rock producer in the Yakima Valley had just reclaimed
an old mined-out quarry in the East Selah area of Yakima County, Washington.
Because of the mine closure and loss of resource within economical
hauling distance to their new asphalt plant, they acquired a new property,
directly adjacent to the old mine. In
1998, the producer retained David Brown & Associates, Inc. to design a
Mining Plan and prepare an application to the County for a Comprehensive Plan
Map Amendment to the Yakima County Comprehensive Plan and attending SEPA
documentation. The application was accepted and the map amended with a
finding of non-significance to the SEPA portion.
The next step in the permitting process was the
preparation of a detailed Mining Plan and Reclamation Plan for the property, to
be submitted to the DNR and the County for final operating permits.
During the initial investigation by DBA staff on the property, a number
of archeological sites were identified. These
consisted of what are termed Talus
Pits, round excavations with a depth from 4 feet to 16 feet, within the
talus slopes beneath bare basaltic outcrops (see figure below).
The actual age and use of these features are not known.
But they appear to be man-made, periglacial features associated with
nearby native fishery sites. The
client has committed to protecting these sites with a non-conditional 75-foot
setback around each of the sites. Protection
of one pit low on the talus slope has resulted in removal of a significant
volume of high quality rock from mining.
The site is also located near the Yakima River, a
protected habitat for threatened and endangered fish species.
This has resulted in a Mining Plan that calls for no runoff from the site
into a nearby abandoned irrigation ditch that drains directly into the Yakima
River.
A stormwater system has been designed that will hold all runoff in
infiltration ponds within the project boundaries.
The site is also located in a sensitive visual corridor
along Interstate Highway 82. This
created the need for attention to visual aesthetics during mining and
reclamation. No dust emissions will
be allowed during processing or hauling on the site, thus the Mine Plan calls
for the use of water in crushing/screening, and on haul roads.
In addition, the reclamation plan was designed to reclaim each mining
phase as it is completed, with a ridge of in-place rock left as a visual barrier
to traffic on the nearby highway. This
ridge protects the site visually and also protects the archeological resources
on the site.
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Confidential
Quarry Evaluation, Willamette Valley, Oregon
The owner of this basalt
quarry retained a local attorney to seek compensation from the operator that had
leased his quarry operations. His
contention was that the operator had removed more rock than allowed through his
existing Mining and Reclamation Plan filed with DOGAMI.
The reclamation bond only allowed for a certain amount of reclamation,
and he believed his tenant had exceeded those costs.
In addition, after excavating the main quarry well below groundwater
level and allowing it to flood, the operator opened a non-permitted quarry about
¼ mile from the permitted quarry and had been removing rock without an in-place
Mining Plan, Reclamation Plan, and reclamation bond with DOGAMI or the local
county.
David
Brown & Associates, Inc. was retained in 1999 to investigate the assertions
made by the quarry owner, and prepare for testimony in open court as expert
witnesses. The property was
evaluated in a number of individual tasks.
q
The site was evaluated from a geologic
and mining engineering standpoint for proper and
accepted mining methods and for mine safety relative to MSHA and CFR standards
and regulations.
q
The volume of rock removed during the
period of the lease was determined by flying the site for present topographic
configuration, and then obtaining historic aerial photos from just before the
lease began to obtain pre-lease topography.
The two topographies were then compared using in-house computer modeling
programs with the resulting volume difference being the volume mined.
q
The site was mapped geologically to
obtain information on where basalt bedrock lay, the volume remaining on the
site, and where overburden and waste rock had been stored during mining
activities. Each mine site was
mapped and sampled for quality in order to determine market price of the rock
removed, and the value of the rock remaining that may need to be used in mine
reclamation.
q
A detailed Reclamation Plan was designed
and then priced in order to determine if the operator had exceeded the bond
placed on the site.
The evaluation of the
site indicated that the reclamation bond had been exceeded.
The main quarry was found to have been excavated well below groundwater
level, which was in violation of DOGAMI regulations.
In addition, the main quarry was left in an unsafe condition with
highwalls in excess of 100 feet and mine boundaries pushed back to property
boundaries, and beyond (see top figure). The
second quarry was found to violate highwall height regulations, wetland
infringement, stormwater runoff violations, and in-place rock left in the
highwalls with significant toppling risks (see bottom above).
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Ballast
Quarries
DBA personnel were retained in
1996 to permit the establishment of two rock quarries to provide high quality
material in the form of road ballast for local railroads.
The properties are located within the Columbia River Basin.
Issues involved in the permitting, operation plan and reclamation plan
included visual impact from a nearby, and impact on, a local wetlands. A rail loop was also designed to move empty rail cars into
the mine, and full cars out onto the local railroad mainline.
The mine is now operating using state-of-the-art conveyors and
computerized crushing and sorting equipment.
Issues at the second site, an abandoned pre-existing ballast quarry,
included visual impacts to a nearby major highway, impact on an adjacent
wildlife refuge, and post-mining reclamation topography that would blend with
the native cliffs.
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Evaluations,
Volume Estimates, and Quality Testing of Various Aggregate and Industrial
Mineral Sites Throughout The Pacific Northwest
DBA
personnel have been retained to evaluate a number of aggregate sites at various
times. These
included:
q
sand and gravel sites on the Clackamas, Tualatin and Willamette
Rivers;
q hard rock quarries in the State of Washington and throughout
Oregon, including the Coast and in the Cascades Mountains;
q
diatomaceous earth deposits in the Klamath Falls area;
q
bentonite deposits in Central and Eastern Oregon; and
q
a pumice deposit in Newberry Crater of Central Oregon.
Several
quarries were surveyed and volume estimates made. Several project included the measurement of fracture spacings
in quarry faces in order to predict break-out size and determine the size of
blasting program and spacing of blast holes.
DBA personnel also evaluated the Rivergate Rock Quarry near the St. Johns
Bridge in Portland for sale to the City of Portland.
Evaluations included:
q
test drilling via hollow-stem auger borings, cable-tool drilling,
and air-track drilling; and
q
sampling for quality testing via the LA Rattler Test, Sodium
Sulfate Soundness testing, ethylene-glycol soundness testing, density testing,
compressive strength testing, gradation testing, and other durability testing.
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Monson
Gravel Prospect, Selah, Washington
One of the largest concrete aggregate producers in the
Central Washington needed additional resource due to the closure of three of
their sand and gravel mine locations. They
bought an option on the Monson property, which is located adjacent to the Yakima
River, behind a set of levees, near the town of Selah.
The property contains approximately 40 feet of high quality round rock
resource over about 200 acres. The
client submitted application to the Yakima Planning Department for a
Comprehensive Plan Amendment with SEPA documentation.
Yakima County responded with a Finding of Significant Impact and directed
the client to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, as provided for in the
SEPA enabling statutes.
The aggregate producer then retained
David Brown & Associates, Inc. in 1999 to prepare the EIS and to prepare the
Mining Plan and Reclamation Plan for submittal to the DNR.
The initial task was to negotiate a scope of work for the EIS with Yakima
County and other interested agencies, including the DNR, DOE, NMFS, Yakama
Indian Nation, and other interested regulators.
The initial task on the site was
to drill fifteen monitoring wells distributed throughout the property.
The use of the wells was several-fold.
Initially, the wells will provide the information necessary to confirm
the presence of an economical resource. Secondly,
the wells will provide base-line hydrogeologic and hydrogeochemical data for the
site, which has been used as a cattle feed lot for several decades.
Thirdly, the wells will provide information on the relationship between
the local groundwater, the adjacent Yakima River, and the hyporheic zone (the
zone that connects the two). Evaluation
of the presence and quality of the hyporheic zone includes logging and detailed
analysis of water table and river level fluctuations over a long period of time,
dye testing in some of the wells, dye testing in the river, a pump test of one
of the wells with observation in an adjacent well, and excavation of a number of
test pits with an assay of encountered benthic invertebrates.
Other tasks include preparation
of; a detailed archeological investigation of the site, a noise engineering and
impact analysis of the site.
-Back to Index-
Yellow
Butte Silica Mine
DBA
was retained by a Pacific Northwest industrial mineral company to evaluate the
potential for a smelter-grade silica mine, located at the foot of Mt. Shasta in
Siskiyou County, California. In the
Summer of 2000, DBA personnel performed the Initial Independent Evaluation of
the property. The inspection
included:
q
a reconnaissance-level geologic mapping of the entire butte,
including the subject mining claims;
q
surface and subsurface inspection of the claims to be mined to
evaluate and estimate the volume and quality of ore present;
q
inspection and evaluation of a number of potential railhead
shipping points;
q
initial investigation of the permitting feasibility of the mine
site;
q
preparation of a petrographic and geochemical study of the silica
ore;
q
preparation of a document summarizing findings and recommending
the butte for development ; and
q
preparation of an economic study to determine the viability of the
project.
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Family
Estate Rock Quarry Evaluation and Development
DBA was
retained by the trustee of a family estate that had an old land holding in the
Biggs Junction area of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The property had
historically been used as dry-land wheat and cattle ranch since before the turn
of the 20th century. The family trust now wanted to increase the
income from the site by the potential development of a rock quarry. DBA was
tasked with determining the developability of the site, and then potentially
managing the operations for the trust.
In
order to accomplish this task DBA initially reviewed the permitting requirements
for the site, and determined that the Conditional Use Permit process or the Goal
5 proce
ss
were applicable to the site. The next step in the process are to determine the
economic viability of the site including the volume and quality of the rock,
haul route determination, barging cost determination to the Portland market, and
mine plan and reclamation permitting through DOGAMI. This will also include
negotiations with the local agricultural co-op that owns and maintains the local
barge loading facilities on the nearby Columbia River. The operation and
reclamation of the mine must be protective of the local section of the Oregon
Trail, which runs through the eastern portion of the 600-acre mine site.
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Wetland
Restoration, Toledo, Oregon
DBA
was retained to assist with a wetland restoration project located near Toledo,
Oregon. In completion of this task,
DBA completed a Wetland Restoration Geomorphologic Analysis.
This analysis included: Complete
flow design and carrying calculations, ensuring that the planned hydrologic
channels equaled or exceeded the current channel hydraulic perimeter, which
previously drained the site; complete general drainage cross-sections;
consultation on plugging designs, describing the most beneficial design; locate
on graphics area culverts and drainages feeding the site; material volume
estimates; general topography elevations; and stamped reports of work and
impacts of the project. The project
also required the calculation of Sinuosity Indexes of surrounding tidal
floodplain systems, recommending Sinuosity Indexes for proposed meander designs.
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Wetland
Delineation, Toledo, Oregon
DBA staff
performed a wetland delineation on property owned by the Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians of Oregon. The
property was a greatly disturbed, diked, and filled tidal floodplain, historically
used as a lumber/saw mill and log storage.
Delineation determined subsurface drainages and indicated freshwater
and estuarine hydrologic regimes.
The final delineation was used as a framework for negotiations with
the Army Corps of Engineers and restoration activities.
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Wetland
Delineation, Vancouver, Washington
DBA staff was retained by
Marketed Properties to complete a wetland delineation on property located in
Vancouver, Washington. The
delineation and setback interpretation was required for proposed development of
a commercial complex on undeveloped land. The
delineation and setback interpretation was approved by Clark County, Washington.
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Dalton
Creek Meander Belt Design, Division of State Lands, South Slough NERR
DBA staff performed the research, engineering, design, and field
placement of an artificial meander system in a reclamation project of the South
Slough. The Dalton Creek delta had
historically been diked and drained, altering the land from a salt water wetland
to agricultural land. The Division
of State Lands project reclaimed the area as a natural tidal area by removal of
the artificial dikes, removal of drainage ditches, and re-establishment of the
Dalton Creek Meander System.
The project required the calculation of Sinuosity Indexes of
surrounding fluvial systems. Meander
size calculations were then performed, based on numerous width, depth, flow, and
matrix calculations. The resulting
geometric meander system was compared to the surrounding systems’ Sinuosity
Indexes. The empirical indexes
matched the natural systems. Review
of historical photographs revealed partial former meander systems, which matched
the empirical model. The system was
then field placed and flagged, with the physical system created by explosives.
Calculations were performed to estimate the depth of the tidally
influenced system.
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Wetland
Delineation, Silverton, Oregon
DBA
staff performed a wetland delineation on properties owned by Redman Homes.
The property contained disturbed open grass land and deciduous forest.
The property was formerly a sawmill, with subsurface drainage.
Delineation of the grass land ultimately was based on depth to hydric
indicators.
The entire process dealt with issues such as illegal fill, disturbed
wetlands, and regulatory negotiations.
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Stream
Restoration Education, Portland, Oregon
DBA staff was retained by Raz Transportation Systems to complete a field
class for Pacific Crest School. The
field class gave an introduction to urban stream restoration to the school’s
high school biology class. The
class focused on proper vegetation, monoculture impacts, flow regimes, flooding,
and fish migration. The class
located a presently degraded stream and compared it to an urban stream in
the process of restoration.
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Silverton
Industrial Park Wetland Mitigation
DBA staff performed as the Project Manager for wetland mitigation
construction at the Silverton Industrial Park for the City of Silverton,
Silverton, Oregon. This project
included the survey of existing and projected water backups and heights.
These required levels were achieved by specific excavations, raising of
artificial snag trees, the placement of weirs and check-dams to create four
separate ponds off of an irrigation canal.
These areas were then replanted with wetland vegetation.
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Collier
International, Tigard, Oregon
DBA staff performed a wetland delineation for
properties brokered by Collier International.
The property has been delineated into non-wetland areas and areas deemed
jurisdictional wetland by fulfilling the United States Army Corps of Engineers
three-part criteria.
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Kunz
Marsh, Charleston, Oregon
DBA
staff consulted and managed a project for the Oregon Division of State Lands,
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to convert a fresh water marsh
into multi-level experimental salt-water marshes. This process included the
design of cell dividers, surveying marsh levels, soils identification, field
verification and delineation of existing wetland types and values, tide chart
and real-time tide elevation calculations, levee and dike removal, and levee and
dike alteration.
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Cox
Canyon,
Charleston, Oregon
DBA
staff consulted and managed a project for the Oregon Division of State Lands,
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve to re-establish both tidal and
stream flows in the remnant Cox Canyon tidal channels by the removal of a
earthen dike, introducing large woody debris into the existing channels and
ditches, minor excavations to enhance meander belt establishment and the
rehabilitation of hill slope cuts adjacent to the project site.
These alterations were conducted to re-establish full tidal flushing in
the degraded tidal marsh above the Cox Canyon dike to improve tidal wetland
functions, particularly anadromous fish passage and anadromous fish habitat
conditions in Cox Canyon Marsh area.
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Tillamook
State Forest Area Stream Enhancements
DBA staff managed, co-managed, and consulted on various stream enhancements of
area streams of the Tillamook State Forest.
These included strategic placement of wood debris and logs to form
shelters and scour holes, backwater excavations for low flow regime areas, and
placement of boulder weir systems.
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Fox
Creek Restoration,
Rainier, Oregon
DBA staff co-managed a project to re-establish Fox Creek and its meander belts.
The stream had been channeled by a culvert in the 1940s, with a
playground placed on top of the fill. The
culvert and fill were excavated. The
meander belt was created using berms, riprap armourment, and gabion
structures. Artificial wetlands were created along the new floodplain of
the creek. The removed fill material was transported to an upper parking
lot where a new playground was created.
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No
Name Creek Erosion Control,
Fairview, Oregon
DBA
staff assisted in the design and management of construction measures aimed at
countering the erosion of a stream bank threatening an apartment complex.
Historic erosion control for the creek consisted of placing riprap and
oversized boulders along the creek banks. However,
during low flows, the boulders deflect the stream into the stream bank,
undermining the existing riprap. During
the high velocity flow regimes of the winter of 1995-1996, the undermined
boulders and riprap were displaced into the main channel.
This further increased the flow deflection, creating a positive feedback
system. Remediation included the
splitting of oversized boulders, removal of large boulders, sloping of the
banks, placing of riprap, placing of erosion mats, bioengineering, and the
placing of Gabions and Reno Mattresses.
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Pulliam
Properties, Corbett, Oregon
DBA was
retained to manage and complete a Significant Environmental Concern
investigation and permit report for property located
within the Big Creek Conservation area. This
project consisted of project research; field investigations; vegetative
analysis; completion of detailed topographic site plan; description of the
localized Stream Conservation Area with assessment of the functional
characteristics, water source, vegetation types and biological habitats;
description and confirmation of soils and their erosion capabilities; mitigation
plan, and monitoring plan. The
final report was presented to Multnomah County for the Significant Environmental
Concern permit process and approval. This
project required review and intricate knowledge of Multnomah County ordinances,
Howard Canyon Reconciliation Report (September 1994) and the Final Report of the
East of Sandy River Rural Area Plan.
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Herr
Wetland Delineation,
Milwaukie, Oregon
DBA performed a wetland delineation for a property owner in Milwaukie, Oregon.
The property was proposed for division.
The investigation was required because the soils were listed as Hydric.
The majority of the property was shown not to be jurisdictional wetlands,
based on a historic alteration of the hydrology, providing non-hydric soil
indicators and predominance of non-wetland vegetation.
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Caster
Companies Wetlands Consulting,
Silverton, Oregon
DBA
provided consulting in the form of preliminary wetland determinations of
properties and wetland banking reviews. The
wetland determination is an observation of a property to define if
jurisdictional wetland indicators are present or not.
Wetland banking consulting consisted of observation of property and
review of regulations and procedure involved in a project.
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Wetland
Delineation, Jim Botger Property, Washington County
DBA
personnel completed a jurisdictional delineation on 40 acres of property in
Washington County. This private
property was being assessed for transfer to Washington County as a park.
The investigation determined the acreage of wetland, functional value of
the jurisdictional wetland, and property value.
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Wetland
Determination, Lumber Mill,
Clackamas County, Oregon
DBA
personnel have conducted an on-site wetland determination for a lumber
company’s property. This included
historical research, aerial photograph and map interpretation, and on-site
investigations. The property was
determined to posses jurisdictional wetlands.
Because of potential property sales, the client wishes to maintain
client/consultant privileges and not be named.
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Wetland
Mitigation Plan Review, Fairview Lake, Troutdale, Oregon
DBA
personnel have conducted a intensive review of a wetland mitigation plan for a
development to be located on Fairview Lake, Troutdale, Oregon.
The review of the mitigation plan, as well as the geotechnical data,
showed the development was inadvisable. Resulting
conclusions given by DBA canceled a previously approved DSL and Army Corps of
Engineers Removal and Fill permits.
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