by Ali Freedlund
November 20, 2002

This summer the Mattole Restoration Council completed fieldwork for the first Good Roads, Clear Creeks project, helping landowners treat sediment sources to improve salmon habitat. Working primarily in the Mill Creek watershed, MRC removed five old stream crossings on abandoned roads (removing abandoned culverts or “Humboldt Crossings”), upgraded over two miles of residential road and fixed a failing streambank along Mill Creek that had eroded considerably. MRC took its cues from area landowners. If a landowner wanted to abandon a road, it was removed, and if they needed access, the Council worked to upgrade and stormproof the road.

Road upgrades included replacement of rusted and undersized culverts to new, larger culverts, creating rolling dips where appropriate (see diagram), removing the outside edge (“berm”) so that surface water can sheet off the road, maintaining ditches, and placing rock on the road surface for driveability.

The streambank landslide in Mill Creek was the trickiest site and needed the most attention. The Mattole Salmon Group, California Department of Fish and Game, and the heavy equipment operators helped to design three rock and log structures intended to divert stream flow away from the large, eroded bank.

Most of the work was done using heavy equipment, the most important piece being the excavator (shown below). Matt Smith, owner of Environmental Restoration Services, was the subcontractor and in turn hired many local people for his work crew. Hand labor (primarily using chainsaws) was important to prepare the road and worksites for the equipment to work safely.

One lesson learned was about working near phone lines. Phone line repair can be very expensive! On rural roads, the phone line usually runs down the road to avoid disturbing the line during inboard ditch maintenance. We had to be careful to avoid severing the phone line with the heavy equipment and would often dig for hours to expose it safely (see photo).

It is the Council’s hope that this work will not only help keep sediment out of Mill Creek and the Mattole River, but will lessen road maintenance costs in the years to come.

Funding for the project came from the following agencies: The US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Department of Fish and Game, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission.


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Read more articles about Restoration Projects

Table of Contents for Mattole Restoration Newsletter, Issue 19 - Winter/Spring 2002-03