Clear Creek Siphon

The project consisted of placing rock protection along the north side of the instream portion of the siphon pipe.  In winter 2015/2016, an eddy or winter flow intensity resulted in the excavation of a large depression alongside of the upstream portion of the siphon.  The depression is approximately 7 feet deep and 60 feet long and approximately 10 feet wide at its broadest location. 

This project addressed filling the depression with 3-foot-minus, clean, washed quarry rock to reinforce the siphon bed material.  In addition, ACID placed additional large washed quarry rock along the remaining exposed portions of the siphon on the upstream side. Currently, salmonids navigate freely over the pipe even at low flow.

The north slope of the siphon was used as the access for repair efforts.  The plan included development of  a “rock bridge” out to the depression, so that the excavator was not in the streamflow.  The rock bridge was constructed with washed spawning recruitment, which was then left in place for natural distribution in the creek bed.  No suitable spawning substrate was available in the immediate vicinity of the siphon.  Riparian cover is present overhanging portions of the creek bank on the north side of the creek that could provide juvenile salmonid holding. 

Specific actions that were completed include:

• Obtain permits

• Open the current access

• Regrade and rock lower portion of access road

• Construct and rock the staging area

• Construct rock bridge to allow excavator access to depression

• Fill depression with large washed quarry rock

• Armor remaining north slope of siphon with same-size washed quarry rock; place rock against pipe, below level of current bedload

• Remove equipment and leave spawning gravel deposit

• Stabilize/complete erosion control activities

• Monitor first storms to ensure adequacy of measures

"The Board of Directors and management of Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District would like to express our appreciation for the diligent work provided in support of the Clear Creek siphon rehabilitation project over the past several years. This very difficult project has been completed successfully and your efforts, and those of your staff, were an integral part of this success.

The Board has also kept apprised of other projects for which we have sought your support, including restoration monitoring at Cottonwood Creek and Crowley Gulch, obtaining a general permit under NPDES, development of a Routine Maintenance Agreement with CDFW, and environmental and permitting support for other projects over the years.

We thank you for your work on all these project and are especially happy to have completed the Clear Creek project with no impacts to the aquatic and riparian habitats within the work site. We look forward to a continuing and successful relationship in the furture."

- Brenda Haynes, President and Stan Wangberg, General Manager

"This letter is to thank you for the support you provided to our recent Clear Creek siphon armor project. I'm still in awe that after first meeting with the Corps at the project site in mid-May, we obtained all the necessary permits and completed the project by October 3.

This would not have been possible without your help, and I'm very pleased that we were able to get this project off the books and on the ground!

Wendy, you're one of my all-time favorite people to work with and I'm going to miss that very much. You have my sincere best wishes for you and VESTRA in the future, and want you to know that your support of all our projects has been exemplary with top-notch results."

- Stan Wangberg, General Manager

Greenwood Dairy

Permitting/Waste Water Pond Design

VESTRA provides permitting, regulatory compliance, engineering and sampling services to many dairies in Northern California. Since 2004 we have assisted the the Greenwood Dairy located in Orland, California. Services have included the permitting of an expansion of the dairy herd from 1800 to 3500 milking head.    VESTRA coordinated the lengthy permitting process, which has included addressing the extensive requirements of the Glenn County CAFO element as well as the Report of Waste Discharge required by the RWQCB.  The expansion included the design and construction of additional freestall barns and doubling the waste water pond capacity. The new ponds were designed to meet RWQCB Title 27 requirements.  We have continued to provide required groundwater monitoring and reporting assistance. 

Gualala Redwoods, Inc

Gualala Redwoods, Inc., retained VESTRA to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for 28,085 acres of timberland in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California.  The site has been managed for the production of timber since the mid-1800s.  The tract is currently managed for timber production using even-aged silvicultural methods.  The property contained three former sawmills, a county dump-site, three homesteads, two cemeteries, and an office building.  The Phase I was conducted under ASTM E2247-08 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Process for Forestland or Rural Property.

Historical photographs were obtained from the local historical society as well as historical aerial photographs to determine the locations of the former sawmills.  Telephone interviews were also conducted with two long-time residents of the Gualala area, including a former mill office employee.  It was important to identify the locations of the former sawmills as potential contamination at these facilities is associated with:

• Dipping of lumbering anti-sap staining fungicides including pentachlorophenol (PCP) (most common at inland mills processing pine lumber)
• Hydrocarbons and solvents at mechanics shops
• Hydrocarbons associated with leakage of compressors and equipment
• Mill dump-sites or burn dump-sites
• Miscellaneous other areas generally associated with rail, such as grade and bunker C tanks

It was determined during the site investigation that any possible contamination at the mill sites would need to be further investigated if the property were to be developed for any use other than industrial.  The area of the former mill burner was regraded and covered with road base following demolition, so it would be difficult to identify areas that may have been impacted.

Dicalite Minerals Corporation

Dicalite Minerals Corporation operates a large, open-pit diatomite mine near Burney in Shasta County, California.  Treated storm water is discharged from the facility to an intermittent tributary to Lake Britton. The RWQCB had issued orders to address elevated zinc concentrations as well as settle-able solids, suspended solids, pH, and acute toxicity detected in effluent samples above the limits set in the site-specific Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs).  VESTRA assisted in identifying sources of elevated zinc associated with plant and quarry operations.  Because discharge and background receiving water concentrations are periodically detected above California Toxics Rule (CTR) levels, a site-specific translator was developed to set new dissolved metals criteria.  Through recent negotiations with the RWQCB, VESTRA assisted Dicalite in obtaining coverage under the General Industrial Storm Water Permit for storm water discharges and rescinding the existing WDRs, greatly reducing sampling and monitoring requirements and associated costs.

Additionally, VESTRA completed permitting of an 80-acre expansion of the Dicalite mine.  The company purchased 160 acres of adjoining land which they planned to use for overburden disposal and stockpiling in addition to mineral development.  Shasta County requested that Dicalite submit an updated Reclamation Plan, Use Permit application, and Initial Study.  The project also required preparation of a Mitigated Negative Declaration under CEQA.  VESTRA prepared the updated Reclamation Plan and Initial Study.  In addition, a Use Permit application was completed.  VESTRA biologists performed vegetation mapping and botanical reconnaissance-level surveys, as well as focused surveys for special-status species.  A Biological Characterization Report, including detailed mitigation measures to ensure sensitive species were not affected by the mine expansion activities, was submitted as part of the Initial Study.

Davis Waste Removal Company

Davis Waste Removal Company (DWRC) operates the curbside recycling program for the City of Davis.  The facility includes a transfer building, shop building, truck wash, truck parking, refueling area, administration building, and storage of recycling, scrap metal and roll-off bins.  The facility has one discharge location.  In 2010, DWRC was served a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue by the California Sport Fishing Alliance (CSPA) under Section 505 of the Clean Water Act citing the failure of DWRC to achieve benchmark values for aluminum, copper, iron, zinc, and chemical oxygen demand.

VESTRA served as the first line of defense against CSPA technical staff and worked with DWRC to identify sources of pollution onsite. This included the development of a sampling plan to determine onsite sources of metals, including anthropogenic deposition from the adjoining highway.  The sampling plan also included an evaluation of the partitioning of the metals into “dissolved” and “total” to better understand sources and determine possible treatment technologies.  Roof runoff at the facility was not separated prior to the CSPA filing and was allowed to co-mingle with storm water.  The roof runoff was found to be a source of zinc. Crushed aluminum cans stored outside prior to transport for recycling were found to be a source of elevated pH and aluminum.  Other pollution sources were also identified.

Based on the findings of the supplemental sampling, additional BMPs were designed and implemented.  These include re-coating of building roofs onsite, paving of a rear storage yard, removal of unused vehicles and waste bins, and the installation of an active treatment system consisting of holding tanks, sand filters, bag filter and, later, the addition of specialized media filter.  Since the installation of the additional BMPs and treatment system, measured parameters are now below benchmark values.

Work with DWRC also included updating the site SWPPP, training staff on sample collection and reporting, and negotiation of the final settlement agreement.