Environmental Archives - Page 8 of 12

Water and Natural Resources Team Wraps Up Derry Dell Creek Restoration

Otak recently completed its work on the rehabilitation of the East Fork Derry Dell Creek in Tigard, Oregon. The City of Tigard hired Otak under its on-call contract.

Project manager and principal in charge Kevin Timmins, was joined by Scott Banker who is certified in erosion and sediment control, and Nick Cook, PhD, who provided engineering design for the project.

The creek, on private property, suffered from increased urban runoff that incised the channel and was causing severe erosion along the creek banks and scour around an existing stormwater outfall, so much so that the trunkline sanitary sewer and several laterals had been exposed. Otak was hired to reconstruct about 900 feet of the stream channel, rebury the sewer line, and restore the floodplain connectivity.

Design and permitting for the project started in April 2018 and permits were received in October 2019. To protect fish species construction had to wait for the next state-approved in-water work window of Summer 2020. Construction began mid-summer and was completed in just four weeks.

The old stream channel had reached depths up to six feet due to the excessive erosion so it was filled in and a gravel streambed was built at the upstream end. The stream channel was relocated at the downstream end to what the engineers believe was the original location of the stream. A mix of rock was used in the new channel to resist erosion and the channel was built with variations to mimic a real streambed and create different habitat conditions. Three trees that had fallen across the creek were cut and reused in the floodplain and stream to provide additional habitat enhancements and channel stability.

The team specified the use of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA), designed under the same concept as naturally occurring beaver dams, as a cost-effective and efficient means to slow the water and collect sediment to build back the stream bed elevation so it can better access the floodplain.

Otak’s expert water and natural resources team left the stream in a healthier condition while stabilizing the adjacent slopes and protecting the sanitary sewer.

With the stream completed, the City of Tigard is moving forward this coming fall with revegetation of the adjacent stream corridor and wetland areas.

Otak Provides Hydraulic Modeling and Design for Spurgeon Creek Fish Passage

Otak’s Vancouver office is working with Thurston County, Washington to finalize the construction plans for two new bridges on Spurgeon Creek to restore fish passage. The project is part of a $1,700,000 grant awarded to Thurston County to replace four culverts with an 80-foot pedestrian bridge on the Chehalis Western Trail and a 46-foot vehicular bridge on Latigo Street Southeast. The state of Washington is working on many projects to remove fish passage barriers on state, local, tribal, and private land that block salmon and steelhead access to prime spawning and rearing habitat.

In the project location, Spurgeon Creek flows under two parallel crossings, one roadway and one old railroad grade that was previously turned into a trail. The crossings bisect a large wetland complex, creating a challenge to maintain the backwatered wetlands while opening up the creek for fish passage. The project is looking to incorporate large wooden structures to create hydraulic diversity and enhance habitat within the project reach.

Otak performed an alternatives analysis for the crossings in 2018 to apply for grant funds through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Upon receiving funding, design has been progressing since November 2019.

Thurston County is performing structural and roadway design in-house but hired Otak to provide wetland delineation, as well as hydraulic engineering and stream design services during the design phase. Nathan Dasler, Senior Water Resource Engineer took on the role of project manager and lead engineer for the hydraulics work. “Balancing the wetland impacts with opening up the creek for fish passage has required lots of coordination with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers, the County, tribes and the funding agency to make sure all agency and stakeholder needs were incorporated,” Nathan said.

To gauge the impacts of any new design, Nathan worked with Gary Wolf, senior hydraulic modeler in Otak’s Portland office, to create a two-dimensional hydraulic model utilizing SRH-2D. The model calculates how the creek will flow through the wide floodplains and new bridges and habitat features. Stream velocities and water surface elevations were utilized to design bridge scour mitigation, determine streambed sediment size and evaluate potential flooding impacts. Thurston County and Otak devised and implemented a water level monitoring plan to determine the backwater effects of the existing crossings. The gages will be left in place to provide future information on the effects of the project on water elevations upstream and downstream of the crossings.

Construction is slated to take place during the summer of 2021.

Ryan Makie Keeps Fish Swimming Freely

Fish play an important role ecologically, culturally, and economically in the northwest, so restoring stream habitat to offset the effects of urbanization is crucial work. Otak’s Vancouver office is fortunate to have the skills of Ryan Makie, leader for the Water and Natural Resources Group, to oversee its growing portfolio of fish passage and habitat improvement projects.

While Ryan started school in a typical civil engineering capacity, two internships sparked his interest in water and natural resources, work which he found energized him.

Fast forward many years later and that passion has only grown. “I’m restoring fish passages at road crossings so fish can get through to access upstream habitat. Providing access is one part of restoring our fish populations. In addition to the ecological and economic importance, fish are a first food for the tribal nations in the Pacific Northwest. I get immense job satisfaction knowing I’ve played a role in restoring that resource,” he said.

Two recent projects have put Ryan in the driver’s seat to replace culverts, restore fish passage, and improve stream health.

The Manley Road project in a rural area outside of Battle Ground, Washington, involved the replacement of 4 culverts and the restoration of a substantial reach of the creek to allow a freer flow of Manley Creek, uninhibited fish passage, and improved habitat conditions.

The existing culverts were small, perched, and frequently clogged with debris. Additionally, the creek was too close to the roadway in some locations resulting in an oversteepened roadway embankment. Otak was hired to oversee the stream, structural and environmental components of the project, with Ryan serving as discipline lead for the stream work. The Otak team worked closely with the County who took on the stormwater and roadway portions of the project.

Ryan was the principal in charge for the Emergency Culvert Repair on the Pacific Coast Highway located near La Center, Oregon. During a heavy rainstorm, the highway washed out due to an undersized culvert that became clogged with debris. The County quickly closed the road and declared an emergency, which Ryan explained allowed them to move forward with a quick replacement. In this case, the County requested that a fish passable culvert be designed and constructed right away instead of adding a temporary non-passable culvert as is often the approach for emergency replacements.

The permitting for a project of this type would normally require a lengthy road closure, however, the emergency declaration allowed for addressing the permitting after the fact which relies heavily on close coordination between the designer and permitting agencies. Ryan’s team was the preferred choice of the County due to their rapport with the local permitting agencies that stemmed from years of successful stream-related projects. “We coordinated with agencies in the field, assessed the geomorphic conditions, agreed upon the culvert type, put together a plan, and had a culvert back in place within 45 days. That’s impressive since typical culvert replacements take closer to a year to complete,” Ryan said.

Pacific Highway Emergency Culvert Replacement Project Wins APWA Project of the Year Award

We are excited to announce another Otak project—the Pacific Highway Emergency Culvert Replacement in Clark County—has been awarded Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Washington Chapter. The Clark County Public Works project was recognized for excellence in the Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair Category for projects under $5 million.

Following a heavy snow and rain event in February 2019, the existing culvert under Pacific Highway (northwest of La Center, Washington) was obstructed by debris and impounded water on the upstream end. The roadway base was also severely undermined, resulting in a deep scour hole beneath the road, and failure of the reinforced concrete panels of the old highway. The Clark County Council passed a Declaration of Emergency to expedite environmental approvals and contracting for the roadway repairs, and to reopen the highway as soon as possible. As the engineering consultant on-call, Otak was hired to quickly design a new crossing for the unnamed tributary.

In addition to re-opening the roadway, the County had specific goals beyond the typical temporary emergency culvert replacement:

Design a permanent solution to avoid future disruptions, costs, and road closures.
Ensure safe fish passage to the area’s Chinook, chum, coho, and steelhead.
Provide a cost-effective solution.
Avoid utility shutdowns.

The project design team consisted of Otak as the prime consultant, Zucker Engineering for additional engineering capacity, and Hart Crowser for geotechnical evaluations. Together with contractor Thompson Bros. Excavating, the team worked to design and construct a 13-foot span culvert, embedded with a natural stream bottom to repair the road and provide new fish passage. The road was reopened on March 29, 2019, just 45 days after the failure.

Congratulations to Nathan Dasler, PE, CFM, CWRE, and the rest of the team for successfully guiding this critical emergency project and quickly delivering an effective long-term solution to ensure public safety and restore critical fish passage.

To read more about this project click here.

Work Underway to Restore Fish Passages in WA

Otak, working as a sub-consultant to HNTB Corporation, is providing design and engineering services on an ambitious project for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to renovate or replace up to 450 culverts and restore safe fish passages throughout the state’s Northwest Region. The project is in response to a mandate by the federal government. The current goal is to complete 450 culverts in two phases, the first phase is to complete Preliminary Hydraulic Designs (PHDs) for all the culverts within the next three years, and to complete the final designs and construction within the next ten years.

In 2018, native tribes in Washington won a lawsuit against the state for allowing construction of more than 2000 culverts across State roads that, according to the lawsuit, diminished the number of spawning fish below the amount that was assured to be protected in the Treaty between the State and the Tribes. The culverts were constructed decades ago when the science on fish migration was preliminary so while the state, offices of WSDOT, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, complied with state and federal guidelines for the construction at the time, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the tribes that the culverts were now acting as barriers. The court concluded that 2,000 culverts must be listed as a high priority and corrected by 2030.

Otak was one of the firms chosen to work on the HNTB team because it is one of few engineering firms with the breadth of skills to be able to perform this work and has the capacity to get the job done quickly. The Otak team is being led by Russ Gaston, Principal and Project Manager. Otak’s Stream Design Engineers are playing a crucial role in the hydrologic design that must meet the project’s criteria and be in compliance with state and federal regulations. In addition, Otak is applying its experience with MicroStation, the CAD software WSDOT uses and is a unique skill among engineering firms.

Otak has initiated scoping on to complete PHDs for ten of the fish passage culverts, to have them completed within three months after WSDOT provides surveys of each location. The team will determine if a more efficiently designed culvert, a bridge, or natural streaming will be the best solution at each location. The culverts, generally placed under roadways, need to allow a flow of water that isn’t too fast or too shallow or results in a waterfall at either end.

“The job is not simply to replace culverts but to look at alternatives such as avoiding passage near a road, using bridges, or adding water passages that mimic natural streams,” Gaston states. Otak’s Stream Design Engineers are conducting a preliminary hydrologic design report to examine the movement of water and overall watershed sustainability to determine the best way forward for each culvert. Each Fish Barrier Culvert replacement is estimated to have a design cost of around $400,000.

The Miller Creek Daylighting Project

Miller Creek Daylighting Project Restores Life to Vacant Land Near SeaTac Airport

The City of Burien, Washington, in financial partnership with the Port of Seattle Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac airport), the City of Seatac, and Washington Department of Ecology awarded a contract to Otak to design a restoration plan for a 162-acre subarea of vacant, residential, and commercial land adjacent to the SeaTac airport. The project, known as Miller Creek Daylighting for the waterway that flows through property owned by the Port within the Cities of Burien and Seatac city limits, is scheduled to begin construction in 2021, following the Port of Seattle Commission’s approval of Otak’s plan. Otak is currently under contract to finalize the design, work with regulatory agencies, and provide construction management.

The property had several problems to address. It is in the flight path of the airport’s third runway, has degenerated over the years, and attracted activities that were considered a public safety concern. Miller Creek that crosses the property, flows through open stream, as well as through underground pipes and tunnels that have eroded and at one time caused a sinkhole. Stormwater runoff from an adjacent highly developed property is also destroying the natural habitat.

The first step was for Otak to evaluate the property for alternative uses that would be compatible with the airport and remain a tax revenue source for the city. The property use itself had to be considered along with stormwater management. Russ Gaston was brought in as the principal in charge to develop a top-down approach of how to work within the floodplain and stream buffers to correct stormwater management issues, and also create trails and recreation.

Otak’s role in the project was extensive, encompassing land use and conceptual master planning as well as capital facilities and infrastructure planning. Public outreach and participation were part of the design process, along with working through regulatory guidelines. Otak managed the development of the Supplemental EIS and provided technical analysis, and developed a master drainage plan, land use plan, and identified fish barriers for removal. The City also asked for improvements to roads, stormwater, and utilities, and then hired a lobbyist to work with the FAA to start a pilot program for redevelopment of the area.

In developing alternative plans, Otak was able to devise a way to daylight Miller Creek, taking a significant reach of the stream from flowing almost completely through a pipe network to bringing it up to ground level as a natural feature. This design brought an extended contract that also includes building a floodplain trailhead and trail that connect the Miller creek floodplain, an area that did not previously exist.

In addition to daylighting the stream, Otak also was able to include a fish passage in its design creating additional salmon spawning habitat along Miller Creek and working towards the goals of restoring the Puget Sound Watershed.

The final design also integrates with three regional stormwater infiltration facilities, a constructed floodplain wetland, and dispersed green stormwater treatment facilities, a new regional trail along the Miller Creek corridor, and public open space. The newly constructed green stormwater facilities will treat and infiltrate stormwater runoff from approximately 50 acres including runoff from seven acres of existing streets and 43 acres of future redevelopment of impervious areas. The plan allows for simulating the natural hydrology of the area through the addition of rain gardens, biofiltration, and the creation of wetlands that enhance habitat and a wildlife corridor.

Through the design process and as work proceeds, Otak will be working in partnership with multiple 3rd party agencies including the Port of Seattle, SeaTac airport, the City of Seatac, the FAA, WA Department of Ecology, and the City of Burien.

Pringle Creek Project Restores Waterway and Increases Fish Passage

Otak has recently completed the design and structural and civil engineering work on the Pringle Creek Demolition and Stream Restoration project in Salem, Oregon. The project is just one of several that continue to advance the City’s vision, which has been on-going since the 1980s, to turn its waterfront from previous industrial use to public space and an area for economic redevelopment.

The City of Salem hired Otak to complete design on the project within a short timeframe. Otak relied on many of its skilled employees to complete the required work including Kevin Timmins, PE – Principal; Scott Nettleton, PE – Structural Lead; Greg Mines, PE – Structural Engineering; Nick Cook, EI, PhD – Stream Reconstruction Design; Gary Wolff, PE, D.WRE – Hydraulic Modeling; Scott Banker, RLA, CESCL – Construction Observation; and Mandy Flett – Construction Assistant. Suulutaaq Inc. won the construction bid and performed well as the Prime Contractor on a challenging site.

The site of this project had been home to a mill, most recently a paper mill, for more than 100 years. After the mill closed the City partnered with the owner to have the building removed. Removing the building was fairly straightforward. The challenge was to demolish the building’s substructure that sat within the 100-year floodplain of the Willamette River in the waterway known as Pringle Creek and then reconstruct the creek to a more naturally functioning stream for fish passage.

Sequencing plans were prepared to incrementally remove the building, construct the embankment, and maintain a stable wall configuration during and after construction. A carefully crafted staging plan for demolition and stream reconstruction was required to maintain the existing fish ladder, convey stream flows through the site, and protect the stream from sediment and falling demolition debris.

Otak used ground-penetrating radar to scan the old concrete for the presence of rebar reinforcement and then designed an embankment fill to buttress the remaining wall and, once graded, to provide a location for a future trail connection and space to incorporate urban furnishings and fixtures.

Otak was originally contracted to provide riprap stabilization of Pringle Creek, however, hydraulic conditions made riprap a questionable solution, as the use of riprap was found to require as much effort and expense as reconstructing the stream. The team needed to engineer and construct a natural feature to make it look like it had always been there. A combination of large boulders, trees with root wads intact, riparian plantings, and channel topography were introduced to create habitat complexity and hydraulic diversity to provide fish passage, and access to the remaining 15-square miles of the Pringle Creek Watershed for migratory salmon.

The size and scope of the project necessitated coordination among several firms including

Pacific Habitat Services who was key in obtaining environmental permits, and Geo Design Inc. who assisted with the management of contaminated soils. The prime contractor relied on two key subcontractors; Cascade Shoring and Abiqua Landscape.

While the goal of the project was to remove a run-down and unsafe structure over the stream, the end result was improved water quality, increased fish passage, and a desirable gateway and future multi-use trail connection between downtown Salem and Riverfront Park. Otak looks forward to an opportunity to help complete the associated trail project in the future, and to continue it’s working relationship with the City of Salem.

Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project Wins APWA Project of the Year

Otak is pleased to announce the Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project won both the American Public Works Association (APWA) National and Washington State Chapter, 2020 Project of the Year Award in the category of Environment: $25 million to $75 million. Entered projects are judged on construction management, environmental protection, safety performance, and community relations.

Otak’s Redmond and Everett team provided support to the Snohomish County Public Works Department who managed construction for the project that reestablished tidal marsh conditions to more than 330 acres of the Snohomish River estuary. Work was completed in November 2018.

The project included breaching 4,510 feet of dike to restore tidal flow to the estuary, reconnecting 18,480 feet of tidal channels, and creating 10,994 feet of new channel habitat, and a 1.2-mile new setback dike to protect public and private infrastructure including agriculture and highway. Funding came, in part, through $20.8 million in state and federal grants.

Over the last century, the Snohomish River Estuary had become disconnected from tidal influence due to the installation of 40 dikes, years of deforestation, and urbanization. This altered the functioning of the landscape and caused a tremendous loss of juvenile salmon production. In 1999, Puget Sound Chinook was listed as an endangered species, sparking Snohomish County to acquire 415 acres on Smith Island for habitat restoration. Those efforts took five years. Over the next eight years, the design, permitting, and securing of funds commenced allowing construction to begin in 2015.

The work was done in two phases to accommodate two years of consolidation settlement and subsequent placement of drain pipes in the levee, and to account for tidal fluctuations, weather delays, winter construction suspensions, and work-date restrictions to protect aquatic life.

In Phase 1, Scarsella Brothers constructed the infrastructure to protect surrounding public and private development and initiated restoration of the marsh. For Phase 2, Orion Marine Contractors connected 3.5 miles of tidal channels and installed 42 engineered wood structures to facilitate channel formation and provide cover for juvenile salmon.

Otak is proud to have been involved in the Smith Island Estuary Restoration Project. The benefits from this restoration effort will help bring back several endangered species of salmon contributing more than 30 percent of the Snohomish estuary acreage restoration target that was established in the federally-adopted Chinook salmon recovery plan for the Snohomish Basin. Smith Island now can support up to 250,000 juvenile salmon each year and provides public access to water recreation, walking trails, and wildlife viewing areas, as well as enhanced aquatic habitat and water quality. In addition, Smith Island is an important stopover on the regional flight corridor for migratory birds flying between Alaska, Mexico, and South America.

Otak’s Western Washington SMAP Report

Posted on May 6, 2020March 29, 2023 by OTAK Team

In December 2019, Otak surveyed staff from 26 Western Washington’s Phase II municipal stormwater permittees to assess their preparedness to develop an effective Stormwater Management Action Plan.

Under the 2019-2024 NPDES permit’s SMAP requirement, cities and counties will need to develop a capital improvement program specifically to improve the water quality of their rivers, lakes, and streams—a first for many of the permittees.

The study’s results are highlighted in Otak’s white paper “How Prepared Are Phase II Western Washington Jurisdictions to Create Stormwater Management Action Plans?” and covers:
* how well SMAP requirements are understood,
* how stormwater management is communicated between departments, and
* what resources can help permittees reach compliance.

Otak Partners with Earth Day Oregon to Support Nonprofit Depave

Times are challenging as we all face the impacts of COVID-19. But as our day to day lives have been disrupted, mother nature continues on unabated. Flowers have come up, migrating birds have returned, and temperatures are rising.

In recognition of all that nature provides, Earth Day is celebrated throughout April. While this year there won’t be group events as we practice social distancing, Otak is still taking this time to celebrate the great outdoors.

Otak has again signed on as a business partner for Earth Day Oregon to recognize, support and celebrate our planet and those organizations that work hard every day for our natural world. Through Earth Day Oregon, Otak donated to Depave, a nonprofit that works to turn paved spaces into greenspaces to create more livable cities. We understand the environmental and social benefits greenspace can have and gladly stand behind and have volunteered for the many projects Depave has undertaken to green the landscape of Portland. We look forward to working together with Depave on its next project.

On the homefront, Otak’s GO Committee and Operations Team remind us that Earth Day is really every day and there are things we can do in our daily lives to get back to nature.

1. Start a small garden. You can build raised beds in your yard, or simply pot some herbs and veggies to grow on your porch.
2. Bike and walk more. Do you live near your local grocery store? Consider if it is possible to walk or bike for your next trip to the store (while following proper PPE and social distancing guidelines). A win-win for getting outside and getting your essential errands done.
3. Start a home compost. Many of us are already doing this. Check-in with your local trash service to see if they offer compost pick up. If not and if space allows, you can start composting in your backyard by purchasing something like a “Bio Monster” or “Worm Factory” bin and use the compost for your garden.
4. Shop locally, eat seasonally. With stay-at-home orders in place during the opening weeks for farmers’ markets, your local market or farm might be offering pick-up or delivery!
5. Play Earth Day Bingo! Get the family involved in this great activity from the City of Kirkland.

Getting outside is one of the recommendations for keeping COVID-19 at bay, as well as a way to maintain your mental health. We want our employees to stay healthy so we encourage you to get out and show your love for the planet, on earth day and every day!