About the Project
In February of 2017 the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway was severely damaged, requiring the evacuation of 180,000 people living downstream. In February, while evacuations were still in place, we were hired by DWR and Syblon Ried Co. to temporarily stabilize the site from Erosion Control on an emergency basis. Kiewit was tasked with the replacement of the spillway, and they awarded the Erosion Control portion of the job to SSEC. Kiewit and SSEC have a 30-year relationship. They trusted SSEC to handle the project because they knew we had the fleet size and expertise to do the job.
Client
Kiewit
Industries Served
Government AgencySolution / Service Type
Erosion Control
Bonded Fiber Matrix, Straw Blowing
Project Size
- 120 Acres of Profile’s Cocoflex along with native seed mix, fertilizer and Mycorrhizal Inoculum
- 45 Acres of Rainier’s BFM, along with native seed mix, fertilizer and Mycorrhizal Inoculum and Rice straw
Challenges
The hydroseed application specified for the project was inadequate because of the size, steepness and rainwater runoff we would face in the winter months. There were no erosion control or grading plans, so this was a design/build job which would require SSEC’s expertise in a very tight time schedule to prepare for winter. 950 people worked on the site of this $1.1 billion job, causing major traffic congestion from rock trucks and cranes. In addition, all crafts were tasked with different duties, haul roads were placed all over the site to access quarries, concrete plants, employee parking and crane pads up and down both sides of the spillway.
How We Solved It
We began by helping DWR rewrite and update the hydroseed mix design, adding Cocoflex, BFM and Rice Straw at various different application rates. This resulted in five different applications depending on slope size, steepness & potential rainwater drainage. Jay Selby and Lonnie Morelock performed weekly inspections, marking up plans with recommendations for each area requiring erosion control and prescribing customized treatment. This plan became the working guide for SSEC’s trained crews to perform the erosion control work, while mitigating steep terrain and congested working areas.
Additional Projects
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