Texas Riparian & Stream Ecosystem Workshop – Carters Creek Watershed

 

 

 

November 21, 2013

College Station Wastewater Treatment Meeting Facility
2200 North Forest Parkway
College Station, Texas 77845 (map)

Trainings will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct economic impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover an introduction to riparian principles, watershed processes, basic hydrology, erosion/deposition principles, and riparian vegetation, as well as potential causes of degradation and possible resulting impairment(s), and available local resources including technical assistance and tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation.

These one-day trainings in watersheds across the state will include both indoor classroom presentations and outdoor stream walks.

The goal is for participants to better understand and relate to riparian and watershed processes, the benefits that healthy riparian areas provide, and the tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation and improve water quality. At the conclusion of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Continuing Education Units Available

• Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicators License - 3 CEUs
• Texas Water Resources Institute - 1 CEU
• Texas Nutrient Management Planning Specialists - 6 hours
• Texas Forestry Association – up to 6 hours
• Society of American Foresters – up to 4. 5 hours
• Texas Board of Architectural Examiners “Acceptable for HSW credit”
• The program may also be used for CEUs for Professional Engineers.

Please complete the form below to RSVP for the Texas Riparian and Stream Ecosystem Workshop, November 21, 2013 at the College Station Wastewater Treatment Facility.

There will be a catered lunch available for $10 cash at the door, but please feel free to bring your own lunch as we will have a lunchtime presentation before heading to the stream site. Please go online and RSVP and select if you would like the catered lunch or if you will bring your own.

For more information or questions please contact Nikki Dictson at 979-458-5915 or             

n-dictson@tamu.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop

 Come join us for the Cross Timbers Landowner Workshop

 

Date & Time:
Friday, October 18th
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Location:
White Rock Ranch
2205 Clark Lake Road
Weatherford, TX 76088

Come learn about:

• The Cross Timbers region 
• Wildlife Habitat Management
• Range Management
• Conservation Easements
• Tax Appraisals
• Understanding Tree Valuations

Don't miss our guest speaker  - Texas State Representative King's presentation on Eminent Domain

 
Admission is $10 and lunch is provided

RSVP by October 15th to

Renee Burks, Staff Forester
Texas A&M Forest Service

rburks@tfs.tamu.edu

254-386-3361

September 2013 BMP Q&A

           By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: My crew is in the middle of thinning a 15 year old pine plantation.  In the middle of the tract, leading down to an intermittent stream is an old legacy road that has washed out over time.  It is very apparent that the when all the timber was harvested over 15 years ago that no BMPs were used.  As this gully approaches the stream it gets deeper and deeper.  Where the gully meets the stream it is deep enough to swallow a pickup!  For the most part, the gully hasn’t eroded any more in quite some time.  There is little to no evidence of recent soil movement, and there is a pretty heavy layer of pine straw and other litter on top of the soil.  We have kept all our equipment out of the gully and haven’t cut any trees on the edge of the gully in order to keep things from washing out anymore than they already are.  What is our next move here?  How should we treat this highly eroded legacy road in future management operations? 

A: Excellent question, and one that addresses an issue that I am sure other folks are experiencing out there.  First and foremost, good job staying out of the gully and not harvesting the trees along the edge.  Even though the gully started out as a poorly placed road, it is now acting as an ephemeral drain and should be treated as such. 

The best way to keep this gully from eroding further is to keep equipment out entirely and to maintain a buffer of trees around the edge and above the head of the gully.  Now you may remember that Texas Forestry BMP guidelines do not require an SMZ on ephemeral drains, but depending on the situation, some protection is needed.  This is certainly a situation where some protection is needed.  The amount of protection, the width of the buffer, will depend on the soil type and topography of the site, based on your professional judgment. 

The buffer will accomplish several goals in the name of erosion prevention and protecting water quality.  The first goal is interception.  The canopy of the trees comprising the buffer will intercept rainfall and reduce the resulting soil movement from raindrop impact.  The second is root structure.  The roots of these trees will hold the soil in place, reducing the chance of the gully getting wider.  Since you are in the process of harvesting timber on site, the amount of water traveling to the gully is going to increase.  This surplus of water is a result of the harvested trees not being there to use it anymore.  The trees making up the buffer will intercept the bulk of this water, preventing further erosion. 

Maintaining a buffer also limits equipment intrusion.  Remember, since water is naturally draining towards the gully and in more abundance with less timber around to utilize it, the area around the gully is going to be much more prone to rutting.  Even in dry conditions it is important to minimize equipment operations immediately adjacent to the gully as this can cause soil disturbance that will eventually lead to further erosion issues. 

While it may seem like a good idea to place hay bales, slash, or silt fences in the gully, this should be avoided.  In a case such as this, where everything seems to have stabilized relatively well, putting something in the gully would likely cause further erosion on the side banks causing the gully to widen.  Placing hay bales or silt fences in the gully would not only enhance erosion, but also costs time and money.  Time and money that you could be devoting to other aspects of your operation, such as installing BMPs elsewhere!

In conclusion, an ephemeral drain is an ephemeral drain no matter how it started out.  No matter if a drain was put here by Mother Nature or the faults of man, at this point it deserves our protection.  Keep the questions coming, you can send them to me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu or call them in using the phone number 936-639-8180.  

*This article was published in the September 2013 edition of the Texas Logger

August 2013 BMP Q&A

                By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Mmmmm....dips. But not quite.

Q: While looking through the blue book, I noticed that you have specifications for both broad-based dips and rolling dips.  I was always under the impression that these were basically the same thing.  Can you explain the difference between the two, and when you might use one instead of the other?

A: Excellent question, and one that we get quite a bit!  Upon first glance, rolling dips and broad-based dips do not appear to be much different at all.  They both accomplish the same goal: to provide cross drainage on in-sloped roads.  The differences between the two are quite subtle, but knowing these differences can save you time and money down the road when it comes to road construction and maintenance. 

Both rolling dips and broad-based dips are reverse slopes in the road surface that outslopes for natural cross-drainage.  Rolling dips are designed to be used on haul roads and heavily used skid trails.  Broad-based dips differ in that they are designed for use mostly on heavily used haul roads.  Rolling dips can be used on roads with up to a 15% grade, while broad-based dips should be used on roads that do not exceed a 12% grade.  The spacing on broad-based dips should change with every 2% change in gradient, while the spacing with rolling dips changes with every 5% change in gradient. 

With broad-based dips, the reverse grade should always be 3% and approximately 20 feet in length.  Rolling dips are slightly more flexible in their size and gradient.  Guidelines for rolling dips call for the reverse grade to be between 3% and 8% with the length ranging from 10 to 15 feet.  The slight differences between the two allow for higher vehicle speeds on broad-based dips than on rolling dips. 

Since broad-based dips are used on high traffic roads, some other considerations may be necessary.  On some soils, the dip and reverse grade section may require bedding with crushed stone to avoid rutting the road surface.  Also, energy absorbers such as rip rap, and in some cases, a level area should be installed at the outfall of the dip in order to slow down runoff and keep erosion minimized. 

With both types of dips, neither the dip nor the hump should have a sharp, angular break, but instead should be rounded to allow smooth flow of traffic.  Properly constructed dips require minimal maintenance and continue to function years after abandonment, saving your road and saving you money. 

Please keep your questions coming.  You can email them to me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu or phone them in by calling (936)639-8180. 

*This article was published in the August 2013 edition of the Texas Logger

June 2013 BMP Q&A

By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: When harvesting trees within an SMZ I've always been told to keep tops and slash out of the stream, however, when you walk along a stream in the forest there are tons of limbs already in the stream. What is the big deal?  I know it is a guideline, but why is it so important to keep limbs out of the stream when there are already so many there naturally?

A: You bring up a good point, but since there are in fact lots of limbs and debris in the stream bed, there is no need to add any additional debris.  First and foremost, the more debris that gets added to a stream the greater the likelihood of the stream being dammed up and as a result causing flooding.  Flooding is going to happen from time to time with heavy rains, but the less floods in these forested streams the better.  With excessive flooding comes the potential for more erosion on a site, as well as the potential for nutrient loss in the soil.  As the flood waters recede, the eroded soil and nutrients are then carried to the stream, severely affecting water quality.  This flooding could also cause a reduction in the amount of water downstream, further affecting other bodies of water.

Build up of slash in an intermittent stream in East Texas

With the increase of limbs in the stream also comes more scouring or erosion of the stream bank itself.  Since this already occurs naturally, additional scouring can be problematic.  The first issue comes with more sediment in the stream.  More sediment traveling downstream has many negative effects on water quality as well as on aquatic plants and animals.   This increased scouring also releases nutrients that were once stored up in the soil of the stream banks.  As more nutrients travel downstream, they can accumulate and degrade water quality. 

Another benefit of keeping the slash out of the stream is being able to utilize the slash elsewhere on the tract.  Slash is an excellent tool for erosion prevention on closed out skid trails and temporary roads.  Why contribute to a problem when something can contribute to a solution? 

In conclusion, keep slash out of streams, the folks downstream will thank you, aquatic life will thank you, and the landowner will thank you.  Remember extra debris in the stream contributes to flooding and water quality degradation.  Remember to keep the questions coming, you can send them to me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu or just phone it in by calling (936) 639-8180.  

*This article was published in the June 2013 edition of the Texas Logger  

May 2013 BMP Q&A

By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q:  One type of temporary stream crossing that I have heard mentioned, but never seen or even heard discussed in great detail are PVC bundles.  What exactly are these and how can I construct my own?

A:  Excellent question about an innovative stream crossing method.  PVC bundle crossings can be constructed relatively cheap from readily available materials and can be re-used and repaired without issue.  While not suited for large streams, PVC bundles can be used on most ephemeral and intermittent streams with a U-shaped profile that are not more than 10-feet wide and 4-feet deep in channels with low flow.  Think of these bundles as a large handful of straws. 

In order to create a 12-foot wide pipe bundle that is 16-feet long when laid flat, you will need 12 20-foot joints of 4-inch diameter schedule 40 PVC pipe, four 18-foot lengths of 3/16 inch galvanized steel cable, and eight 3/16 inch cable clamps.  The 20-foot joints of pipe should be sawed into 12-foot sections with the remaining eight feet sawed in half so there are two 4-foot joints, per 20-foot joint of pipe.  Next, drill ¼ inch holes completely through the 12-foot long joints at locations 2-feet and four-feet from either end; on the 4-foot long joints, 2 ¼-inch holes should be drilled, each 1-foot from the end.  Alternate one 12 foot long joint with one row made of two 4-foot wide joints placed 2-feet from each other.  Finally, you will connect the joints of pipe.  To do this, string each strand of galvanized cable through the holes in each joint of pipe.  Once strung through, make loops on the ends of each cable and secure them with the cable clamps.  Each cabled section should be loose so pipes can conform to the stream channel.  When you are done there should be 2 4-foot sections of PVC remaining, these can be used at your discretion.   

In order to utilize your newly constructed bundle, begin by lying on end of the pipe bundle at the top of the bank and allow the rest of the bundle to lie in the stream channel slowly piling it back on top of itself.  The ends of the bundle should be resting on banks opposite each other.  The loops in the cable can then be used to tie off the bundle to anchor points on each side of the stream.  You may want to lay boards across the bundle perpendicular to allow for better traction when crossing.  When it is time to remove the crossing, simply undo the anchor points and lift the bundle out by the cables that are attached the pipe on top.  After the bundle is removed be sure to inspect it for any damage and replace any damaged pipes before re-use. 

Once the bundle has been removed, always remember to stabilize your approaches, just as you would with any stream crossing.  Also, keep in mind where appropriate stream crossings should be located: straight sections of stream that can be approached at a 90-degree angle.  This concludes this month’s BMP Q&A, remember you can send any questions to me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu, or you can phone them in by calling (936) 639-8180. 

*This article was published in the May 2013 edition of the Texas Logger

What to consider: Culverts

Poorly installed and improperly designed culverts can lead to excessive erosion, damage to streams, high maintenance costs, and road failure.  In order to prevent these issues it is important to consider culvert type, diameter, length, and location.

Excessive sedimentation from a poorly planned culvert

Type
There are two types of culverts: stream crossings and cross drains.  The first type, a stream crossing culvert, is generally placed in a location where a permanent stream crossing may be necessary, since it is often too costly both economically and ecologically to remove. These culverts allow both stream flow and aquatic wildlife to pass underneath the road.  The second type, cross drains, are used to transport upland runoff, accumulated in road ditches on the upland side of the roadway to the lower end where both flow volume and velocity can be dissipated.

Mouth of a cross drain culvert

Diameter
Culvert diameter is determined by both the soil type on the site, how steep the site is, and the acreage of the watershed that the culvert drains.  Taking into consideration these factors ensures that the culvert is sizable enough to handle the maximum volume of water that it may encounter.

Culvert size chart from page 51 of the Texas Forestry Best Management Practices Handbook 

Length
Culvert length is dictated by how wide the road is.  Culverts should be long enough so that each end extends at least one foot beyond the edge of the fill on either side.

Location
Culvert location is paramount in dictating the longevity of the culvert.  In stream crossings, culverts should be placed in a section of stream where the channel is straight and the stream bed is firm.  Cross drain culverts should be spaced out depending on slope.  Cross drain culvert spacing can be determined using the following formula:

Culvert spacing = (400'/slope%)+100
         *Slope in percent is expressed as a whole number (i.e. 15%=15)
               
            Example: Spacing = (400'/15)+100'
                          Spacing= 127'

Conditions
In addition to factoring in culvert specifications, it is also extremely important to factor in current weather conditions and trends.  Culvert installation should be done when stream flows and chance of rain are low.  Ideally, the entire installation process should be completed before a rain event.

UP NEXT:  Installing your culvert