After some early delays due to rain and subsequent high water in the river, we have made considerable progress on Project Area 2 (PA2) in Upper Jay. Since access to the site is limited to an area at the northern (downstream) end of the project, the first step in the construction process was to create a temporary causeway to allow the excavator and trucks to move in and out each day. The causeway allowed the construction of the toe wood bench to proceed along the eastern bank of the river as trucks deliver loads of wood and coir fabric that are used with gravel from the river bed to construct the bench.
A causeway was constructed by piling sediment from the river bed to facilitate access to the site. View is to the south, looking upstream from the northern end of the project area. State Route 9N runs along the entire length of the project area.
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A toe wood bench is currently under construction along the eastern bank of the river. The bench will slightly narrow the river which improves its ability to transport cobble sediment and break up ice jams more effectively. The bench shifts the river away from State Route 9N and will absorb some of the energy of the faster moving water along the outside of the river bend.
As the toe wood bench nears completion in the coming weeks, work will shift to the construction of rock vanes that will hold the stream bed in place, directing water away from the stream banks towards the center of the river and allowing the formation of deep pools for critical aquatic habitat. The end date for construction is uncertain since weather plays a role in the ability of our contractor to work within the river channel, but we expect that work will continue at least through the end of September.
Conceptual plan showing the locations of design elements along the length of the project area. Our goal is to rebuild a self-sustaining channel that is capable of managing sediment, ice jams, and flood waters more effectively.
Story by Gary Henry, Stream Restoration Manager. Top photo: Drone image looking south towards the upstream end of Project Area 2.
This project has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) under assistance agreement (LC 00A00981-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
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