INTEGRATING WILDLIFE AND AQUATIC ORGANISMS IN LARGE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS Terry Brennan, PE Tonto National Forest August 30, 2006

Who am I? From the Tonto National Forest ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) Program Manager 4 Full Time Forest Service Personnel all paid for by ADOT under Agreement Working with ADOT projects for the last twelve years

Optimum Standards Fish/ aquatic organism passage River/stream continuity Wildlife passage

CTIP PROJECT SUMMARY Agency: US Forest Service Project Title: Aquatic Organism Passage Training Description: Conduct courses on inventory and assessment procedures, FishXing software use, including ranking the crossings for biological significance. Conduct courses on site assessment and design including geomorphic and biological considerations, stream simulations. Accomplishment/Status To Date: Workshops on stream simulation design are being held at five locations in FY Contact: Technology & Development Center

Designing for Aquatic Organism Passage at Road-Stream Crossings Salem Missouri May 15-19, 2006 The Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, USDA Forest Service, and the Missouri Department of Conservation will co-sponsor a continuing education workshop May 15-19, in Salem Missouri. The workshop is designed for interdisciplinary three or four person teams including engineers, hydrologists, fish biologists, and aquatic ecologists. Attendees are encouraged to arrange their own teams, but individuals will be accommodated. Course Goals: Participants in this intensive interdisciplinary workshop will learn the necessary skills to design stream-crossing structures that will accommodate aquatic organism passage, provide more natural stream processes and channel function, and maximize the long-term durability and stability of the structure. Although the primary design approach at this workshop will be stream simulation, other design approaches will be discussed and compared. Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams throughout the workshop to resolve aquatic organism passage scenarios at different stages of the site assessment/ design process. A one day field trip to multiple road-stream crossing sites will complement and reinforce workshop materials as participants identify, assess, and discuss the various aquatic, geomorphic/hydrologic, and engineering issues at each site. One of the visited field sites will be used in a class design exercise. Workshop Objectives: Relate the importance of maintaining aquatic and semi-aquatic organism passage and ecosystem connectivity through road crossing structures, including the transport of water, woody debris, and sediment.

d_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Strea m_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdf d_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Strea m_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdf d_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Strea m_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdf d_Wildlife/Interim_Guidelines_for_Aquatic_Organism_Passage_Through_Strea m_Crossing_Structures_in_Vermont.pdf htm

NOW WHO SAYS WE HAVE A CONNECTIVITY PROBLEM

How To Get To Win / Win For Large Construction Highway Projects

Objective: To Build or reconstruct a linear feature that has the least impact on the Natural Environment

Highway 260 realignment. Clearing stage.

So what’s a win/win definition? Highway proponent Project accomplished on time and within budget Resource Agency Enhances or at least minimizes the impact of the project

Getting to WIN / WIN Identify your desired future conditions Be early in the project Think Construction and Contractors Activities What can I take home?

Desired Future Conditions What are you wishing you could do? –Trailhead –Water for public use –Interpretive Site –Fence a riparian –Environmental past abuse repaired –Less roadkill of animals –Wildlife water source –Reconstruct a wetland

Be Early –It’s important Build a solid foundation

Be Early –It’s important Build a solid foundation Timeframe – Important steps can easily be two years before ground disturbing activity Identify your issues and concerns And Get them into the NEPA Document –Animal migration corridors –Key/critical habitat –Generalities not necessarily specifics

Getting to WIN / WIN Impacts that need to be addressed By the Land Management Agency And what’s in it for me?

Material Balance Waste –Interpretive sites –Contractor staging areas Borrow –Boat Ramp Safety obstacle –Reconstruct Wetland – Wildlife Pool in Mo 147,000 cy borrow

Water Construction –May require up to 1MM + gallon per day

Water Resource Management

Water for Compaction

Solutions that we have used on the Tonto National Forest Commercial or private well Surface water from reservoirs Excess surface water from Creek during winter runoff Effluent treatment plant CAP canal

Staging Areas Allow the contractor to put footprint of your project in place –NEPA clearances completed Might get paved Water Needed intersection Utilities

Access Identify where you will allow and what remains at contract completion

Choose Low Maintenance materials for solutions Fix it right the first time More money available in STP than in other sources later Bioengineering solutions Pure engineering answer vs Natural Material

Give all the criteria and info you have For a crossing –How High? –How long? –Skylight? –Cover Requirements for smaller species

Erosion Control Develop SWPPP as part of the contract documents Is there a use for Sedimentation Basins after project completed, ie WL drinker? Erosion Control vs Sedimentation Control –Allow sediment basins to be outside of the footprint of the permanent disturbance

Bridge Impacts Even thought you have a bridge, not all bridges are constructed alike… –Attached is a quick guide on the advantages /disadvantages and impacts of different types of structures

Contract Documents Plans and Specs –Include everything you can think of (including those mentioned today) and have a solution that is defensible in the contract

Take home How to get to Win / Win When it comes to schedule or budget, schedule is usually more critical to an engineer There seems to always be more money, but the public expects timely progress. Targets (scheduled construction) are critical

Take home How to get to Win / Win Get agreements of impacts in contract before contractor starts construction

Take home How to get to Win / Win FHWA is a good partner –FHWA is trying to be better stewards through their actions and guideance –Exemplary Ecosystem Initiative Projects Get your project ideas here and then implement them See what might be possible

Take home How to get to Win / Win Co-sponsor award applications for Highway agency Give them all the credit

QUESTIONS???