dirt and gravel gazette

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1 dirt and gravel gazette Fall 2011 Inside this Issue: Bud Byron Award 2 Other News 3 Insert: Worksite in Focus The Newsletter of the Center for Dirt and Gravel Roads at Penn State Dirt and Gravel Program Funding You have probably heard an increasing amount of buzz about the potential for additional transportation funding in Pennsylvania. Center Staff (on behalf of the Dirt and Gravel Road Program) have been active in the Keystone Transportation Funding Coalition that has been working to develop recommendations to the Governor for a comprehensive transportation funding package. The Center is seeking additional funding for the Program as part of any comprehensive funding package that is sent to the Governor. Additional funding for the Program would focus funding on rural Pennsylvania and would go a long way to addressing the backlog of 14,000 identified worksites already on the books statewide. The Program, which has not seen a funding increase since it began in 1997, is in need of additional funding to make up for lost buying power due to inflation and rising costs Annual Maintenance Workshop Be sure to check out the Center s new website. Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies Penn State University 215 Transportation Research Building University Park, PA toll-free: No-To-Mud ( ) Made possible through the support of: Attendees visit a wind farm access road at the 2011 Workshop in Wilkes-Barre. The 2011 Annual Maintenance Workshop was held September 27 th and 28 th in Wilkes- Barre, PA. The event attracted over 130 attendees from around the state including Consecration District, Bureau of Forestry, Municipal Government, DEP, private vendors, and others. Day-one included a field trip to discuss wind power and erosion issues on a wind farm access road, pictured above. The field trip also visited several completed projects in the Lackawanna State Forest where attendees saw several French mattresses, pipe installations, underdrain, DSA, and more. Day-two entailed a day-long field trip into the Marcellus region of Susquehanna County. It included a stop at a previously completed Dirt and Gravel Road Project that had been subjected to Marcellus hauling. It also included a stop at an active well site thanks to Carrizo Oil & Gas. The group also looked at several roads to discuss various impacts that the Marcellus gas play is having on the Program and on public roads in general. Workshop proceedings, including all information given out at the workshop, pictures, and more, will be available soon on the Center s website. The location and timing of the 2012 Maintenance Workshop has not been determined yet. November

2 questions from the field Q Where do I get help with projects? A With continual turnover and new faces in Districts, Townships, and Forestry, it is worth a reminder about the Center s availability for technical assistance. The Center provides technical assistance to both the municipal and forestry branches of the Dirt and Gravel Road Program. Most technical assistance visits relate to the planning or implementation of Dirt and Gravel Road Program projects in the field. Both remote (phone & ) and on-site technical assistance is available. It is important for townships to remember, however, that the Conservation Districts run the Program in each County. A township s first call about a potential project should be to their Conservation District. The District can then contact the Center for assistance if necessary. Technical assistance request can be made over the phone (toll free) at or via at dirtandgravel@psu.edu. Have a question? Submit it to dirtandgravel@psu.edu 2 November 2011 Bud Byron Award Presented to Matt Beaver (PA Bureau of Forestry) Bud Byron Award The Bud Byron Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the fundamental principles of the Dirt and Gravel Road Program. The award is named in honor of the former President of PA Trout Unlimited, Bud Byron, who spearheaded the statewide campaign to bring the impact of sediment pollution to PENNDOT. Trout Unlimited led the effort that resulted in the creation of the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program in The Bud Byron Award is only given out on an as-deserved basis. This is only the sixth time it has been awarded. Matt Beaver poses with the Bud Byron Award after receiving it at the 2011 Workshop Award: Matt Beaver Matt Beaver oversees the Bureau of Forestry s annual $1 Million allocation through the Dirt and Gravel Road Program. While the Dirt and Gravel Road Program is just one of Matt s many duties, he began to make the Program a priority for the Bureau. Since he transferred to Forestry s Central Office in 2001, Matt has steadily refocused Forestry s Program to put a greater emphasis on training and on funding specific projects with environmental impact. Here are some of the improvements that Matt has made in the way Forestry runs their Program over the years. Matt has: developed an equitable system for the annual allocation of funds to the 20 individual Forest Districts, covering over 2000 miles of Dirt and Gravel Roads. insured that all Forestry project sites MUST have an environmental focus to address stream pollution issues in order to be funded. dedicated part of the funding to an annual Demonstration Project in a different Forest District to showcase projects and highlight innovative practices. mandated that all staff associated with the Program must attend the ESM training once every 5 years. pushed for the use of a Geographic Information System, similar to the one Conservation Districts use, to track forestry s Dirt and Gravel Road Projects. required the use of DSA over traditional aggregates on all funded sites. He has also placed an emphasis on DSA quality by encouraging aggregate testing. made sure that the Program s ESM techniques were added to the road section of Forestry s Oil and Gas Guidelines guidance manual and upcoming Bureau Road Manual. Matt takes a very hands-on approach to the Dirt and Gravel Road Program. He knows the name of almost everyone in all 20 Forest districts, from the District Forester to the grader operator. Matt visits nearly every site that the Bureau s Program Funds. NEARLY EVERY SITE. Sometimes repeatedly. Matt deserves this award for continually going above and beyond what was necessary in support of the goals and ideals of the Dirt and Gravel Road Program.

3 ANF Road Sediment Study The Center is nearing completion of a sediment quantification study on shallow oil well access roads in the Allegheny National Forest. The Center s rainfall simulator was used on 14 existing road sites owned by both the ANF and oil company. Preliminary findings were that sediment production averaged 1,300 pounds per road mile from a single 30 minute 0.6 rain event (~1 month return interval). The Center is currently working to complete additional testing on four sites where a new surface has been placed on the road (2 limestone DSA sites, and 2 traditional pit-run sites). Look for the full write-up and a research summary in early Centre Activities Outside PA Mixed Bag Rainfall simulator runoff in the Allegheny National Forest. The Center recently presented at the 2011 Missouri Association of County Transportation Officials conference in Kansas City about the principles of Environmentally Sensitive Road Maintenance. Center staff will be traveling to Southern Missouri to conduct an ESM training event sponsored by Top of the Ozarks Resource and Conservation Inc.. The Center has been working with The Nature Conservancy in Maryland on various training and research projects including use of the rainfall simulator. Center staff will participate in a half-day session on Environmental Impacts of Low- Volume Roads at the January 2012 Transportation Research Board international conference in Washington, D.C. The Center has been chosen as the host for the Transportation Research Board s 11 th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads to be held in Pittsburgh in This conference is only held once every four years. The Center recently won a best poster award during a poster session at the 2011 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forum in Shepherdstown, WV. The subject of the poster was a summary of the Center's rainfall Simulator studies. A Note on Recent Events at Penn State This is one of the saddest times in the history of Penn State. This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved, and it will take some time to bring a measure of understanding and resolution to the community. Penn State has a long and storied tradition that has endured for more than 150 years. Our roots are deep, our constitution is resilient, and the importance of our work is as vital today as it was last month- perhaps even more so in the face of such adversity. We are 96,000 students, 46,000 employees, and more than a half a million alumni. We are 24 campuses across the Commonwealth and a World Campus. We are a university that is committed to its core values of honesty, integrity, and community. We are a university that will rebuild the trust and confidence that so many people have had in us for so many years. -Rodney Erickson, Interim Penn State President The Center s staff share that commitment. Thank you for being part of Penn State. QAQC corner The Program s Quality Assurance/Quality Control effort: Round Two of QAQC visits is underway. Three counties were visited in The QAQC group plans to get together this winter to review the first three visits and see if any changes are necessary. The Center will work with Program staff to schedule a full round of QAQC visits (~8-10 districts) in For questions about the QAQC process, contact Karen Books at the State Conservation Commission at kbooks@pa.gov or annual summary reports Believe it or not, the time is fast approaching for Conservation Districts to submit their Annual Summary Reports using the DGRoads GIS system. As in past years, reports are due on Jan 15 th, 2012 and should include all projects for Also as in past years, Center staff will be traveling around the state in November and December to offer GIS assistance to and District who would like it. Conservation Districts should look for more information about these visits and the Annual Summary Report in the near future. November

4 Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies 215 Transportation Research Building University Park, PA, First Class U.S. Postage PAID State College, PA Permit #1 environmentally sensitive Important maintenance Considerations (ESM) training events calendar The two-day ESM training covers many aspects of road maintenance and focuses on practices to reduce maintenance costs and environmental impact from unpaved roads. Have questions or want to schedule an ESM training? Want to receive future newsletters? Contact Kathy Moir at: No-To-Mud ( ) Two-Day ESM Training Schedule Greene: Mar Armstrong: Apr McKean: May Additional 2012 Trainings are currently open for scheduling. Contact the Center to register for a training, or to discuss hosting one ( ). Other Events 2012 SCC Meetings: Jan 19 (w/pacd), Mar 13, May 15, Jul 10, Sep 11, Nov Dirt and Gravel Maintenance Workshop: Fall 2012, date and location TBD. 4 November 2011 This publication is available in alternative media upon request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualification as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all affirmative action inquiries to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA ; tel. (814) ; TDD (814) U.Ed #RES Penn State is an affirmative action, equal opportunity University.

5 Newsletter Insert page 1/2 Worksite in Focus Lackawanna State Forest 9/2011 Project Overview: is located in the 27,345 acre Lackawanna State Forest in the southern tip of Lackawanna County. The road provides access to the State Forest, several miles of hiking and snowmobile trails, and the Spruce Swamp Natural Area. This project is located on the eastern end of the road where Sand Spring Creek, a High Quality tributary to the Lehigh River (also HQ) crosses the road. The road passes through many springs, seeps, and flow channels in this area. To further complicate things, the stream crossing was undersized causing frequent road washouts. The Bureau of Forestry used a large French Mattress with embedded pipes to elevate the road out of the swamp and create a stable road base. (before): Shown after a flow event that overtopped the stream pipe and ran down the road in The Problem: The adjacent Natural Area is called Spruce Swamp for a reason. Where Tannery road crosses Sand Spring Creek, it encounters numerous flow channels, springs, seeps and generally saturated conditions. The elevation of the road was very low compared to the surrounding terrain, causing a constantly saturated road base that was prone to potholes and rutting and required frequent maintenance. To further complicate the site, the undersized stream pipe was prone to overtopping during high flow events. Since the road was the lowest point in the area, the stream would run down the road for hundreds of feet when it overtopped the pipe. Water regularly flowed over the road at several other locations as well. The Solution: Because of the low road elevation and extremely saturated conditions, a large French Mattress was used to raise the road elevation. The mattress provided the necessary elevation to get the road above the saturated forest floor, and created an excellent road base. Several crosspipes were also placed in the French Mattress at ground level to handle extreme flows. The original stream pipe was left in place as an overflow while a larger 49 x33 squash pipe was installed a few feet downstream at a lower elevation. An emergency overflow was also constructed at the new pipe to direct extreme flows alongside the road and into a secondary pipe. If this pipe were to fill or plug, water could enter the French Mattress to cross the road. The publishers of this publication gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. For additional information or assistance, contact: Center for Dirt & Gravel Roads Studies, Penn State University, 207 Research Unit D, University Park, PA (Toll-Free Phone: , Fax: , dirtandgravel@psu.edu). Additional copies available on our website at: Project Facts Project: Project Owner: Lackawanna State Forest Watershed: Sand Spring Creek (HQ) Lehigh River (HQ) Tributary Project Length: 4,000 feet Date Completed: 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010 Cost Summary: : ~$23,000 Initial pipes, surface aggregate, and washout repair 2006: Mattress & Culverts ~$24,000 Road fill, French mattress, 10 crosspipes 2009: New Stream Pipe ~$1,500 New stream pipe installed 2010: Pipes & DSA ~$44, additional crosspipes, underdrain, and DSA For More Information: Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies (814) Lackawanna State Forest District (570) Site Location: Located in Thornhurst Township at the Southern tip of Lackawanna County. Adjacent to the Spruce Swamp Natural Area, about a mile southeast of Bear Lake, and about ½ mile off Bear Lake Road (SR 2016). Lackawanna County Luzerne County all rights reserved 2011 Monroe County

6 Newsletter Insert page 2/2 BEFORE AFTER Before and After: Notice the elevation of the road compared to the stream. BEFORE, when water overtopped the road, it would flow down the edge of the road and eventually cross the road surface, tearing the road apart as it went. AFTER, the pipe has an emergency spillway on the left. Just before water would overtop the pipe, it hits the spillway and continues down the road. Because the road is elevated, the surface of the road is not affected. The overflow water is then directed to a newly placed crosspipe just out of view. Furthermore, any water that bypassed this second crosspipe would then be able to cross under the road in the French Mattress which contains several more crosspipes. BEFORE DURING AFTER crosspipe inlet Notice the elevation of the road compared to the trees. BEFORE, a recent overtopping of the road has sent surface aggregate into the woods. DURING, the French Mattress is being installed. AFTER, notice the elevation of the road compared to the trees now. The inlet of an embedded pipe is located behind the rock labeled in the image. Evolution of a Project This section of was first addressed in 2003 when 3 crosspipes were and approximately 2,000 tons of aggregate were added to the road. In 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan overtopped the stream pipe and washed away much of the road surface, which had to be replaced. In 2006, another flood cause the same damage and required additional aggregate. Later in 2006, the District decided to look for a more permanent solution and came up with the elevated road over a French mattress with overflow pipes you see today. In 2009, a larger stream pipe was installed. In 2010, 12 additional crosspipes were installed (away from stream crossing) and DSA was placed on the road. The system was tested in October of 2010 when a stalled front dumped 9 of rainfall on the watershed in a single day with no damage to this site. This project illustrates how site plans can evolve over time. The District learned lessons from early problems to design a project that will handle the extremely wet and flashy watershed, while providing a stable road that requires minimal maintenance. Stream pipe replacement: The new 49 x33 squash pipe is shown during installation in The existing smaller pipe was left in as an overflow channel. This publication is available in alternative media upon request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualification as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all affirmative action inquiries to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA ; tel. (814) ; TDD (814) U.Ed #RES All rights reserved.