Pacific Lumber Company Stafford Debris Basin Geotechnical Evaluation, Civil Engineering, Land Surveying, and Construction Materials Testing

Pacific Lumber Company retained LACO to design and manage the construction of a debris basin that would protect the Stafford area and communities along the Eel River, near their Scotia mill, from potential flood debris damage.

Throughout this project, our team provided the following services:

  • Geotechnical exploration
  • Hydraulic analysis
  • Design
  • Topographic surveying and construction staking
  • Creation of construction contract documents
  • Construction management
  • Materials testing and special inspections
  • Erosion control
  • Ongoing observations & maintenance

Our project team conducted geotechnical, hydraulic, impact and stability analyses to develop a system of two debris basins designed to accommodate sediment and debris flow equal to or greater than the debris flow event that occurred at year end 1997-1998. The design concept involved directing debris into the first containment basin, and the secondary basin was built to capture overflow or a subsequent event.

The two basins, which totaled 60,000 cubic yards in storage capacity, were built to withstand and contain 18,000 cubic yards of debris. Deflection berms and spillways were built from onsite excavated materials, re-compacted to plan specifications, and protected with grouted rip rap.

Our project team also obtained CUP, grading and operation permits, performed construction special inspections, and managed materials testing for this project. After the basins were built, we continued annual observation and maintenance reports of the basins, and assisted PALCO in renewing the operations permit for an additional 10 year period.

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