design/build project report...natural character of the adjacent land. project location prairie creek...

Design/Build Project Report

Prairie Creek Reservoir Shoreline Restoration, Perry Township Delaware County, Indiana October 2015 Prepared for: Delaware County SWCD 3641 North Briarwood Lane Muncie, Indiana 47304 765-747-5531, ext. 3 Prepared by: Davey Resource Group A Division of The Davey Tree Expert Company 1000 Airport North Office Park, Suite A Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825 260-969-5990

Davey Resource Group i October 2015

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... ii Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1

Project Sponsor .......................................................................................................................... 1 Project Purpose .......................................................................................................................... 1 Project Location......................................................................................................................... 1 Project Planning......................................................................................................................... 1

Timeline .............................................................................................................................. 2 Site Assessment ................................................................................................................... 2 Final Design ........................................................................................................................ 3 Permit Requirements ........................................................................................................... 3

Project Installation ..................................................................................................................... 4 Project Monitoring and Corrective Action Measures ................................................................ 5

References........................................................................................................................................ 7

Tables 1. Soil Stabilization Seed Mix ................................................................................................................ 5

Appendices A. Location of Project Site on Indiana County Map B. Location of Project Site on Highway Map C. Plan Sheets D. Project Permits E. Photographs

Davey Resource Group ii October 2015

Executive Summary The purpose of the Prairie Creek Reservoir Design/Build Project was to stabilize and naturalize a segment of shoreline on the eastern side of Prairie Creek Reservoir in Perry Township, Delaware County, Indiana. The study was funded by an Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) Program grant with a match provided through the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) by the City of Muncie. Delaware County SWCD retained Davey Resource Group to conduct the design/build project.

The project included stabilization of 120 linear feet of damaged and eroding shoreline through re-grading, placement of coir logs, and native plantings. Naturalization efforts were conducted on another 200 linear feet of adjacent shoreline through thinning existing limestone shoreline armament in order to allow vegetation to grow between the stones as well as coir log placement and aquatic plantings to encourage establishment of plants along the water’s edge. Appropriate permits were obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Indiana Department of Environmental Management prior to construction. Construction occurred May 7–13, 2015.

Davey Resource Group conducted follow-up site inspections between June and September 2015. Corrective measures implemented included tightening loose and broken rope, securing coir logs to the stakes, installing additional goose predation guard, and planting seed within a portion of the coir log to replace aquatic plantings lost through goose predation. Vegetation was establishing well at the time of the September inspection, and the site appeared stable.

Davey Resource Group 1 October 2015

Introduction

Project Sponsor

Delaware County SWCD was awarded funding from the IDNR LARE Program to conduct a design/build shoreline restoration project on Prairie Creek Reservoir. Delaware County SWCD contracted Davey Resource Group to conduct the work on March 14, 2014.

Project Purpose

The project was pursued to stabilize an area of failing shoreline and naturalize an adjacent area of hard-armored shoreline that exacerbated the erosion (Photograph 1). The project aligns with Goal B of the Prairie Creek Master Plan (2007) to protect and enhance the long-term ecological health and water quality of Prairie Creek Reservoir and supporting watershed through meeting the following master plan objectives:

Objective 2: Reduce sedimentation and accompanying nutrient and pesticide loading in the reservoir in part by restoring areas where erosion has occurred.

Objective 5: Increase biodiversity in and around the reservoir by restoring and enhancing the natural character of the adjacent land.

Project Location

Prairie Creek Reservoir is located in Perry Township, Delaware County, Indiana (Appendix A). The project site is located 41̊07’31.56” North, 85̊16’58.36” West. It is on the south side of a small cove west of County Road 560 East and south of County Road 450 South (Appendix B). Prairie Creek Reservoir is located within the 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watershed 051202010108.

Project Planning A kick-off meeting was conducted at the Delaware County SWCD office on March 14, 2014 to review the project scope and discuss the implementation timeframe. Candace Kindt and Ron Orebaugh with Delaware County SWCD, Ashlee Haviland with IDNR LARE Program, and Alicia Douglass and Todd Gillian with Davey Resource Group were in attendance.

Photograph 1 (3-25-14). Significant erosion was observed along a portion of Prairie Creek Reservoir shoreline that lacked stabilizing vegetation.


Timeline Implementation was initially targeted for spring 2014. Project site field data collection was conducted March 25, 2014, at which time a field meeting was also conducted with Ivan Gregory, the Prairie Creek Reservoir Superintendent. It was discovered that approximately 12 rented piers were scheduled to be re-installed within the project area no later than April 15. The reservoir did not have a suitable location available to relocate the piers, nor could the reservoir operating budget do without the rental income in 2014. Spring planting was determined to be crucial for maximum establishment of shoreline plantings prior to winter ice heave. Consequently, implementation of the project was delayed until spring 2015 when the piers could be relocated for the 2015 growing season. A site inspection was conducted on April 30, 2015, resulting in slight alterations to the project plan. It was observed that ice heave had resulted in damage to an area of shoreline directly east of the project area during winter 2014/2015 (Photograph 2). Consequently, the project area was shifted slightly eastward in spring 2015 in order to encompass and repair the newly damaged area of shoreline under the LARE Program grant. Additional earthwork was conducted to grade the shoreline and remove two downed trees in the reservoir. It was also determined to leave the bulk of the existing limestone armoring the portion of the shoreline facing west from the anticipated high watermark to below the water surface based on observed ice heave damage and intense boating activity. Additional project timeline information is included under Project Installation.

Site Assessment Easements and Land Availability The project site is on property owned by Indiana-American Water Company, Inc. and managed by the City of Muncie, Indiana. The project site contained rented boat slips during the 2014 growing season, which meant shoreline restoration was unfeasible until the boat slips could be relocated in spring 2015. Wetland Assessment The project area was inspected for the presence of wetlands within the project area by a USACE trained wetlands delineator on March 25, 2014, in accordance with methodology outlined in the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Wetlands Delineation Manual and the Regional Supplement to the Corps Wetland Delineation Manual: Midwest Region. No wetlands were identified within the project area. Other Considerations Other factors considered for the project design included the planned re-installation of piers in the project area starting in 2016 and potential shoreline erosion intensity resulting from natural and man-induced factors.

Photograph 2 (4-30-15). Ice heave during winter 2014/2015, resulting in buckling of the shoreline

on the eastern edge of the project area.


Final Design Final design plan sheets are included in Appendix C. The final design plan sheets include details on the specific restoration measures recommended, planned implementation timeline, and plant species and quantities planned to be incorporated into the design. The final design was approved by the Muncie Parks Department. The plan sheets do not depict restoration measures for the portion of shoreline damaged by ice heave that was incorporated into the project area in spring 2015. Davey Resource Group estimates that the project has the capacity to reduce sediment loads by roughly 7 tons per year, phosphorus loads by 8 tons per year, and nitrogen loads by 16 tons per year. These estimates were derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 model for streambank erosion, assuming a 90% efficiency rate for 120 linear feet of erosion.

Permit Requirements The USACE, Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and IDNR Division of Water all regulate the placement of fill in Indiana aquatic resources.

IDNR IDNR Division of Water administers the Lakes Preservation Act (IC 14-26-2). A Lakes Preservation Act permit is required when any work is being conducted within 10 feet of the shoreline as established by the legal lake level on a public freshwater lake. Prairie Creek Reservoir is not considered a public lake for regulatory purposes; thus, shoreline restoration activities outside of the floodplain at Prairie Creek Reservoir (including this project) are not regulated by IDNR Division of Water.

USACE USACE regulates placement of fill in navigable waters and “waters of the U.S.” which drain to navigable waters, including rivers, streams, lakes, and non-isolated wetlands under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Jurisdiction of “waters of the U.S.” is determined by the USACE and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Prairie Creek Reservoir is under USACE jurisdiction.

USACE commonly issues three types of permits in Indiana, including Nationwide Permits, Individual Permits, and Regional General Permits. The USACE determined the project as it was designed qualified for authorization under the approved Regional General Permit No. 1 (Appendix D).

IDEM Under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, IDEM regulates placement of fill and potentially other secondary water quality impacts for all aquatic features regulated by USACE under Section 404. An individual Section 401 Water Quality Certification permit application was submitted to IDEM because the project length exceeded 300 linear feet. A copy of the permit received is included in Appendix D.


Project Installation Earthwork was conducted on May 7 and 8, 2015 by Delaware Construction and Landscape, Inc. Earthwork consisted of reducing the slope along approximately 130 feet of shoreline and removing concrete debris (Photograph 3). Limestone shoreline armament was also thinned along approximately 200 additional feet of shoreline to allow for some vegetation establishment and naturalization of the shoreline. Limestone was not thinned to the full extent depicted on the plan sheets. Consequently, the limestone can continue to adequately protect the shoreline from ice heaven. Photographs of project installation are included in Appendix E.

On May 11–13, Davey Resource Group staff and Candace Kindt with the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District conducted the following activities (deviations from project plans are included in parenthesis):

• Cleaned up site debris. • Hand prepared the area to be seeded. • Seeded Soil Stabilization Seed Mix (Table 1) in areas of bare soil that had been graded,

where limestone had been removed along the upper portion of the shoreline, and between remaining limestone rocks.

• Installed erosion control blankets over bare soil that had been seeded. • Installed 200 linear feet of 20-inch diameter coir log and 120 linear feet of 12-inch diameter

coir log (installation of the coir log was shifted eastward approximately 15 feet from the location depicted on the plans to entirely encompass the portion of shoreline damaged by ice heave during winter 2014/2015).

• Planted shrubs, including: o 11, 5-gallon containerized Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry). o 30 Cornus amomum (silky dogwood) rooted stakes (silky dogwood rooted stakes

were planted in a concentrated area at the easternmost edge of the limestone armament to provide additional shoreline stabilization in this critical area, instead of being scattered along the shoreline as depicted in the plan sheets. A total of 41 shrubs were planted, but only 35 were depicted on the project plan sheets).

• Planted the Submergent Plug Zone and coir log with aquatic bare-roots and plugs. Plants were installed approximately every 18 inches in the coir log on the landward side of the coir log so as to be protected from wave action. The Submergent Plug Zone plantings were more heavily concentrated in the area where no limestone is present along the shoreline. Coir log and Submergent Plug Zone species included:

o 100 Scirpus pungens (common three square) bare-roots o 49 Scirpus pungens (common three square) plugs

Photograph 3 (5-7-15). Delaware Construction and Landscape, Inc. removed rock and graded the shoreline

under the direction of Davey Resource Group.


o 100 Scirpus validus (soft stem bulrush) bare-roots o 49 Scirpus validus (soft stem bulrush) plugs o 150 Sparganium eurycarpum (giant burred) bare-roots o 32 Hibiscus palustris (swamp rose mallow) plugs o 96 Justicia americana (water willow) plugs

• Planted the Prairie Plug Forb Zone with: o 49 Coreopsis lanceolata (lance-leaf coreopsis) plugs o 49 Coreopsis palmate (plains coreopsis) plugs o 49 Rudbeckia fulgida speciosa (orange coneflower) plugs o 49 Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower) plugs o 49 Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) plugs o 49 Penstemon hirsutus (hairy penstemon) plugs o 49 Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort) plugs

• Installed goose guard

Table 1. Soil Stabilization Seed Mix

Scientific Name Common Name Ounces per Acre (PLS)

Grasses and Sedges Andropogon gerardii big bluestem 32 Bouteloua curtipendula side-oats grama 16 Carex bicknellii prairie oval sedge 2 Elymus canadensis Canada wild rye 48 Elymus virginicus Virginia wild rye 32 Panicum virgatum switchgrass 14 Schizachyrium scoparium1 little bluestem 32 Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass 32 Subtotal 208 Cover Crop Avena sativa seed oats 800 Lolium multiflorum annual rye grass 160 Subtotal 960 Total 1,168 1Wet tolerant genotype from Spence Restoration Nursery.

Project Monitoring and Corrective Action Measures Davey Resource Group conducted routine inspections of the project site for three months so as to be able to immediately recognize and correct any immediate structural or material failures. Inspections were conducted on June 12, July 29, and September 28, 2015. Photographs from the inspections are included in Appendix E.


During the June 12 inspection, good germination for the soil stabilization seed was noted as well as growth and high survival on all herbaceous plug and aquatic bare-root plantings (Appendix E, Photographs 10 and 11). Containerized shrubs appeared to be establishing well; however, rooted cutting shrubs appeared to be struggling. Loose rope securing the coir logs to the stakes were noted (Appendix E, Photograph 9). Heavy flooding and intense boat activity were suspected to have damaged the rope. Remedial work was conducted on June 22 to firmly secure loose rope. Predation by geese appeared to have occurred to plantings within the coir log along the southwestern half of the project between June 12 and 22. Roots were still present in the log in many locations; however, new green plant shoots had been clipped off (Appendix E, Photograph 12). Additional goose guard was installed along the coir log. A second inspection was conducted on July 27. A few loose ropes on the west end of the project were re-secured during this inspection, and 5 ounces of Sparganium eurycarpum (giant burred) pure live seed (PLS) were planted within the coir log on the western half of the project where goose predation had occurred. Five ounces of S. eurycarpum seed is equivalent to approximately 2,500 seeds. Seed is expected to germinate in spring 2016 after a period of cold stratification. Numerous aquatic plants that had been damaged by geese during the spring were observed to be vigorously growing during the September 28 site inspection (Appendix E, 18 and 19). Aquatic plants that had not been damaged by geese had spread in some locations as much as 2 feet into the lake from the coir log (Appendix E, Photograph 17). Approximately, 20% of the planted silky dogwood rooted stakes were observed to be alive at the time of the September inspection. The surviving shrubs were present in a strategic location to provide future shoreline stabilization. Davey Resource Group determined that replanting was not necessary due to the location of the surviving shrubs as well as the establishment of numerous volunteer shrub seedlings in the same general location. Planted prairie plugs and the Soil Stabilization Seed Mix appeared to be establishing well. All planted coralberry bushes were alive and healthy.


References Environmental Laboratory. 1987. Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual. Technical

Report Y-87-1. Vicksburg MS: United States Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station.

Prairie Creek Master Plan: a Muncie-Delaware County Comprehensive Plan. 2007. 109 pp.

USACE. 2010. Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Midwest Region (Version 2.0). ERDC/EL TR-10-16. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/trel08-27.pdf

Davey Resource Group 2015

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Appendix ALocation of Project Site on Indiana County Map

!. = Study Area Locations

Site Location: Prairie Creek Reservoir

Source: EsriRedlands, California

Delaware County, Indiana

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Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, USGS, Intermap, iPC,NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri(Thailand), TomTom, 2013

Davey Resource Group 2015

Appendix BLocation of Project Site on Highway Map

0 0.50.25

Miles

Legend_̂ Prairie Creek Reservoir

Site Location: Prairie Creek Reservoir

Source: EsriRedlands, California

Delaware County, Indiana

Davey Resource Group October 2015

Appendix C Plan Sheets

SheetView 1

Cou

nty

Roa

d 56

0 Ea

st

Prairie CreekReservoir Sheet

View 3SheetView 2

200

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 100

(IN FEET)

200

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 100

(IN FEET)

Prepared forPrepared by

Overall

Map

Delaware County Soiland Water

Conservation District

Engineering Design/Build

Lakescaping Project

Prairie Creek ReservoirDelaware County, Indiana

Data used to producethis map was collected

on March 25, 2014

992

994

996

998

1000

1002

1004

= Approximate lakescape project limits

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)

Prairie CreekReservoir


View 1

of 3

Know what's

R




Lakescaping Project



on March 25, 2014

20-inch coir log

20-inch coir log

= Existing stone will be thinned leaving scatteredrocks along the water edge. (NTS)

= Prairie Creek Reservoir lake edge

= Proposed coir log protection(320 feet). Not to Scale (NTS)

= Submergent Plug Zone(960 square feet, NTS)

= Soil Stabilization Seed Mix(4,855 square feet)

= Prairie Forb Plug Zone(465 square feet)

Legend

20"Ø 12"Ø

= Existing trees (NTS)

= Shrub plantings

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)



View 2

of 3

Know what's

R




Lakescaping Project



on March 25, 2014

12-inch coir log

20-inch coir log

20-inch coir log







Legend

20"Ø 12"Ø


= Shrub plantings

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)

40

GRAPHIC SCALE

0 20

(IN FEET)



View 3

of 3

Know what's

R




Lakescaping Project



on March 25, 2014

100 linear feet of12-inch coir log







Legend

20"Ø 12"Ø


= Shrub plantings


Coir

Log

BioNet® C125BN™ Double NetCoconut Biodegradable ErosionControl Blanket or equivalent.

A 12-inch and a 20-inch diameter coir log;The 12- inch will be utilized for 100 feet alongthe northern most portion of shoreline.

The southern portion of the shoreline willreceive 220 feet of 20-inch diameter coir log.Staked as per manufacturer's specifications.

Typical Coir Log Wave Break

NOT TO

SCALE

316-inch nylon strap secured to

wedge shaped or notched 2-inch by2-inch hardwood stakes (to keepstrapping from slipping off). Stakedas per manufacturer's specifications.

This procedure should be altered tospecific site conditions at thediscretion of the site engineer /restoration ecologist.

Soil Stabilization Seed Mix(~15 feet wide by 320 feet)

Plugs approximately2-foot on-center




Lakescaping Project



on March 25, 2014

Prairie Forb Plug Zone(~1.5 feet wide)

Existing stone will bethinned leaving scatteredrocks along the water edge.

Submergent PlugZone (3-foot)

Three groupings of fiveshrubs will be installed


Appendix D Project Permits


Appendix E Photographs

Photograph 1 (5-11-15) Limestone was removed from the upper portion of the shoreline along approximately 200 linear feet.

Photograph 2 (5-11-15) Shoreline that was eroded and had ice heave damage was graded and concrete rubble was removed.


Photograph 3 (5-12-15) Coir and straw erosion control blankets were installed over freshly planted seed and bare soil.

Photograph 4 (5-13-15) A total of 120 linear feet of 12-inch diameter coir log was installed along the eastern portion of the shoreline.


Photograph 5 (5-13-15) Shrubs and prairie forbs were planted through the erosion control blankets.

Photograph 6 (5-13-15) Submergent herbaceous vegetation was planted behind the coir log. These plantings were concentrated on the eastern portion of the project area where no limestone armament was present.


Photograph 7 (5-13-15) A total of 200 linear feet of 20-inch diameter coir log was installed in front of the shoreline protected by limestone. Some submergent herbaceous plants were planted between the stone and coir log.

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Photograph 8 (5-13-15) Submergent herbaceous vegetation bare-roots were planted approximately every 18 inches within the coir log.


Photograph 9 (6-12-15) A broken rope was observed on the western end at the time of the June inspection.

Photograph 10 (6-12-15) Prairie plugs and the shoreline buffer seed mix were observed to be establishing well at the time of the June inspection.


Photograph 11 (6-22-15) Aquatic plantings on the eastern portion of the restoration area were thriving in June.

Photograph 12 (6-22-15) Aquatic plantings were damaged by geese on the western portion of the restoration area in late June after the initial inspection.


Photograph 13 (7-29-15) Aquatic plantings on the eastern half of the project area were observed to be thriving during the July inspection.

Photograph 14 (7-29-15) Observed aquatic plantings on the western half of the project area were sparse and in poor condition in July.


Photograph 15 (7-29-15) Loose rope securing the coir log to the stakes was tightened on the western end of the project area in July. Intense boating activity associated with the adjacent piers was suspected to be putting extra strain on the rope in this location.

Photograph 16 (9-28-15) Significant growth of the aquatic plantings had occurred by the September inspection.


Photograph 17 (9-28-15) Sparganium eurycarpum (giant bur-reed) was observed to be creeping into the lake from the coir log in multiple locations.

Photograph 18 (9-28-15) Lower water levels appeared to aid in re-establishment of plants damaged by geese on the western half of the project area.


Photograph 19 (9-28-15) Growth of aquatic plants had occurred within the Submergent Planting Zone on the westernmost end of the project area by September; the coir log, however, remained unvegetated. Seed is expected to sprout in the coir log in this location in spring 2016.

Photograph 20 (9-28-15) Prairie plugs and Soil Stabilization Seed Mix seedlings were establishing upslope of the aquatic plantings and limestone.


Photograph 21 (9-28-15) Cornus amomum (silky dogwood) rooted stakes were observed to be alive and growing in a critical location where shoreline limestone armament stops.

design/build project report...natural character of the adjacent land. project location prairie creek...

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