| February 24, 2006 |
This fall the Presque Isle County Road Commission completed construction on the Little Ocqueoc River-North Silver Creek Road improvement project. The Road Commission partnered with Huron Pines (providing funding from a Section 319 DEQ grant) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to replace the existing structure, re-grade the approaches, install diversion outlets, and harden both approaches.
Road-stream crossings in Northern Michigan can contribute large amounts of sediment to surface waters. North Silver Creek Road, much like most secondary or backroads in Northern Michigan, is an unpaved gravel road. During heavy rains, runoff carrying sediment and other pollutants enters the stream. Excessive amounts of sediment alter the instream habitat and cover optimal spawning areas. This project addressed the sedimentation by applying a series of Best Management Practices (BMP’s). The road was re-graded so runoff would not follow the road down to the crossing. Instead, the road was pitched toward a natural vegetated area which would act as a filter and slow the sediment-laden runoff. Six diversion outlets dissipate the energy and allow water to infiltrate the soil. After installing this system of road-stream BMP’s, we estimate a load reduction of 17 tons of sediment a year from entering the Little Ocqueoc River.
The second major component of the improvement project was removal of the existing culverts and replacing them with a single bottomless structure. The original culverts were undersized and perched impeding fish passage to the upper sections of the watershed and reducing the amount of base flow. The bottomless nature of the new structure greatly improves fish passage and increases base flow, returning the river to a more natural state.
A special thanks to the Presque Isle County Road Commission for their hard work, patience, cooperation, and innovative ideas, making this a successful project.
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