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| The first sign of activity: the first dump truck arrives at the project site |
About a year ago, I introduced a project that would evolve to become our top priority for the 2018 construction season. All of our other management priorities had to be maintained, but this project quickly became our fundamental goal for this year's management season.
At long last, the replacement of our aging infrastructure that connects the marsh to Sandusky Bay is finally underway! It's been a very busy couple weeks -- and I've spared readers of a lot of the months-long backstory in navigating the administrative and contractual hurdles that got us to "Mobilization Day" -- but we're finally making progress on the ground.
[IMPORTANT NOTE: Our plan all along was to target July/August for the heavy lifting on this project -- namely, the removal of the old concrete structure and the installation of a new "hybrid" structure, which is designed to integrate a much more versatile precast concrete pump/gate station with a wider, much more fish-friendly sheet pile steel water conveyance to the Bay. Unfortunately, bidding and contracting delays have put us where we are: starting the project just as early waterfowl seasons (teal and early goose) got underway. Fortunately, we have (1) duck hunting lease holders who appreciate our restoration efforts and the immense improvement this new "plumbing" will offer to the site, and (2) a contractor who will do everything in their power to minimize their disturbance during the most important times in the hunting season. If we can get the major commotion (and noise) behind us prior to "big duck" season in October, we should be able to be more discrete to complete the project either in the last quarter of 2018, or -- worst case, Q1 of 2019.]
I will do my best to provide regular updates along the way, but I can already see that it is going to be challenging. We have been and will be very busy. Here's a quick overview of the first week or so of work on the ground:
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| Amazing what an excavator and dozer can do in two short (and extremely HOT) days -- mobilization has included not just this "yellow metal" but also dump trucks, a smaller skidsteerer, a work trailer, and even a porta-potty -- it's a lot of stuff to fit in pretty tight quarters |
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| "Old Reliable" (our old pump) being lifted from the pump pit for the last time -- after more than 50 years of service; note temporary sheet pile bulkhead being driven into the bay side of the project site (background) in preparation for the removal of the old, all-concrete water conveyance structure |
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| The old pump being "laid to rest," quite literally, on a trailer; the future of this hulking contraption is uncertain -- its modest 10HP motor may be laughably large and heavy by today's standards, but it ran reliably and pumped unbelievably efficiently . . . we may need to find a way to resurrect it for additional use somewhere else on the marsh |
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| A closer look at the protective temporary bulkhead being installed on the bay-side of the project area (in preparation for its first test -- a forecast that included 4-6" of rain and E/NE winds in excess of 30 knots) |
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| Soil boring is a geotechnical engineering step (completed last Friday) that will help confirm final designs |
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| Early excavation in preparation for demolition of the existing concrete structure (slated for next week) |
In summary, the first six days at the project site were highlighted by: vegetation clearing and site prep (including installation of erosion control); temporary bulkhead construction (on both the bay-side and marsh-side); exploratory excavating; soil boring; and elevation survey confirmation. Conditions ranged from blazing sun with tropical humidity, 90+ degree temps, and heat indexes over 100-degrees to cloudy, cool, and comfortable. We had to brace for the remnants of a tropical storm that had weatherpeople warning of the potential for 7-10' waves on the lake and 5-7" of rain in 48 hours in the marsh (over this past weekend). Fortunately, while we are sitting today out to let the system clear, we were largely spared: the wind most certainly blew and the rain most certainly came and outstayed its welcome. But we didn't get stuck under the heavy cells, and it looks like we managed to escape with more like 1.5" of new water from Saturday morning through early this morning. We're all breathing a lot easier with a dry forecast ahead. Now, if we could just get a few more teal flying . . .