West Marsh Stoning Project: By the Numbers

About 500 linear feet of the 1,250' just protected by last week's bay front stoning project; the work is now complete
and we hope that this will protect the West Marsh for the next 20-25 years

Before moving on to the next major priorities on the list, I thought it made sense to commemorate last week's efforts on the West Marsh with a project summary -- by the numbers:

Our operator was efficient and highly effective at
individually placing stone and "keying" the rock together
to increase its durability and resilience to wave action

* 1,250 linear feet of exterior dike protected;

* 738 tons of quarried limestone delivered/placed;

* 107 single-axle truckload deliveries; 

* 80 trucking man hours (approx);

* 25-30 excavator hours (still waiting on official total);

* 20 project oversight hours on-site (Roy);

* 14+ weeks of permitting applications;

* 3-4 trucks delivering, depending on day;

* 2.7 work days;

* 2 relieved Standing Rush staff members;

* 1 protected exterior dike (the only one on SR property).

The final number that is significant for this project is the total cost. We know it is going to be a significant 5-digit number (if not six digits). But we also know that (1) this was a must-do project, (2) we were very fortunate to be able to squeeze it in before spring storms and early summer peak water levels, (3) the work was done efficiently and done well, and (4) the completion of this project is a major victory for the long-term viability of the site. And after a day or two to catch our breath, we can begin focusing our attention on our next permit application and what will likely be the next major improvement project targeted for 2019 -- the rehabilitation of approximately 3,000-feet of our south dike on the West Marsh. This is going to be another doozy!

Single-axle trucks could only bring 5-9 tons per load, but short runs kept the excavator operator busy and kept
our existing earthen infrastructure from being damaged

A delivery truck returning (empty) to the highway from the project site for another load of quarry stone;
trucks used our "center dike" (which we completely rebuilt in 2016/2017) as our service road