General Waste Discharge Requirements and General Water Quality Certification for Rural Road and Watercourse Construction and Reconstruction in the North Coast R

Project Description: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has executed Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement (EPIMS-SHA-60312-R1), pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 1602, to the project Applicant, The Watershed Research and Training Center as represented by Leslie Mounivong. The project is limited to the Barker Valley Road system which contains culvert crossings, poor road shaping and drainage, and has changed from infrequent rural use to frequent industrial use which has resulted in the native surface road becoming a significant source of sediment pollution into Barker Creek. The geologic formation comprising the Barker Valley area leads to flashier rain runoff and contributes to high turbidity yield when eroded. Barker Creek suspended sediment loads were recorded as 50 - 100 tons/square mile in 2002 (Graham Mathews and Associates 2003) which was attributed to the road network and the effects of land use in the privately held portions of the watershed. Road-source sediment loading in Barker Creek has been an ecological issue for over 30 years. Funded by the CDFW’s Cannabis Restoration Grant Program, the Barker Creek Roads Sediment Treatment project proposes to reduce hydrologic connection of the Barker Valley Road system to Barker Creek and halt the worsening road-sourced sediment pollution. The project will achieve this goal by upgrading or installing 12 culvert crossings to accommodate 100-year flows; installing or maintaining approximately 38 rolling dips over four (4) miles of road; reshaping the road prism to improve drainage; armoring at culvert inlets, outlets, around the footprint of culvert crossings, and existing road ditches; and installing a sediment basin. All culvert upgrades and installations will use corrugated metal pipe (CMP). Construction is planned for 2026; however, this depends on the attainment of implementation funds. The engineering plans describe existing site conditions and the proposed improvements. A sediment basin will be installed upslope from site BV-SC-03; the sediment basin will be 23 feet in length by 12 feet in width and 3.5 feet in depth and will capture sediment from roadside ditch runoff.