|
Corps moves on Emergency Action Plan |
|
|
Written by Daniel J. Calderón
|
|
Friday, 04 January 2008 |
 LOS ANGELES (Jan. 5, 2008)-- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in accordance with a jointly-signed Emergency Action Plan with Ventura County, cleared out a portion of the Santa Paula Creek near the confluence of the Santa Clara River.
“The Corps is covering the cost of this work,” said Harold Hartman, who is in charge of the District’s Southern California Office in Palmdale. “We’re responsible for the channel.”
The Corps completed the work over the last two days in order to clear a pilot channel to maintain full capacity in the creek. The emergency project was completed within 48 hours of initial planning to safeguard homes and businesses in the area in preparation for the storms forecasted over the next several days.
Forecasters predicted more than five inches of rain for the area. Without the emergency work completed, it is likely the water would have overtopped the channel. The Corps received the notice of the impending rain Wednesday afternoon and confirmed the forecast. By Thursday morning, Corps representatives were in action.
“We have two Corps representatives, and in two shifts, 10 representatives from our Contractor,” said Rick Lainhart, a civil engineering technician for the Corps. Granite Construction Inc. is the contractor doing the work for the Corps. “We have two D8 ‘dozers and a 330 [Caterpillar] excavator. We’re opening the channel up and moving the flow to the center of the channel.”
By the time work is complete, contractors will have moved between 45,000 and 50,000 cubic yards of material from the center of the channel. They will have cleared three quarters of a mile of the Santa Paula Creek about 50 feet across. That equates, in rough terms, to covering five to six football fields 15 feet deep. The material will not be moved out of the area; however. It will remain mostly on the eastern side of the creek.
“We’ve done a lot of work with the Corps,” said Scott McArthur, area manager for Granite. This all worked out well. We all met in the conference room and walked the job so it went smoothly.”
Granite and Corps representatives will be available throughout the weekend monitoring the forecast, the flow in the channel and will be prepared to act in case more work is needed. |
