Ojai Quarry in the news

Owner Fails to Get Violations Overturned, Appeals to Supervisors

Quarry owner Larry Mosler lost his bid to get the county Planning Commission to overturn 14 violations assessed against his mine north of Ojai. Voting 4-0 with one commissioner absent, the panel sympathized with Mosler’s struggle to meet layers of federal, state and local rules. But commissioners concurred he was responsible for the violations cited by the county planning staff.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/18/quarry-owner-fails-to-get-violations-overturned/

County planners have cited the Mosler Rock/Ojai Quarry for 14 violations, all of which were upheld Nov. 18 by the Ventura County Planning Commission. Planning Director Kim Prillhart has said she would like to settle as well but that Mosler needs to amend his permit if he wants to operate outside the conditions. A date has not yet been set for the hearing.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/24/owner-of-ojai-quarry-appeals-decision-on-alleged/


Meanwhile, a new 'desilting basin' is being constructed in response to regulatory agencies concerns. A few large boulders were also removed this summer to help alleviate fish passage problems, although barriers exist throughout this reach of the creek. We will have to wait and see if these actions make a difference in water quality and fish passage.



More on this issue: http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Ojai%20Quarry

Matilija Dam Fine Sediment Workgroup

Last week the Corps of Engineers sent a letter to the Matilija Dam stakeholders that provides an update on the process and next steps. According to the letter, the designated Project Partners will convene a Fine Sediment Workgroup and will host a series of meetings starting this week.

The Matilija Coalition will be represented by Paul Jenkin, who has been engaged in this project since its inception in the mid-1990's. The Coalition's most recent suggestions for solving the impasse and moving forward with dam removal are on the web at matilija-coalition.org



December 1, 2010

To members of the Matilija Dam Design Oversight Group:

We are writing in follow up to our August 9, 2010 letter to you regarding the design and cost of managing and disposing of approximately two million cubic yards of highly-concentrated fine sediments that have accumulated behind Matilija Dam.

The Project Partners have retained the services of a facilitator with the Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) (www.csus.edu/ccp) to assist in determining recommended next steps for resolution of fine sediment issues. As a first step, the CCP facilitator Mary Selkirk conducted a number of interviews with stakeholders representing different organizations and interests to assess their concerns about the various conceptual plans to manage the sediments, and to elicit views on how to proceed toward a sustainable solution. Ms. Selkirk completed these interviews in mid‐September and presented her recommendations to the Project Partners in late October.

The Project Partners have elected to proceed with convening a Study Group to consider the outstanding technical, design, and cost issues, and to collaboratively develop a work plan to resolve the major fine sediment management issues. Study Group members consist of representatives from each of the Project Partners, as well as representatives from the stakeholder community. Study Group Members are expected to share ideas and recommendations based on their technical expertise and/or knowledge of the project.

The Study Group will hold its first of several meetings on Friday, December 10, 2010, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ventura County Public Works Saticoy Operations Yard, 11251 Riverbank Drive, Ventura. Members of the Design Oversight Group and others may also attend to listen to the Study Group discussions and provide comments at specific times during the meeting.

Please check the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Project website for further details at: www.matilijadam.org.

Sincerely,

Jeff Pratt, Ventura Watershed Protection District

Brian M. Moore, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Bob Thiel, State Coastal Conservancy

Surfers' Point Cobble Berm

The last post described the 'Managed Retreat' process at Surfers' Point. This is a description of the 'cobble berm' that is currently under construction.

During the design process, the cobble berm was seen as a means of providing assurance that future erosion would not damage the relocated bike path nor result in future impacts to the Fairgrounds. The final design was based upon the concept sketch below. The 'retreat zone' is the area of the parking lot, approximately 20 meters (64.5 ft) wide. (The current work (Phase 1) removes about half of the 1800 feet of parking lot.)

The plan is to remove approximately 3 feet of imported fill dirt that was placed beneath the parking lot in 1989, then further excavate down to the low tide level. The cobble berm is constructed by filling this area with an estimated 30,000 tons of river cobble between 6" and 18" in diameter. This 8 ft thick cobble berm will then be buried beneath constructed sand dunes. The idea is that when the beach erodes in future swells, this sand and cobble will provide natural shore protection for the bike path and fairgrounds parking lot.


The following photos show the sequence of events (so far), looking toward the rivermouth from the east end of the project area:

















The cobble is being transported by truck from the Corps of Engineers project on Santa Paula Creek. ($4 million to clean out lower Santa Paula Creek to increase safe capacity prior to major storms) The Surfers' Point project calls for 30,000 cubic yards (about 3,000 truck loads) of cobble, and approximately 15,000 cubic yard of sand.





Once approximately 3 feet of cobble has been delivered and graded flat, sand is then placed on top and flushed with water hoses so it fills the spaces between the cobble. Additional layers of cobble and sand will gradually build up the berm to meet engineering specifications.


The scale of the berm is evident in this photo of the retreat zone - here the first 3 foot layer of cobble has been placed, and sand is being worked into the spaces.


This drawing shows an engineering 'plan view' of the buried cobble berm, illustrating its alignment along the backshore in relation to the new parking lot and bike path:



More: http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/Surfers%27%20Point

The Managed Retreat Process at Surfers Point

"Managed Retreat" is well underway at Surfers' Point, and things are happening fast. As the project title suggests, the goal is to remove all the man-made infrastructure seaward of the road, and reconstruct a protective beach in its place.


First the concrete barriers and landscaping trees and curbs were removed.

The next step was removal of the asphalt and concrete bike path, along with the riprap rock revetment on the beach. The parking lot started to look like this:


Next the underground utilities were removed, including a 3 ft concrete storm drain as well as electrical lines that ran the length of the parking lot.




At this point the stage is set for the restoration of a natural beach. This is what the erosion-damaged bike path looked like a decade ago:


The same area during the initial demolition:


This is the view from the levee looking back toward the project area. The hole in the beach is almost all that remains of the rip-rap revetment:

A couple of high tides, along with medium swells, quickly erased almost all traces of the rocks.


Next the graders went to work removing the dirt fill that had been placed underneath the parking lot.


Non-beach compatible soil was moved back into the fairgrounds parking lot, and the area beneath the parking lot was excavated down to around the elevation of low tide. Any excavated sand was set aside for future use.


This deep trench will be filled with a mix of cobble and sand, and then buried under reconstructed sand dunes. This 'cobble berm' was designed to provide protection from future erosion.

The next post will describe this more...

Santa Barbara Channel

Educational presentations

November 5, 2010

Environmental Studies 119, Ecology and Management of California Wildlands, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Watershed field trip: We visited a couple of sites in the lower river, and then went upstream of Matilija Dam. After looking at the extent of dam-accumulated sediment, we visited the dam site and discussed removal plans.


November 8, 2010

Class lecture for the Intro to Restoration Ecology class at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)

Topic: Ecosystem-based management and the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration project.


November 18, 2010

Class lecture for the Coastal Processes and Management class at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)

Topic: Ecosystem-based management and the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration project.

San Antonio Creek Bridges

Two bridges are under construction on San Antonio Creek, a major tributary to the Ventura River. Both have received fisheries restoration grants for the potential benefits of barrier removal.

1) Old Creek Rd Bridge

This is the construction that is visible at the 'Arnaz Grade' on highway 33. Ventura County received $1M for steelhead enhancement to replace the low water crossing over San Antonio Creek on Old Creek Rd. The new $2.5M bridge on a dead-end road will serve approximately 35 residents, and moved forward despite numerous comments that cheaper alternatives existed. (A short emergency right-of-way could have provided access to nearby Sulphur Mountain Rd) "According to county specifications, the bridge will be a 210-foot-long, two-span, cast-in-place concrete box girder bridge designed to clear the 100-year floodplain."

According to Ventura County documents the total cost of this project is over $3.5M. From Board of Supervisors meeting this week, a change order for an additional $40k was approved for biological consulting after the endangered red-legged frog was found at the construction site.

In the news: Old Creek Road getting safety makeover with $2.5M bridge

more: http://ovnblog.com/?p=3011


2) Lion Creek Bridge

Lion Creek is a tributary to San Antonio Creek, and is ephemeral in the lower reach in some years, with perennial water in the upper reaches of the canyon.

According to CDFG documents, "this project improves fish access for adult and juvenile steelhead to 9.5 miles of upstream habitat in Lion Creek, which is a tributary to San Antonio Creek in Ventura County. The project is collaboration between private, non-profit, local, state, and federal agencies. It includes demolition of an existing low water crossing, which was replaced with an 85 ft long X 13.75 ft wide Railspan steel flatcar bridge. Steelhead are now able to access medium to high quality habitat in the upper reaches of Lion Creek, thereby facilitating migration for spawning adults and over-summering juveniles.

More information and photos are here: http://lioncreek.blogspot.com/

Project managed by South Coast Habitat Restoration

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