gravel removal guidelines manual for arctic and subarctic floodplains

176 Pages·2013·3.59 MB·English

Biological Services Program
FWS/088-80/09
1980
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GRAVEL REMOVAL
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GUIDELINES MANUAL
FOR ARCTIC AND
SUBARCTIC FLOODPLAINS
Environment Research and Development Program
~CHAND DEVELOPMENT
rAL PROTECTION AGENCY
j
Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
The Biological Services Program was established within
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to supply scientific informa
tion and methodologies on key environmental issues that im
pact fish and wildlife resources and their supporting
ecosystems.
Projects have been initiated in the following areas: coal
extraction and conversion; power plants; mineral development;
water resource analysis, including stream alterations and
western water allocation; coastal ecosystems and Outer Con
tinental Shelf development; National Wetland Inventory;
habitat classification and evaluation; inventory and data
management systems; and information management.
The Biological Services Program consists of the Office of
Biological Services in Washington, D.C., which is responsible
for overall planning and management; National Teams, which
provide the Program's central scientific and technical exper
tise and arrange for development of information and
technology by contracting with States, universities, consulting
firms, and others; Regional Teams, which provide local exper
tise and are an important link between the National Teams and
the problems at the operating level; and staff at certain Fish
and Wildlife Service research facilities, who conduct in-house
research studies.
ARLIS
Alaska Resources Library & Information Services
Library Building, Suite 111
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508-4614
FWS/088-80/0a
Q.l
June 1980
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GRAVEL REMOVAL GUIDELINES MANUAL
FOR ARCTIC AND SUBARCTIC FLOODPLAINS
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
by
Woodward Clyde Consultants
4791 Business Park Blvd., Suite 1, Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Principal Authors
M.A. Joyce
L.A. Rundquist
L.L. Moulton
With Input From
R.W. Firth, Jr.
E.H. Follmann
en
Contract Number .<Eu!)
FWS-14-16-0008-970 <!)
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This study was funded .!:s -
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I!) Water Resources Analysis Project :0: >.·..-l <!:
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('I) U.S. Department of the Interior ~
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Washington, DC 20240
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DISCLAIMER
The opinions, findings, conclusions,
or recommendations expressed in this
report are those of the authors and
qo not reflect the views of the Office
of Biological Services, Fish and Wild
life Service or the Office of Research
and Development, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
INTRODUCTION
A study was initiated in mid-1975 to evaluate the effects of gravel
removal from arctic and subarctic floodplains in Alaska. The primary purpose
of the project was to provide an information base to assist 'resource man
agers in formulating recommendations that would minimize detrimental environ
mental effects of gravel removal from floodplain material sites. To achieve
this objective 25 material sites were studied by a team of scientists and
engineers. Three major products resulted from the study. They are: (I l a
Technical Report presenting synthesis and evaluation of the data collected
at the sites, (2) a Guide I ines Manual that aids the user in developing plans
and operating material sites to minimize environmental effects, and !3) a
Data Base filed with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage con
taining raw and reduced data, aerial and ground photographs, and other
relevant material from each site. This report is the Guide I ines Manual.
APPLICABILITY OF THE GUIDELINES
It is important to recognize that the guide! ines contained in this
manual were developed from a study of 25 floodplain material sites in arctic
and subarctic Alaska. Therefore, they deal neither generally nor specifi
cally with material sites in upland or coastal situations. Similarly, they
do not include evaluation of the relative acceptabi I ity of uti I izing an
existing active or abandoned material site or an abandoned structure contain
ing gravel lsuch as a dri I I pad or airstrip! rather than a floodplain site.
This should not be interpreted as recommending sites in floodplains over
other locations. WHEN A NEED FOR GRAVEL HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, ALL ALTERNA
TIVES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. ONLY AFTER A FLOODPLAIN HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR
THE PROPOSED MATERIAL SITE DO THE GUIDELINES CONTAINED HEREIN BECOME APPLI-
CABLE. However, if used cautiously some guide I ines may be uti I ized in other
site and regional situations.
The 25 material sites exhibited a range of variation in site age,
gravel mining method and location; and river configuration, origin, and
size. Selected sites were minimally affected by complicating factors such as
nearby bridges, culverts, vi II ages, and other material sites. The latter
case is significant in the application of these guide I ines. On large proj
ects it is sometimes necessary to locate a series of material sites in close
proximity along the floodplain of a river. The effects of multiple material
sites in a floodplain were not evaluated in this study. Hence the appl i
cation of these guidelines to multiple site projects must recognize this
shortcoming.
The user should be thoroughly fami I iar with the contents of the Techni
cal Report to give perspective to the guide I ines for their effective use.
THE GUIDELINES ARE DESIGNED TO DIRECT THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING, PLANNING,
PREPARING, OPERATING, AND CLOSING MATERIAL SITES; THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE
USED AS STIPULATIONS TO BE USED IN EACH AND EVERY CASE.
It is essential that the user of these guide I ines consider each materi
al site individually. Identification of unique characteristics may require
that certain guidelines be ignored or interpreted differently, or different
combinations of guide I ines be considered. This manual is intended for use by
all individuals interested in floodplain gravel removal.
GRAVEL REMOVAL METHODS AND CLASSIFICATION
A variety of gravel removal methods and river characteristics are
covered by this manual. In general, these methods and river characteristics
consist of:
I. Scraping exposed or vegetated gravel from active and inactive flood
plain and terrace deposits. Scraping usually does not involve work
ing in active channels.
2. Pit excavation of vegetated gravel deposits located in inactive
floodplains and terraces.
3. Dredging from the bed of active channels of large and medium-sized
rivers.
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SUMMARY OF PROJECT RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Study of 25 floodplain material sites has shown that disturbance result
ing from gravel removal operations can be minimized. Two gravel mining tech
niques were used at the study sites, scraping of surface or near-surface
deposits and pit excavation of deep deposits.
In general, approaches to minimize environmental changes caused by
scraping included maintaining buffers between active channels and the work
area and avoiding:
• I nstream work
• Mining to depths and in locations that induce permanent channel
shifts or ponding of water
• Clearing of riparian vegetation
• Disturbance to natural banks
Large rivers and braided rivers generally provide the most accessible
gravels for scraping. Gravel mining using scraping technqiues in these areas
frequently resulted in the least environmental changes.
Pit excavations resulted in permanent loss of terrestrial riparian habi
tat, however, many pits increased local habitat diversity. These newly
created habitats frequently received concentrated uti I ization by local
fauna, particularly fish, waterfowl, shorebirds, and furbearers. Large
quantities of material were excavated using pit mining techniques. Pits that
were located on the inactive side of the floodplain, and were separated by
vegetated buffers in the range of 50 to 100m, generally did not influence
active channel hydraulics.
Pits were found to be most beneficial to local fauna when they exhib
ited the following characteristics:
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• 2 ha or more in size
• Contained diverse shore I ine configuration
• Contained diverse water depths
• Contained islands
• Contained an outlet connected to active channels
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PROCEDURES FOR GUIDELINE USE
To use this manual it is necessary to acquire information on site loca
tion, operation, and environmental conditions. The information consists of
descriptions of the site and gravel removal methods that wi II allow predic
tion of floodplain changes.
The manual is divided into seven sections based primarily on the order in
which a site wi I I be selected, reviewed, and worked !Figure I I. Although site
selection is the primary topic of Section I, much of the information in the
other sections is also valuable in selecting appropriate mining locations
and methods. For this reason, the entire manual should be read and clearly
understood before deciding on a final work plan. For ~xample, much of the
information in Section VI; SITE OPERATION can be valuable in determining
where selection of a specific method or location may increase the amount of
avai I able material while decreasing environmental alteration.
After the guide! ines have been thoroughly reviewed, it is recommended the
sequence presented below should be followed.
SITE APPLICANT
I. Identify suitable sites using the procedures described in Section I.
2. Develop a tentative plan on how and where to remove the required
gravel within the proposed site. Acquire field data needed to complete
Site Planning as described in Section II.
3. Evaluate the proposed plan by applying the appropriate guide I ines from
the SITE PREPARATION, SITE OPERATION, and SITE CLOSURE Sections. This
may identify alternative methods or locations and potential problems,
speed the review process, and lead to more efficient site operation.
4. Develop a formal Work Plan, as described in Section I I I, to be sub
mitted to the appropriate agency.
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Problem MATERIAL NEED
Generll Sit•
Selection
IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE SITES
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I Section I
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Section VI
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Section VII
Figure I. Gravel mining planning and implementation.
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