Water Resources

Water resources engineering is a specialization of civil engineering.  Environmental and water resources engineers are specialists in groundwater and surface water, hydraulics and waterways, irrigation and drainage, planning and management of water resources, urban water resources, water supply, storm water, and watershed sciences.  At SHN, water resources projects include flood control and drainage design, pollution elimination permitting, and low impact development (LID).

LID is design and practice that mimics natural processes to protect water quality and aquatic habitat; the overall concept is to “preserve, restore, and create green space using soils, vegetation, and rainwater harvest techniques” (US EPA 2016).  Examples of LID design elements are bioretention ponds, rain gardens, native vegetation swales and permeable pavements.  LID projects are generally designed to utilize storm water as a resource and not a waste that should be channeled offsite as quickly as possible.

SHN water resources staff includes engineers and geologists who are certified experts in storm water pollution prevention, and who have been qualified to teach and train others by the California Stormwater Quality Association.  In 2015 and 2016, we held training workshops in Eureka and Redding.

Low impact development of a tribal outdoor nature education facility

Project Details

Location:  The Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House, Ukiah, California

Owner/Client:  City of Ukiah

Partners:  Ann Baker Landscape Architecture (prime contractor)

Project Timeline:  2014 and on-going

Project Details

Location:  The Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House, Ukiah, California

Owner/Client:  City of Ukiah

Partners:  Ann Baker Landscape Architecture (prime contractor)

Project Timeline:  2014 and on-going

Project Details

Location:  The Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House, Ukiah, California

Owner/Client:  City of Ukiah

Partners:  Ann Baker Landscape Architecture (prime contractor)

Project Timeline:  2014 and on-going

The Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House is an art, history, and anthropology museum that features Western American art, California Indian cultures, North Coast California history, and contemporary regional artists.  With Ann Baker Landscape Architecture, SHN assisted in the design of its new outdoor nature education facility, incorporating an environmentally low impact development approach, especially with respect to managing stormwater.  For example, we designed the facility such that rain runs off and is treated in stormwater wetlands and bioretention areas; groundwater recharge is encouraged by infiltration trenches and permeable pavements in the parking lot area.

We reconfigured a parking lot to allow more spaces, addressed the installation of new water and sewer utility hookups for a new outdoor structure, prepared a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), and completed the grading plans for the outdoor education areas.  SHN is providing surveying, construction management and materials testing during construction, which we have staged so that the museum can remain open.  We are also providing a Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD) and Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP) during construction.  The outdoor nature education facility is scheduled to open in January 2017.

Design and construction of a rain garden for roof-top runoff

Project Details

Location:  Cher-Ae Heights Tribal Office, Trinidad, CA

Owner/Client:  Trinidad Rancheria

Partners:  Samara Restoration (plant selection)

Project Timeline:  2012 to 2013

Project Details

Location:  Cher-Ae Heights Tribal Office, Trinidad, CA

Owner/Client:  Trinidad Rancheria

Partners:  Samara Restoration (plant selection)

Project Timeline:  2012 to 2013

Project Details

Location:  Cher-Ae Heights Tribal Office, Trinidad, CA

Owner/Client:  Trinidad Rancheria

Partners:  Samara Restoration (plant selection)

Project Timeline:  2012 to 2013

Project Details

Location:  Cher-Ae Heights Tribal Office, Trinidad, CA

Owner/Client:  Trinidad Rancheria

Partners:  Samara Restoration (plant selection)

Project Timeline:  2012 to 2013

Project Details

Location:  Cher-Ae Heights Tribal Office, Trinidad, CA

Owner/Client:  Trinidad Rancheria

Partners:  Samara Restoration (plant selection)

Project Timeline:  2012 to 2013

SHN teamed with Samara Restoration, a local native plant nursery and landscape design group, to create a beautiful and culturally-significant rain garden that solves prior drainage problems and provides continuous natural treatment of storm water runoff.  With the Trinidad Rancheria, we created a new rain garden design that included expanding the existing ornamental garden and installing a sub-grade storage and infiltration system.  The existing garden was excavated four feet and a layer of base rock was placed at the bottom of the basin to promote infiltration.  Mulch was mixed into the excavated soils from the garden and placed back in the basin, and then river run gravel was used to create a natural drainage feature on the top surface.  The rain garden was planted with a variety of native plants selected for cultural significance and drainage tolerance.  A custom concrete border with a basket-weave motif was designed and constructed to provide a transition between the landscape and the hardscape elements.  The border also functions as a platform for interpretative plaques that describe the types and use of plants that are grown in the garden. 

Emergency erosion control for community redevelopment after the Valley Fire

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

Project Details

Location:  Lake County, CA

Owner/Client:  CalRecycle

Partners:  Pacific States Environmental Contractors

Project Timeline:  2015 to 2016

The Valley Fire of 2015 affected 76,000 acres and residents lost 1,349 homes; the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection designated the fire the third-worst in state history, in terms of structures lost.  To rebuild, residents first needed their properties cleared of debris, and then needed erosion control measures implemented, so that they could begin applying for building permits.  SHN was hired by CalRecycle (a state agency) and Pacific States Environmental Contractors (PSEC, the prime contractor) to determine each site’s erosion threat level, and design each site’s stormwater and erosion control measures.  We also recommended hydroseed mixes, and coordinated additional erosion control teams in response to intense rain forecasts; the duration and intensity of storms following the Valley Fires were characteristic of El Nino conditions, greatly increasing erosion potential.

The primary objectives of allowing residents to begin rebuilding, and of controlling erosion and decreasing threats to water quality, were met.  Some neighborhoods, for example Anderson Springs, are built on greater than 50 percent slopes, adjacent to perennial creeks that presented acute conditions of concern.  SHN targeted these conditions by assessing the erosion threat level, prescribing appropriate best management practice measures (BMPs), and coordinating with PSEC, who installed the BMPs.

 

 

Certifications and Associations

Contact

Corporate Office:

812 W. Wabash Ave.
Eureka, CA 95501-2138
Tel: 707-441-8855
Fax: 707-441-8877
info@shn-engr.com

Office Locations:

  • Arcata, CA
  • Eureka, CA
  • Fort Bragg, CA
  • Redding, CA
  • Willits, CA
  • Coos Bay, OR
  • Klamath Falls, OR
 
 
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