News Release Archive

Reclamation Announces Award of Contract for Buckhorn Dam/Grass Valley Creek Toe Drain and Channel Rehabilitation Project

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, MP Region Public Affairs Officer, 916-978-5100, plucero@usbr.gov

For Release: August 27, 2012

WEAVERVILLE, Calif. — The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $668,350 contract for the Buckhorn Dam/Grass Valley Creek Toe Drain and Channel Rehabilitation Project. The work site is located about
13 miles southeast of Weaverville off Highway 299 near the Buckhorn Summit in Trinity County. Project construction will occur between August and October 2012 and is starting downstream of Buckhorn Dam and reservoir on Grass Valley Creek.

The project will excavate portions of the Buckhorn Dam outlet channel to allow lowering of surface water elevations for measuring water seepage through the earthen dam, as required in dam safety protocols. During construction, Reclamation will create additional off-channel juvenile rearing ponds for coho salmon that are common in the area. The constructed nursery habitat will provide slow-water refuge in proximity to vegetation and large wood-cover habitat.

Reclamation's contract with T. L. Peterson, Inc., awarded August 16, 2012, includes two primary project design objectives: (1) Reduce water surface elevations in the Buckhorn Dam outlet-works/toe drain system throughout the initial 600 feet of the outlet channel, and (2) develop coho-rearing habitat for juvenile fish and potentially spawning habitat for adults within the project area. It is expected that the low-velocity and protected habitat enhancements made for coho salmon will also benefit other wildlife such as migratory birds and amphibians.

For more information, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=8562. For questions, please contact Donald Bader, Northern California Area Office, at 530-275-1554 (TTY 530-275-8991), or email dbader@usbr.gov.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

NEPA