The McKenzie Watershed Council retained our staff to design culvert replacement for seven existing stream culvert not meeting fish passage or 100 year event capacity. This project was a design/build project with Lane County Public Works acting as the installation contractor. The seven existing culverts were located within the McKenzie watershed and had been prioritized for replacement.

Our staff performed field surveys of each of the seven culverts to collect topographic data on the existing culvert, watershed analysis for 100 year event calculation for each stream, and design of replacement culverts meeting fish passage criteria. Designs were completed utilizing ArcGIS, AutoDesk Land Desktop, and AutoCADD. Because of all the parties involved and different drawing viewing capabilities, review drawing sets were converted to PDF formats and sent electronically to reviewers for comment and review. This enabled quicker turnaround and comments and reduction in plotting cost.

The project entailed permit consultation with the McKenzie Watershed, working directly with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for their specific requirement, and working with Lane County Public Works. Additionally, our staff assisted in obtaining joint permits from the DSL and COE for instream work associated with stream enhancement for some of the culvert replacements.