Flooding

Part of our proposed site is occasionally under water during the winter months. The water table is very high and during floods, the Willamette River rises and either flows across low areas or backs up in the old oxbow and covers low portions of the site.

We know people are concerned about flooding, and that's why we're making sure our operation will not increase flooding on our neighbors. Computer models show that there will be no floodwater impact from our site on Lone Pine Farm and Thistledown Farm along River Rd. During a severe 100-year flood event, our operation would raise the floodwater less than one inch at the houses along Lone Pine Drive. State regulations allow development to increase floodwaters by one foot, so our plan is well within the limits.

Berms
We will build berms or dikes around most of our operating areas. This is done for a number of reasons: berms screen the site visually, deflect noise and help keep water out of the gravel operation. Some cells near the river will be allowed to flood seasonally and naturally.

Our revised plan calls for extracting sand and gravel in small cells - approximately 20 acres each. This way less land is diked off at any one time, and there is less diverted floodwater to deal with.

Design changes
Computer models of how floodwaters will flow around and through our new site prompted changes in our original design. The plant site was shifted so floodwater can be diverted around it more easily. We also added a high-water diversion channel across Area 2. This way, when floodwaters rise, they will be directed back towards the Willamette River and not impact adjacent properties.

Groundwater and Wells
There are many productive wells serving homes and fields near our proposed River Road facility. The high quality sand and gravel deposits in the area also create a shallow, highly productive aquifer that is vitally important to the people in the neighborhood. That's why we are working hard to find solutions and ensure the precious water won't be harmed. By law we must take steps to ensure that our gravel production does not damage those wells. Based on our past experience and the results of a lot of engineering studies, we are confident we will not affect nearby wells.

Putting water back into the aquifer
Groundwater naturally flows into our excavations. We need to move that water so we can do our work. We will construct an infiltration trench around the perimeter of the excavations and water that seeps into the area will be pumped into the trench, filter through the underlying gravel and recharge the aquifer. The water going into the trench is clean and pure because we catch most of the water before it reaches the bottom of the excavation. How do we know this? Because we do it successfully at our existing site.

Monitoring wells
We will install a number of monitoring wells around the site so we can track any changes in the water table. These monitoring wells are a double-check to make sure the system is working and to track normal seasonal fluctuations in the water table. State regulations will require us to deepen or replace any existing wells significantly affected by our operation.

Experience with nearby wells
A number of homes near our existing facility use wells to provide water for household use and/or irrigation. Though our excavations are up to 100 feet deep, we have never had a neighbor complain that our operation damaged their well.