Conservation project set at Elberton Road

The Palouse Conservation District is in the process of slating a bio-engineered bank stabilization project on the North Fork of the Palouse River on Elberton Road. The project calls for stakes to help with erosion of the bank.

“They will put stakes inside the river to capture or trap things that float so it deflects the power of the river from the banks,” said County Planner Alan Thomson.

Randy Stevens, project manager at Palouse Conservation District, said the erosion has occurred for a number of reasons at the site which is located along the river bank upstream from the bridge approach at the west end of Elberton.

“It is probably a combination of a lot of things, but most it is due to long-term changes in the hydrology of the river,” he said. “That changes the way the water moves and the dynamic and energy level. Ice in the winter also damages the bank a lot.”

Stevens explained that posts in the river will provide stabilization.

“We are going to implement bioengineered streambank stabilization structures,” he said. “We'll put in posts that will tie up woody debris such as logs or branches. This will help to protect the bank.”

This process will be done with the hope of allowing the bank to correct itself, he said.

“It's a vertical bank now, and woody debris will help to deflect the energy of the water and trap it as it comes down the river,” he said. “It should build itself back up and become a general slope again.”

He also explained that the landowner, who has been working with the conservation district on the project, is concerned for the land there.

“It's starting to eat up the hay pasture,” he said.

In addition to the bioengineered structures, some riparian plants will also be installed in the fall and spring. This could help to further protect the bank.

“That will hold things together,” said Stevens.

Stevens said the project should get off the ground in about a month and take just a couple of weeks to complete once it starts.

“The structures go in fairly quickly,” he commented.

Once the project is complete, livestock will be blocked from access to the river. The cost of the project is being paid for with a grant from the Washington State Conservation Committee.

“They provide funding to conservation districts to assist landowners with best management practices,” said Stevens. The landowner will also match the funds through monies, materials and time.

An environmental impact study for this project was recently completed, with the finding of a determination of nonsignificance (DNS) under the State Environmental Policy Act Rules. Copies of the DNS are available at the Whitman County Public Service Building Planning Office. Interested parties may submit comments on the decision by Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.