elevation of 100 m. Gravel was removed from this site for construction of 

 the Nome-Tel I er Highway. Gravel removal occurred by shal low scraping over 

 approximately 3.5 ha between 1963 and 1965 with 7,738 m of material ex- 

 tracted. Scraping occurred in the active channel, on mid-channel and lateral 

 bars, and on a vegetated island between the active channel and a high-water 

 channel. Approximately I ha of riparian willow thickets and an accompanying 

 0.5-m layer of overburden were removed prior to gravel removal. This organic 

 overburden was placed in a stockpile on the edge of the scraped area along 

 the right (northern) f I oodp I a i n bank downstream from the highway bridge. An 

 additional overburden pile, composed primarily of sand, was located at the 

 downstream limit of the scraped area. Both stockpiles still remained during 

 the site visit. A 50-m long gravel access road also was present leading from 

 the highway to the scraped area located upstream from the highway bridge. 

 The floodplain bank at the floodplain end of this access road was incised 

 and approximately I m high. Rehabilitative measures were not conducted 

 after completion of gravel mining activities. 



S i nuk R i ver . The Sinuk River is a medium, split river which originates 

 in the Kigluaik Mountains at an elevation of 425 m. It flows through a 

 narrow, steep-wal led val ley before entering a broad val ley containing the 

 study reach. The lower section flows across a relatively flat coastal plain 

 for 26 km before discharging into Norton Sound. The study site is approxi- 

 mately 19 km from the mouth at an elevation of 30 m. 



Between I960 and 1966, 174,221 m of gravel were extracted for high- 

 way construction by shallow scraping within the active floodplain and adjoin- 

 ing the active channel of the Sinuk River. Access to the floodplain was 

 gained via two short (about 30 m) gravel roads leading from the highway. 

 Scraping extended approximately 1,500 m upstream and downstream from the 

 Sinuk River bridge and encompassed 88 ha. 



Material within the Sinuk River floodplain was described from highway 

 department analyses as stream-deposited sandy gravel with less than 25 

 percent greater than 50 mm in size (coarse gravel) and about 2 percent 

 exceeding 250 mm (boulders). Several (three or four) islands were removed 



38 



