connectors between a series of 

 wetlands, which results in 

 relatively low peaks during periods 

 of flow. As a result, very little 

 scour or in-channel erosion occurs 

 in these systems . Soup Creek 

 channel stability is rated in the 

 fair to good range by DNRC 

 hydrologists . 



ALTERNATIVE EFFECTS 



DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS TO 

 SEDIMENT DELIVERY 



• LHrect and Indirect E^ffectg of the JVo-JlcHon 

 Mtemative to Sediment Delivery 



Sediment delivery would not 

 likely be affected beyond current 

 occurrences. Existing point 

 sources of sediment, both in- 

 channel and out-of-channel 

 sources, would continue to 

 recover or degrade based on 

 natural or preexisting 

 conditions . 



• IHrect and Indirect Efffectg qftlte Jlction 

 Mtemative to Sediment Delivery 



Blown down timber would be 

 salvaged from approximately 550 

 acres. Portions of the project 

 area have been managed for timber 

 previously, other portions have 

 not. Ground-based machinery 

 would be used to harvest the 

 salvage. The proposed units are 

 not located within any SMZ, and 

 where fisher buffers are applied, 

 no salvage would occur within 165 

 feet of a stream. The only 

 salvage that would occur within 

 165 feet of Soup Creek would be 

 on the north side of the Soup 

 Creek Road. The road ditch would 

 effectively catch and filter any 

 sediment that may come from that 

 proposed unit. Sediment delivery 

 to streams or wetlands is a very 

 low risk due to the gentle slopes 

 in, the proposed project area, the 

 distance of salvage activities 

 from streams and wetlands, and 

 the implementation of BMPs on 

 skid trails and roads. 



Approximately 0.25 mile of new 

 low- standard road would be 

 constructed in Section 2 9 of the 

 proposed project area; no stream 

 or wetland would be crossed. 

 Also, no impacts to a stream or 

 wetland are anticipated as a 

 result of this road. The primary 

 purpose of this road is to 

 provide a haul route that would 

 avoid using the wooden bridge 

 over Soup Creek. This bridge is 

 in poor condition and is a 

 potential source of sediment to 

 Soup Creek. The bridge would be 

 removed under the proposed 

 project. All slopes would be 

 laid back to a stable angle at 

 the existing abutments and 

 armored with large angular rock. 

 The site would be seeded with 

 erosion- control vegetation. The 

 removal of the bridge would 

 generate some fine sediment to 

 Soup Creek during the period of 

 operation. The long-term 

 sediment delivery potential from 

 this site would be reduced from 

 the current situation. In 

 addition, 6 culverts would 

 replace existing pipes that are 

 too short and/or have undersized 

 diameters; 1 culvert would be 

 newly installed in an unsecured 

 ephemeral channel; and 2 existing 

 drive-through crossings on 

 ephemeral draws would be improved 

 with talus to make them more 

 stable for hauling. The drive- 

 through crossings are located on 

 ephemeral channels that do not 

 contribute surface flow to a 

 stream or wetland. These 

 activities may lead to short-term 

 increases in sediment due to 

 bare -soil exposure. This 

 increase would last until the 

 bare soil grows new ground-cover 

 vegetation, approximately 1 year. 

 By replacing improperly 

 functioning structures with 

 structures that meet all 

 applicable BMPs, the long-term 

 risk of sediment delivery from 

 these crossings would be lower 

 following the proposed project. 



Big Slowdown Salvage 



Page D-3 



