Upper Guadalupe River Relocation
Upper Guadalupe River Relocation
The $1.5M Guadalupe River Channel Realignment Heavy Civil project is located on the Guadalupe River in San Jose, CA. This project realigned approximately 1,700 LF of the upper Guadalupe River. The realignment allowed for a greater flood plain and placed and restored new aquatic habitat. SUU excavated 16,000 CY of the existing channel and 10,500 CY was hauled to an on-site stockpile while the remaining 5,500 CY was re-embanked to shape the new channel.
To accomplish this, crews bypassed the entire river using a primary and secondary pumping system while taking care to avoid any damage or impact to fish, the river, and the environment. The material excavated from the bottom of the channel was also hauled to an on-site stockpile. Approximately 7,000 tons of aggregate was hauled in to the project from a commercial source. This material was brought in using on-road trucks hauling through communities consisting of businesses and neighborhoods. This project involved on-going public relations with the adjacent community as well as close coordination with the local regulatory agencies. While Suulutaaq was not the prime contractor, we did contract with multiple subcontractors to complete the work. An additional 700 tons of excavation was performed in the bottom of the channel to allow for the placement of 16 root wad structures.
Due to the nature of the in-water work, Tracy Crain coordinated with multiple regulatory agencies and complied with multiple associated time constraints. This complex project had to be completed within the in-water work window of June 1 through October 1 with the willows trees to be planted by November 1. The project was completed safely, ahead of schedule, and to the satisfaction of USACE and the community.
The project required the diversion of all river flow through the project area during construction using a primary and secondary pumping system. Care was taken to avoid any damage or impact to fish, the river and the environment.
Major Scope Items:
- 23,000 CY yards of excavation from the existing channel. The excavation was both stockpiled on-site until space dictated the remainder be hauled off-site
- Import and placement of approximately 7000 tons of aggregate from a commercial source
- Supply and installation of critical equipment including a primary and secondary bypass pump system to bypass pump the entire Guadalupe River for the duration of the channel realignment work