At Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, MA, low-lying portions of the course located adjacent to Coles Brook were subject to routine flooding and were slow to drain following significant precipitation events. Affected fairways were often inundated and unplayable for days. Although the subject fairways were located within 100-year floodplains, an existing earthen, vehicular crossing of Coles Brook exacerbated the flooding condition. River flows were conveyed through a single culvert set in the earthen crossing, and the culvert was significantly undersized to accommodate all but base seasonal flows. To restore river-bed habitat and channel banks, and to maintain the single vehicular and equipment access point to fairways and greens located across the river, the earthen crossing was removed and a timber vehicular bridge was installed. The project required early coordination with environmental regulatory entities at the local, state, and federal levels and required wetlands and special-status species permitting. Hydrologic analysis at a watershed scale was integral to the channel cross-section design to assess potential project benefits, to avoid negative effects to downstream properties, and to specify the setting of bridge beams above the 100-year flood elevation. The design entailed careful construction sequencing, temporary flow bypass, and sedimentation control. Caputo and Wick Ltd. conducted the wetland delineation, survey, analysis, design, permitting, and construction observation for the project, working closely with the excavation contractor (MDC Excavation, Inc.) and the bridge contractor (York Bridge Concepts). The project has been highly successful, with no golf course inundation following smaller storms and greatly improved drain-down time for significant precipitation events. The images shown were taken the year following construction.
|
