For the most recent developments on this project, please see the Mono Lake Newsletter or contact Lisa Cutting () at (760) 647-6595.

February 2005
In August 2003, Caltrans officially completed the construction of the Rush Creek Project however problems resulting from the Project’s construction are ongoing.

Most notable is the erosion occurring along the hillside at the south end of Lee Vining – where the Lee Vining Creek Trail begins. The Lee Vining Creek Trail is a beautiful interpretive trail that follows the meanders of Lee Vining Creek and connects the town of Lee Vining with the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center. The construction of additional lanes created a larger area of impervious surface, increasing the amount of stormwater runoff flowing through the culverts along the hillside. Since the Project’s completion, water exiting the culverts has created deep gullies along the hillside that both washes out the Lee Vining Creek Trail and discharges sediment directly into Lee Vining Creek—the second largest tributary to Mono Lake! Winter 2003 Mono Lake Newsletter: Caltrans shores up LV creek trail.

Caltrans has attempted two solutions in an effort to distribute stormwater runoff more evenly across the hillside. However, during a large rain event in December 2003, Mono Lake Committee (MLC) staff recognized that these efforts have not fixed the erosion problem. Click here for photos of erosion and MLC letter to Caltrans. MLC continues to communicate with Caltrans and the Forest Service (the erosion is on National Forest land) as Caltrans tries to fix the erosion problem--scheduled to occur in Spring 2005.

March 2001

After three months of inactivity, construction work will resume April 2nd. The project will not be completed this year as planned, but instead early 2002. Construction crews will still work at an accelerated rate - 6 days per week, 12 hours per day - in an effort to complete the project as quickly as possible.

December 2000

On December 8, the Committee received word that Rush Creek was muddy down by County Road and Mono Lake. We went to the Caltrans' Rush Creek construction site where water was flowing through the recently re-constructed channel under Rush Creek bridge - picking up sediments and carrying them downstream. The Committee notified Caltrans, and construction work crews were scheduled for the following day to fix the problem. The Committee also alerted appropriate agencies - Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and Department of Fish and Game - who have followed-up on the incident.

While the Committee understands the difficulty of working in the streams, we remain frustrated with the insufficient environmental oversight of this project.

December 8, 2000, sediment in pool near top right
Sediment-filled pool at top right contributing sediment to Rush Creek, on December 8, 2000. This could have been prevented if sediment fences and pond had been installed before stream channel work began.

December 8, 2000, murky creek 4 mi. downstream at County Rd. near Mono Lake
Very murky Rush Creek at County Road near Mono Lake, over 4 miles downstream of the project, on December 8, 2000. It is likely that this sediment came from the project.

 

November 2000

During the first week of November, Caltrans held a community meeting on the status of the Rush Creek Project. Present were representatives from Caltrans, Yeager Construction (project contractor), and Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Highlights of the meeting are:

·        Construction will continue into December as a result of Lahontan granting Caltrans a construction mandate exception. The mandate normally precludes work in this area between October 15 and May 1st.  Caltrans also is planning to apply for an exception to start earlier next spring.

·        The northbound Rush Creek bridge is complete. Work has begun to relocate the diverted stream channel back to its natural course.

·        Water is flowing through the new box culverts on Walker and Parker Creeks. 

·        There will be three temporary culverts on Lee Vining Creek with a total capacity slightly lower than that of the previous culvert.  The permanent box culvert may not be operational until September 2001. 

Yeager currently is ahead of schedule and is anticipating completion by the end of 2001 instead of Caltrans' original date of summer 2002.

 

Mid-August 2000

Sediment actively eroding into the creek as it flows through a diversion trench.Highway 395 is being widened to 4 lanes. The Mono Lake Committee is concerned about impacts to air quality, water quality, and the important sagebrush habitat. Bridges are being built at Rush Creek, and the northbound side should be finished by the end of November.

At Lee Vining Creek, a culvert is being installed at this crossing so that 4 lanes can be brought from the south into the town of Lee Vining. On August 15 CalTrans was changing the course of the creek at the highway widening site and downstream of the project the creek was muddy. MLC staff observed and photographed CalTrans repeatedly dumping sediment onto a creek bank, which tumbled directly into the creek, creating plumes of sediment in the water. The turbidity reached the County Road near the lake. Click here to see photos from August 15.

The Mono Lake Committee notified the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Fish and Game of this and within the week met with Lahontan's representative, CalTrans representatives, and the Project Manager and Vice President of Yeager Construction on the site. CalTrans and Yeager agreed to do a better job complying with water quality regulations. Highway Sediment actively eroding into the creek as it flows through a diversion trench.construction can be done without violating environmental laws, and the Committee is working to assure that the construction crews halt their repeated violations.

 

Early-August 2000

The area where the new lanes will cross the creek is being graded, as is visible in these photos taken on July 31. Machines have been pushing sediment into the creek to divert it into culverts. Vegetation has been torn up, and there is woody debris everywhere, even downstream of the highway. Repeatedly people are spotting plumes of sediment in the creek. A researcher has noticed the creek a lot muddier lately, and on occasion we are getting reports that plumes of sediment from the project are entering Mono Lake.

 

June 2000

High flows down Rush Creek were introducing some sediment into the stream at the Hwy 395 construction site. The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board has given a warning regarding the lack of Best Management Practices at the Rush, Parker, and Walker Creek crossings. Incidentally, they have been fined for an air quality violation as well.

 

 


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