Attch 7 BMP_Best Management Practices.pdf

APPENDIX B

Road Maintenance Best Management Practices

Revised 3/15/2023

Following are Best Management Practices for road maintenance within the Payette National Forest. These practices should be followed at all times when maintaining roads across the Forest. Special attention should be made to those roads within areas containing ESA listed fish and wildlife. These areas may contain additional restrictions and practices outlined in the endangered species section of this document.

Blading and Shaping. Performance of Road Maintenance includes blading and shaping the roadbed, including shoulders and turnouts in the process of removing ruts, washes, slough, and other irregularities that prevent normal run off from the road surface. The end result shall be the restoration and maintenance of the original cross section, grade, and drainage of the road. The following standard industry practices will be met:

Blading shall restore surface without loss of aggregate/gravel surfacing material or natural road base material. Work on gravel surfaced road shall be accomplished so that base disturbance is minimal and no surface material is lost in ditches or over the road shoulders. Blading of unsurfaced roads shall be performed so no road material is lost. Surface material shall be cut from one edge of the road to the other in a windrow in order to eliminate any segregation prior to spreading. The mixed material will then be evenly spread across the road surface; at no time will there be cutting across existing road crowns. Sections having segregated materials after spreading shall be reprocessed and spread. Excess materials, including fines, will be hauled to a stable disposal area free of erosion potential.

Ruts, chuckholes, and washboards shall be repaired by scarifying or cutting to the bottom of such defects to provide for uniform compaction of roadbed material. Large rock or organic material removed from drainage facilities during cleaning process shall not be used as fill. High blading, or any method which merely fills depressions with loose material, does not eliminate the defect or provide for uniform compaction and is therefore not acceptable.

Blading and shaping operations shall not undercut road cut slopes.

Sections of road constructed without roadside ditches shall be uniformly in sloped or out sloped the entire width of the roadbed, unless otherwise specified. The in slope or out slope grade shall be a minimum of 2 percent and a maximum of 8 percent unless staked otherwise on the ground.

The in slope and out slope grade is determined by the steepness of the road. At no time shall a berm be left at the edge of the roadway. Historic berms will be removed when appropriate and not added too.

Existing drainage dips shall be cleaned and reestablished if needed with the out slope grade restored to equal or exceed the gradient of the road.

Sections of roads constructed with a roadside ditch shall be bladed and reshaped to maintain a crown at centerline of the roadbed, or in sloped except on curves where crown is omitted. Road cross section shall slope uniformly both ways from crown apex to shoulders at a minimum grade of 2 percent and a maximum grade of 6 percent.

At the conclusion of the blading and shaping operations, the roadbed shall be smoothed and dressed to produce a uniform grade and cross section and a surface free of hollows, depressions, and projections above the adjacent road surface. No berm or ridge or any material shall be left along either should of the roadbed. No surfacing shall be wasted over the road edges.

Scattered clean rocks can be raked or bladed off the road except within 300 feet of perennial or 100 feet of intermittent streams.

Soil Moisture – Retention of Fines. Ensure that performance does not reduce the level of fines in the road surface and moisture levels allow for proper compaction of road surface. Operations should be suspended when soil moisture conditions are not favorable for obtaining a satisfactory result. Suitable moisture conditions are determined to be in excess of five (5) percent and less than 10 percent by weight.

Water truck will be equipped with proper drafting foot valve with a maximum screen opening of 3/32 of an inch for fish protection. Screen will be sized so that water velocity across the screen will less than 0.33 fps. Water will be drawn in a manner that does not dewater the channel or strand fish. In listed fish areas the drafting site must be pre-approved. If required, proper permits and approval will be obtained prior to drafting.

Drainage Facilities – Cleaning and Repair. Wood, rocks, and other debris put into the ditches shall be removed from roadside drainage ditches to provide unobstructed flow of water. Only those ditches requiring debris removal will be pulled. The back slope of the ditch shall not be undercut by ditch cleaning operations; and the slope to road shoulder shall be maintained at an approximate ratio of 3:1 from the bottom of the ditch to the edge of the roadbed. Roadside ditches should not be excavated to a depth of greater than 2 feet below roadbed grade. Typical depth of roadside drainage ditches below roadbed is one foot. Existing ditch dikes shall be restored, reshaped, and compacted as needed for effective drainage through culverts. Some hand shoveling may be required ensuring water flow is unimpeded in lead-ins and outlets of culverts and berm drains.

Wood, rocks, and other debris resulting from the cleaning of drainage ditches shall be removed and disposed of in a legal manner at approved sites. On aggregate-surfaced roads, material may be bladed across the road provided it is not deposited in ruts, washes, or chuckholes in the road surface. Such material shall be side cast on stable fill slopes or natural ground out of streambeds, streams, or other waterways and outside of areas where NIDGS habitat and populations occur.

No side casting will be permitted on roads paralleling streams where material could possibly reach the streams. On roads without aggregate surfacing, surface soil with rocks less than 2 inches in greatest dimension may be spread evenly over the adjacent roadbed.

Remove from bridge decks all rock and other material that would create a hazard to traffic or is otherwise detrimental to the traveled surface. No material will be graded onto the bridge or the approaches. Cattle guards shall be left clean between the bottom of the rails and ground beneath.

No additional material may be deposited within the cattle guards.

Removal of Obstructions. All fallen trees, limbs, or brush in the travel way or road ditch line shall be removed and scattered outside the travel way. Rocks and debris hazards will also be removed from the roadway.

Dust Abatement. Apply dust-abatement additives and stabilization chemicals (typically MgCl2 or CaCl2 salts) so as to avoid runoff of applied dust abatement solutions to streams. When the road is within 25’ of stream channels apply dust abatement in one swath centered on centerline of the travel way so that all of the chemical is absorbed before leaving the road surface. Spill containment equipment will be available during chemical dust abatement application.

Endangered Species.

Fish: In areas where roads are located within watersheds containing Endangered Species Act-listed fish, the following additional practices will be followed during road maintenance activities:

Avoid road maintenance activities during times in which ESA-listed fish eggs or alevins are in stream gravels near enough downstream to the disturbance to possibly be affected by the action.

A Qualified Fisheries Biologist familiar with the ESA location will determine this time period and whether the action is near enough to the fish to warrant this protection.

Avoid conducting road maintenance activities when surface material is saturated with water and erosion problems could result.

Do not excessively remove roadside brush where the vegetation is stabilizing slopes or providing shade to a stream or river channel.

Any trees greater than 20 inches in diameter and 30 feet in length that are removed from the road within 300 feet of live streams shall be placed intact downslope of the road.

Wildlife: In areas where roads are located within areas containing Endangered Species Act-listed wildlife, the following additional practices will be followed during road maintenance activities:

Any ground disturbance beyond the actual road bed i.e., activities on cut and fill slopes shall be approved by a qualified wildlife biologist familiar with the ESA species locations and habitat prior to maintenance actions occurring. With the exception of removal of minor deposits of snow from the roadway in early summer to facilitate vehicle access, snow plowing and grooming activities shall not occur without additional analysis by the PNF and consultation with FWS to disclose the potential effects to Canada lynx from an increase in groomed routes.

In areas proximal to NIDGS habitat contact district wildlife biologist prior to performing maintenance activities.

SNOW REMOVAL. Snow removal shall be conducted in a manner that protects roads, ensures safe and efficient transportation, and prevents damage to roads, streams, and adjacent lands.

Snow removal shall only occur on approved roads. Care should be taken so that snow plowing does not damage the road surface, shoulders, or ditches. The party performing snow plowing will be responsible for all repair of the road structure, ditch, drainage appurtenances, shoulders, and other road structures if damaged by plowing operations. Restore any damage resulting from snow removal in a timely manner.

A. Work shall be done in accordance with the following minimum standards:

a. Plow snow to within 2” of the roadway until 4-6” of frozen soil has been achieved. Once soil is frozen permittee may plow to any depth as long as the road surface is not disturbed and remains frozen.

b. Remove snow from all or part of the traveled way, including sufficient turnouts.

Construct a turn-around area at the end of the plowed portion of roadway to allow for safe and efficient use by the public and to protect the road.

c. Plow snow away from ditches and bring across the travel-way. Cast snow over the edge of fill slopes and off the shoulders whenever practical to do so, but do not deposit snow in stream channels.

d. During snow removal operations, road cut-banks shall not be undercut, nor shall road surfacing material be bladed off the roadway surface. Upon notice, replace in kind within 60 days after notification, any surfacing material which has been bladed off the road. Forest Service will notify Permittee in writing as to the cubic yard equivalent of bladed off material.

e. Berms left on the shoulder of the road will include drainage holes. Construct and maintain drain holes in the dike or berm of snow after each snow removal operation. Place drain holes to obtain surface drainage without discharging on erodible fills. The Permittee is responsible for periodic inspections and maintenance to ensure that the drain holes remain open and functioning properly.

f. Prior to snow plowing, mark all culvert inlets with snow poles or other approved devices. Do not plow snow into ditches and culvert inlets, nor pack the existing snow down in those locations. During spring melt, open ditches and culvert facilities to create free drainage as needed.

g. Control snow removal to identify the usable traveled way having roadbed support.

Reshape over-width plowing as necessary to define the usable width.

h. Permittee may use any type of equipment to remove snow, providing:

i. Equipment is of the size and type commonly used to remove snow and will not cause damage to the road.

ii. Equip plows or dozers with shoes or runners to keep the blade a minimum of 2 inches above the road surface unless otherwise approved by the Forest Service.

B. When spring break up occurs, travel will be minimized to times when the road is firm and unacceptable damage does not occur. If damage occurs from use during spring break up, Permittee shall be responsible for all repair costs to correct damages from public and permittee use.

Care should be taken so that snow removal activities do not damage or obscure road signs.

Visibility of signing shall be maintained by removing snow accumulation in front of signs.