A plugged culvert caused serious erosion in December 2005, during heavy rainfall and high runoff that magnified the flow of Wheel Gulch, a small tributary to the Trinity River just west of Junction City. The blocked drainage caused the stream to divert out of its natural channel and flow down the road, causing considerable damage (see photo).

The Bureau of Land Management, which manages the affected area, contacted District to repair the road this year and make changes intended to eliminate the potential for this kind of failure in the future.

The District’s crew first addressed the main cause of this road failure, the stopped-up culvert that had been plugged for many years. Next they added a flared end to the culvert to increase its flow capacity and reduce plugging potential. Most importantly, the team constructed a Critical Dip in the road over the culvert. This important step ensures that, if the culvert ever plugs again, Wheel Gulch stream flow will follow its natural channel and not run down along the roadway. To finish the project and make the road passable, the District filled in the huge, gaping hole in the road and along its edge with approximately 400 cubic yards of local and imported material, protected with large rock.

	Inadequate road design and maintenance led to the washout of a portion of Valdor Road last winter. RCD crews and contractors corrected the problem and rebuilt the road in 2006.