DEW-Division of Earth Work

This photograph of Josh at our pond project for Eckert/Lyon epitomizes my perception of equipment operator. Ready to cut down trees and bulldoze the land whether the land needs it or not.

This is not the case for Josh who heads up DEW @ dbBrad. (Division of Earth Work)



Above-Josh models his chain saw!
Below-Josh off his excavator to rescue gold fish from the bailing out of another pond project.
Further Below-Joe proudly displays native grasses.

Along with animal life is plant life. Both the clients and Joe have been collecting native plants from areas that will be disturbed creating the pond and wetland. The collected plants will be replanted around the edges of the pond and in the wetland.

Trucks and Tractors and Frogs

Eckert/Lyon

This is the scene at the E-L pond project where the forest was logged and then the natural forest duff, peat and top soil were damaged. The land has been damaged, probably more than once, throughout the years. An area previously with trees are forest duff that absorbed the water is now no longer able to perform that function. Also, as with any cleared land, it is being invaded by noxious weeds like Canadian thistle. The puddle (below) doesn't seem like a lot of water but the soil saturation is already creating mushy spots, bug breeding and a soft spot in the driveway. This photo was taken after less than 1/2 hour of hard rain.

The little Kubota K-121 is a very versatile machine. At 9000lbs it weighs less than my truck but has continuous rubber tracks that will distribute the weight over much more ground. As a result, it will do far less damage to the earth.

We're going to be using the Kabota to do final grading on the site and to create a creek, pond and wetland for handling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that are running across the site because the ground, from clearing and compaction, can no longer absorb it.

A happy Brad gets to deliver his own tractor with the help of a well build f-250 truck!

The pond will be about 38,000 gallons at the end of this gully to handle site run off and roof water.

Below the pond we will create a wet land of about 2000-3000sf that will be able to hold several hundred thousand gallons of water, for as long as needed, to enable the ground to absorb it. Hopefully, dry in the summer, but with an ever changing edge during rain events, as the water raises and lowers creating a new wetland shape daily!

We have only been on the site now for 1 day and already frogs, in anticipation of the new pond, are showing up!

Laying the Stream's Liner

Eckert/Lyon

The stream liner, 100' long, is in place waiting for rocks, logs, plants and water. It's amazing how much work goes into a stream to make it work well and be aesthetically pleasing. First is the machine work to create the stream's course; raking and raking to remove the rocks and sticks to create a smooth bed; laying the felt pad and then the liner, working out the creases; inserting the pump's electric and plumbing along the edge; placing the rocks; carefully working the sides with soil or sand fill under the edges; planting the edges; and last, but such a treat, adding the water.

Joe's Nursery

This plant had been relocated from an area to be disturbed to a little nursery started by the clients where it overlooks the preparation of it's new home.



These plants were all relocated from areas that needed grading. They are the natives we save--At the same time, we also dig out any Canadian Thistle or other noxious weeds to not contaminate our top soil we want to re-use.




Above-A different perspective of Eckert/Lyon.
"Even amongst ciaos, there is always beauty!"-dbBrad
Below-Joe's nursery.

The water runs

The very first water from the solar pump ran the other day and Tommie was there to see it. It's a very satisfying system because you can hear the energy of the sun as the pump has more or less power and you can "see" the sun by the volume of water in the stream, though much delayed.

Tommie watching the very first water flow
through the new solar pump system

It was very cute. She immediately called up her brother (who took an interest in the project early on) and held the phone inside the pump house so he could hear the pump wind up with the sun (more power) and down with the clouds (less power)! The solar panels were cranking out 39.6 volts on a mostly clear November day, moving about 800-1000 gallons per hour.

The solar pavilion on the far side of the main retention pond.

It will pump almost twice this volume during the summer months. But there's no battery, so when there's no sun, there's no stream. Unless it's raining, in which case there's still quite a flow!

Here's a little video of the first water running down the creek.

Within a few days of getting the system finished, it rained. And hard. It's easy to forget that this project isn't about making a "water feature". It was about controlling the water because this property was flooding. Last year there was standing water all around the buildings and water running across the driveway. With the work we've done there are no longer an water issues. All excess water after being collected, running the stream, and filling the large 'variable edge' lined retention pond where it can over flow into a restored wetland with a modified outflow (we created a small dam with the glacial till we excavated from the main pond) allowing the wetland to fill up with almost 3' feet of water.  Several hundred thousand gallons.

After the first big rain of 2010, the wetland had about 6" of 
water and the rest of the property had none. Perfect!

Eckert Lyon restoration, pond, stream, wet land, solar pavilion, solar pump, restoration.

Eckert Lyon Week 1

Above-two happy hardworking clients leveling low spots in the temperary law (holding planting before trees and shrubs) near the driveway with organic material from the property.



Above-final raking of 'intuitive depression'-our solution for water control by garage. Below-some of the smaller rocks that will trim the stream and ponds.





Above-scraping the top soil where we need to excavate.
Below-A test hole in the pond. Indeed the ground is saturated with a liquefied layer about 30" below the ground. Within minutes it began puddling and the side of the hole began collapsing less than an hour later.





Above-Josh, documenting our process on video and well camouflaged, sets up his time lapse shot.



Above-Some of the equipment needed to 'do it right'
2 Below-Travis and josh horsing around.




3 Steps to a pond-Below starting at top
-The small upper pond excavated.
-Rock awaits placement of liner for upper pond while Joe and Josh stretch the giant inter tube made by Firestone over the underlayment in the hole.
-Upper pond finished (previous project!)

Eckert Lyon Week 3

We are moving on to week 4, the last bit of work needed to resolve all the edges and hand off the ponds and stream as a 'you finish' project.  Even after we finish tucking and covering the liner edges, there will need to be adjustments here and there and lots of plants which the owners will do as time and money permit.

I feel it's important to show increments in week intervals because future clients will not only be able to see how much work can happen in a week but also how much work is behind the scenes or in this case, under the liner and a week is a very comprehendible amount of work for most projects.


 

At the beginning of the week we had a mud bog. This little Kubota (from Double R Rental) is a great machine and I hope to purchase my own soon. However for some of the bigger rocks 6k-8k pounds, it could barely pick them up. I was a little nervous about approaching the soft edge of a large pond with an 8k lb rock in a 9k lb tractor.

While a large rock in the bottom of a pond is a 'feature', a small tractor in the bottom of a pond is not!

Here the edges are getting shaped, raked and leveled.



This liner weighed about 800lbs and had to be moved into the pond with tractor and slings. It took many bodies to pull and push it into place.




Even the larger 15k lb Hyundai (Jet city rentals) could barely pick up this boulder.

This rock goes outside the liner. The liner will glue to it and be cut off just above water level. Usually it's ideal to place rocks like this 'on' the liner but given the orientation of the flat spot and the desired finished height plus the need for stability, we chose to dig it in and not place it on the liner.

All of this work happened before the liner went in.






The stream liner, the outflow from a drainage ditch installed by the house contractor and the poly pipe left over from FrEdLey (donated by Fran Abel Landscape Design) for the project.
Christine models a thistle's large tap root on a small Hyundai.



A nice pinhole feautre of my lumix. To get the blackened edges on yours, simply drop the camera with the lense out from about 3 feet onto a hard surface!

The old Nissan is put into action hauling a huge huckleberry together with decomposed cedar for the pond edges.

Tommie and Fran begin "working" the edges.

Large boulders and logs make the pond's edges wildlife friendly and provide a more natural look.

The stream is a long way from being completed but with the liner, large rocks and logs, it's beginning to take shape.

One of the large hollow logs is getting planted.

This is the outflow from the upper pond.

Drying Out After the Deluge

Eckert/Lyon

A new load of beautiful, local Whidbey Island rocks, was delivered to the site this past week for creating the edges of the ponds and the stream. Weather permitting, the rock setting will happen Tuesday and Wednesday. Last week all work needed to be terminated due to a deluge of rain.

Matthew overlooks the upper pond filled very quickly with roof water from last week's rain. The liners for the creek and lower pond were ready to be installed until too much water stopped all work until the sun returned for some much needed drying out.

Brad discussing the project with his clients.

Looking back at E-L home with the pond and wetland in the foreground.