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Horse Creek Culvert and Road Improvement

An excavator carrying a large corrugated pipe in a forest with bare trees.

The Shasta Valley RCD is implementing a legacy culvert replacement project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Forest Service in the Horse Creek Watershed. The project is located on Forest Service roads near Horse Creek and Seiad Valley in the Klamath National Forest. 

The Horse Creek Culvert and Road Improvement Project will replace an initial 19 legacy culverts and improve road conditions to reduce sediment runoff and improve watershed health. The project area was severely burned during the 2017 Miller Complex Fire, causing lots of erosion within the fire scar. The new culverts will improve stormwater runoff quality into Horse Creek by reducing sediment sources and protecting instream habitat. In addition, the Forest Service roads will be protected from high flow events and erosion. These roads provide important access to water and ridgelines needed to fight wildfires, post fire logging efforts, and public recreation. 

Construction on the legacy culverts began in Fall 2023 and will continue in Summer 2024 as snow levels allow. 

Person in a high-visibility vest on a forest trail with fallen trees and debris around. (The image is rotated 90 degrees.)
The contractor discussing inboard ditch improvement before work began along road 47N70. 
An orange excavator on a mound of dirt with a backdrop of a forest with burnt trees.
Culvert excavation and removal .
May contain: person
A new section of culvert is fitted into its excavated site, meeting flow at its natural slope.
May contain: pickup truck, transportation, truck, vehicle, machine, and wheel
The contractor staging new culvert sections for placement.
A yellow excavator at a construction site with a visible underground pipe.
Excavation and removal of legacy culvert underneath the road prism.
A dirt road with evident erosion and scattered debris in a forest area.
A newly graded section of road over a completed culvert. The downslope was rocked  to prevent erosion and stabilize the road.
May contain: gravel, road, soil, bulldozer, and machine
The finising touches are placed on a culvert inlet at the project site.
A corrugated metal drainpipe on a rocky slope with trees and a clear sky.
When the new culverts are in place, water flows easily into its natural drainage with low sediment loads.
Culvert pipe amidst rocks and regrowth in a forest area, possibly after a wildfire or clearing.
A completed and fortified culvert inlet along road 47N70.