Restoration Project Documents - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 141

are determined by your project goals and objectives and controlled by the budget for this activity.
If abundant laborers are available, then hand watering may be a viable solution. In some cases,
burros have been used to carry large containers of water from the source to the site. Each plant is
provided with a small amount of water by a field attendant who walks to each plant with the burro
and releases water from the container. Always verify that the water source you use does not have
high EC levels. We were involved in a large project at the end of a long dry period, and the pond
we were going to use for irrigation had EC levels over twice the value found harmful to plants.
In most temperate areas of North America, irrigation systems are commonly used where ex-
tensive container plants are used. Detailed irrigation drawings that indicate appropriate devices in
compliance with local codes will ensure a reliable water source. Fixed spray systems are installed
for a limited period, usually not more than about three years. During this time, irrigation water is
regularly applied, with the goal of encouraging the growth of deep-rooting plants that, within a few
years time, will reach the underlying water table, at which time the supplemental irrigation system
can be removed from the site.
The design configuration and the pattern you choose may be dictated by some logistical con-
straints. A project on the Feather River in northern California, for example, needed to plant four
hundred acres in one season. The costs in terms of money, labor, and materials for installation,
maintenance, and management on a site of this size can be greatly economized by adopting ap-
proaches that are similar to agricultural crop production. Many projects on the Colorado River
(Anderson and Ohmart 1985) and most recently on the South Fork of the Kern River in central
California and the Feather River in northern California have used straight or sinuous rows of
plantings, which enable more efficient use of irrigation systems and weed management (Griggs
2009). Aside from initial visual effects, this approach affords several advantages (including cost-effi-
ciency) over the more detailed quadrant patterns that are commonly used for major planting-based
projects.
Utility Plans
Utility plans are prepared when utility equipment and facilities are known to exist on your proj-
ect site. These may become evident during the title search and base mapping conducted earlier.
Because of the risk to life represented by high-voltage power lines, high-pressure gas mains, and
nearly any utility service, whether it is located above or below ground, it is important to hire a
professional to research and prepare this important component of the contract documents. In ad-
dition, the liability you face in the event you or your implementation team were to disrupt a utility
service, such as a phone line, can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars—as was the case on a
site we did on the San Diego River!
Civil engineers obtain mapping from the serving utility company or agency and then plot the
locations of each utility facility that occurs on or adjacent to your project site on a utility plan. The
utility plan is field verified and typically service companies are hired to spot-check underground
locations of pipelines and electrical systems. The findings from the record search and field surveys
are then transmitted to the project team and, in turn, are plotted on all related project plans.