Watershed Restoration

Mr. Blatchford participated in the design of Pabco Road ECS consisting of a three-stage weir structure located at the Pabco Road crossing on the Lower Las Vegas Wash. Mr. Blatchford finalized the plans, specifications, and estimate from 65% to 100%, participated in the bid process, and lent construction support. The three stage gabion weir was designed for the 2-yr, 10-yr, and 100-yr flows along the Lower Wash, or 1400 cfs, 3400 cfs, and 16,000 cfs, respectively. This structure was designed to have a flexible foundation for a saturated subgrade, with cutoff walls on the upstream and downstream ends. Backwater was designed to be four feet behind the weir, thereby slowing velocities and allowing habitat to become re-established. Erosion control in the form of dumped riprap was extended below the structure. Pabco Road ECS was also located at the perchlorate plume daylighting into the Wash from the BMI complex upstream, adjacent the City of Henderson wastewater treatment plant outfall. This required special environmental permitting during construction dewatering of the Wash subgrade. Mass loading of perchlorate before and after construction was monitored to ensure no impacts occurred downstream in Las Vegas Bay. Special coordination and permitting was required with multiple agencies, including the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP), Clark County, the Clark County Regional Flood Control District (CCRFCD), the City of Henderson, SNWA, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), and the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). Permits obtained for Pabco Road included the Clean Water Act 404 permit, an NPDES point discharge permit, Temporary Rolling Stock Permit, a Dust Control Permit, a Groundwater Appropriations Permit, and an NPDES stormwater discharge permit. The opinion of probable cost for Pabco Road ECS was $4.3 million, whereas the bid by Las Vegas Paving was approximately $3.8 million.

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As Regional Water Resource Manager at Harris and Associates, Mr. Blatchford initiated, developed, planned, coordinated, and provided technical assistance for a watershed restoration project on the Pittman Wash, in Henderson, Nevada, called Project GREEN on behalf of the City of Henderson. Mr. Blatchford initiated, planned and coordinated grant applications through the State of Nevada, and won $300,000 in Question 1 grant monies for project trails and other recreational outdoor activities. He coordinated with the City of Henderson a series of public meetings designed to engage the local and scientific community. Mr. Blatchford coordinated and managed scientific work with Federal agencies, such as the EPA, the NRCS, and the NPS to address habitat restoration, surface water and groundwater issues related to the highly saline, shallow aquifer, the affect of tamarisk versus native species on the hydrologic cycle, and surface water hydraulic modeling.

Project GREEN