Last year (spring 2010) was the first year of site restoration work that commenced on the corner lot prairie. Since then we have already learned a lot about the hydrology of the site; including where the water table is located relative to the surface of the site, how former perc holes have punctured and exacerbated the flow of ground water to the surface and most importantly how stormwater enters and exits the site. In earlier posts I illustrated how stormwater now enters the site via an outlet structure at White Lake Road. With this new outlet structure in place, large amounts of runoff are now distributed onto the property, creating a well defined creek through the south central part of the site. As of last fall, we began construction of a little boardwalk-like bridge over this seasonal creek. This bridge allows us to enjoy and explore the wet/mesic conditions that occur at the southern end of the site, giving us improved access for future stewardship activities.
Our bridge can be classified in the LEED Platinum category due to the fact that all building materials are made from 100% recycled materials. The foundation of this simple structure is comprised of a salvaged 40 foot utility pole that was cut in half to make two 20' structural beams. These beams were then layed down to span the breadth of the creek. From there 2x6 western redcedar planks, refurbished from a deck tear-out job that I helped my boss remove this past spring, were layed across the old utility poles to create a nice weathered decking material. A great use of materials that would have otherwise contributed to a landfill!!
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