Ecological Engineering served as a subconsultant to Kleinschmidt Associates on the Silvies River Drainage Flood Management and Mitigation project for Harney County, Oregon. The overall scope of work provided engineering services including floodplain modeling, flood mitigation feasibility studies, groundwater recharge recommendations, and wet prairie restoration planning near the Towns of Burns and Hines, Oregon. The primary objective of the project is to provide achievable options for improving Silvies River flood management. Harney County undergoes periodic flooding from the Silvies River that causes property damage and is preventing development of its urban growth boundary. Harney County is also experiencing a rapid drawdown of the water table that is threatening continued use of wells for domestic and agricultural uses. Ecological Engineering determined that urban flooding problem and the lowering of the basinwide water table were related and provided technical support to the Kleinschmidt team to develop a comprehensive understanding of the flood system, develop flood mitigation alternatives, define alternative evaluation and selection criteria, and recommend solutions. Ecological Engineering provided recommendations that reduce flooding and contribute to groundwater recharge by maximizing floodplain reconnection and expansion within known constraints. Floodplain reconnection is expected to provide the additional benefits of wet prairie and agricultural pasture enhancement.
Silvies River Flood Management
