Indians-Arroyo Seco Road
PURPOSE
The emergency reconstruction of this road for access to parts of the Kirk Complex Fires resulted in the side casting of large amounts of landslide material into ephemeral tributary streams of the Arroyo Seco River. While there have been technical attempts to minimize increases in sediment transport into the river as a result of the recent emergency work, monitoring and continued erosion control measures will be necessary for years to come.
The current LPNF management position for the road is to fully implement Best Management Practices (BMPs), as required under the Clean Water Act. Unfortunately, past road maintenance practices ignored important aspects of the BMPs allowing massive amounts of sediment to flow into the Arroyo Seco River, damaging the spawning beds of steelhead trout and degrading water quality.
The VWA will continue monitoring of the situation and reporting conditions to the appropriate agencies.
BACKGROUND and HISTORY
The Indians-Arroyo Seco Road has been closed continuously, to public vehicles since its seasonal closure in the late Fall of 1994.
Winter storms in '94-'95 created two major landslides which covered the roadway. A number of other slip outs, washouts, debris slides and damage also occurred. The Monterey County Roads Department, the maintaining agency, was unable to reopen in '95 due to higher roads priorities. In late '95 FEMA did an estimate of reopening costs of $140,000, but did not allow for work to be done using agreed upon Best Management Practices (BMPs).These BMPs resulted from an agreement (1981) between the USFS and the State Water Quality Control Board.
CHRONOLOGY
No roadway work was done during 1996 due to public awareness of inadequate compliance with BMPs and a new roadway washout at the St. Lucia Creek bridge, which occurred in Spring '96. In July '96, the USFS conducted a geo-technical survey of only the two major landslides and one major washout.
In mid-July 1996, the Monterey District Ranger USFS notified Monterey County Public Works of required BMPs to be implemented for reopening. The County was also made aware of PACFISH requirements/standards for road construction and maintenance.
During 1997, the County continued to file appeals regarding FEMA's denial of funding. The road remained closed.
In December 1997, the County filed their third and final appeal to FEMA, requesting a meeting, to include FEMA, Monterey County Public Works, USFS, Federal Highway Administration, and Congressman Sam Farr's office. Noticeably absent are reps. from Calif Dept. of Fish and Game, State Water Quality Control Board, or the National Marine Fisheries Service.
In May 1998, the USFS requested the Monterey Co. Roads Dept. to bulldoze a rough opening from the southern closure point (Escondido Camp) north to the southern slide (Jackhammer Spring) to look for spoil disposal sites.
In June '98 FEMA denied the County's third and final appeal, concluding that the USFS had "legal responsibility for repairs resulting from landslides". FEMA funding was "lost" when they notified local Congressman Sam Farr's office that FEMA funds do not apply to projects on Federally owned land. The U.S.Forest Service (USFS) then began pursuing other funding sources.
In November '98 Bruce Emmens, Monterey District Ranger USFS requested Monterey County Roads superintendent Jim McNulty to reevaluate the methods and ways the road could be reopened. Accompanying Jim were local warden John Foster and Chuck Marshall, Inland Fisheries Biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game. Jim reported that these DF&G representatives had given their approval to his methods of operation, including "backfilling into a slip out". He also reports that these methods are the most "cost effective" considering the low status of the road, and that the USFS will have to find the funds needed to reopen all the blocked culverts.
In early November '98 the VWA requested of Bruce Emmens that USFS & Monterey County Roads open the many closed/covered/plugged culverts within the closed portion of the road. The approaching storm season would be the fourth year that these inoperative culverts caused damage to the road and excessive sedimentation of the Arroyo Seco River.
In mid-November '98 the Monterey District of the USFS cleared culverts with their own equipment, on the southern portion of the closed road.
In early December '98 the Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service conduct a field trip/survey and consultation on reopening the road.
In January 1999 the Coastal Watershed Council (CWC) drafted plans to survey the Arroyo Seco River for monitoring sites. The proposed project would be at various sites on the river, staffed primarily by volunteers, and take place starting in the early summer of '99.
February '99 - In talking with the Forest Fisheries Biologist, the presence of red-legged frogs on the Forest's portion of the Arroyo Seco River is mentioned. Two listed species, steelhead and red-legged frog, are now known to inhabit the River.
On June 1, 1999 District Ranger Bruce Emmens announced that funds ($200,000) are available to reopen the road using Army Reserve summer training units from Fort Hunter Liggett. He continued to use the categorical exclusion provision of the NEPA process, despite many "triggers" not allowing CE's. He stated that work could begin as early as this summer.
Summer 1999. Reconstruction, as proposed above, was halted due to settlement negotiations of the lawsuit between the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and the Four Southern California Forests. The USFS agreed to conduct an EA on reconstruction of the road.
In September 1999, due to the Kirk Complex Fires, the road was reconstructed for access under the emergency provisions of fire control. Most of the landslide material was side cast into extremely steep intermittent streams and adjacent slopes. With limitless fire suppression resources the road was completely rebuilt, but little used during the fires.
As of May 2000 the road is closed between the Arroyo Seco Campgrounds and Escondido Campgrounds due to a new landslide (Adit), approximately 6 miles north of Escondido. LPNF and the Monterey County Roads Department signed an agreement for the County to remove and end haul the approximately 500 cubic yards of slide material south 1 ½ miles to a disposal site in Hanging Valley.
On June 6 & 9, 2000, LPNF issued a decision to re-open the road to vehicle traffic and also issued a CE to remove the Adit landslide and dispose of the spoil in Hanging Valley.
On June 9, 2000, the Center for Biological Diversity and Ventana Wilderness Alliance filed suit against the FS alleging the FS is illegally attempting to work on the road.
June 12 & 27, 2000. LPNF withdrew both their decision to re-open the road to vehicle traffic and the CE to remove and end hauls the Adit landslide.
Currently, the I-AS Road is closed to vehicle traffic between the Arroyo Seco and Memorial Park Campgrounds. Gates are locked south of the Arroyo Seco Campground, in the North and just north of the Escondido Campground, in the South. The road is closed seasonally between Escondido and Memorial Park Campgrounds, beginning with the first rains of the season, through April of each year. Hikers, equestrians, and bicyclists are able to use the entire road, if they can get past the landslides.
Since 9/11/2001, Ft Hunter-Liggett has constructed guard posts at each entry/exit to the Fort. Opening the I-AS Road would require the Dept. of Defense to arm and man the I-AS Road entry/exit, 24 hours a day. Opening the road would also require an increased law enforcement and USFS patrol.
One option proposed by the VWA is to open the road from the north and south for administrative and emergency purposes, but leaving a hiking/equestrian/biking trail for several miles, in between. Scoping for the road-opening proposal has begun with an expected decision in December 2006. See the USFS Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) at: http://www.fs.fed.us/sopa/forest-level.php?110507.
CONTACT
For more information about this project, contact Dennis Palm, VWA Board Member/Indians-Arroyo Seco Road Project Coordinator at dennis@ventanawild.org. dennis@ventanawild.org.
