Earthen Dam Preservation at River Ranch Park
This Hornaday Project, led by Elijah R, saved one of the earthen dams in River Ranch County Park, which has only one large pond that retains water through the year on its approximately 1,000 acres. Twenty volunteers, led by Elijah, contributed a total of 261 hours to the project.
The project was aimed at conserving the water in the former stock pond by removing fifteen years of overgrowth that was weakening the dam. Tree roots pose a threat to earthen dams because they create spaces where water can collect and erode a dam from the inside out. By taking out the woody vegetation now, the remaining small roots will decay and be replaced by solid material before they become large roots that could create leaks in the earthen dam in the future.
In addition to the conservation work, Elijah also constructed a kiosk, which will display conservation information at the park.
The project was aimed at conserving the water in the former stock pond by removing fifteen years of overgrowth that was weakening the dam. Tree roots pose a threat to earthen dams because they create spaces where water can collect and erode a dam from the inside out. By taking out the woody vegetation now, the remaining small roots will decay and be replaced by solid material before they become large roots that could create leaks in the earthen dam in the future.
In addition to the conservation work, Elijah also constructed a kiosk, which will display conservation information at the park.
