Top Stories

POSTED: Wednesday, Jul. 08, 2009

Crews use helicopter to place logs, boulders along Nooksack River

Mount Baker Highway drivers got more than nature views for their gas money Tuesday, July 7: They watched a large helicopter haul boulders and logs and deposit them along the bank of the Nooksack River.

The crews used a double-rotor helicopter to fly in and drop off boulders, each weighing four tons, and 30-foot logs.

The work was part of a state Department of Transportation project to keep the river from eroding the bank and threatening the highway above. The helicopter, a Boeing Vertol 107, is the civilian version of a military cargo and transport craft.

The work, involving 150 such boulders and 90 logs, is along a 3/4-mile stretch of river just west of Glacier, at a place called Warnick Bluff. It was near where crews did similar work in late 2006 to make emergency repairs after storms swelled the river.

"We want to go farther upstream, where we're seeing other bank-erosion activities," said Chris Damitio, project engineer at the DOT.

This time, drivers weren't facing lane closures because the helicopter didn't need to carry material over the highway.

Crews will use the boulders to anchor the logs, which are designed to catch material floating downstream. The material will absorb the river's energy and help prevent bank erosion, Damitio said.

The helicopter was only able to place boulders and logs within about five feet of their final location. Later this month, when the river level is expected to drop, crews will use heavy equipment on the ground to refine their placement.

The DOT signed a $395,000 contract with Battle Ground-based Tapani Underground to do the work.