Culverts/pipes - lots of questions

[gabby]

I've concluded that you can't prevent overflows, and the best tactic is to divert them. We have had three so called "100 year" rain events in the past 15 years and I've had some major washouts.

I now assume that overflows will occur, and I make a big hump of fill over the pipe itself so that the overflow will run around one side or the other and then re-enter the stream bed further down. This prevents the pipe from getting washed out. I also use lots of rip-rap to prevent scouring.

Also, state logging specs give tables of watershed area vs. culvert size for logging roads. That's a good guide for sizing the culvert pipe.
gabby

 

[pmtllc]

One other trick you might look into is the use of a geotextile. It is a material like silt fence but comes in wide rolls. Once you install the culvert pipe as recommended you can roll this stuff out on the critical surfaces and cover it with ballast rock, rip-rap and gravel and it will hold very well. The material acts to spread the load and to prevent the stones from sinking into the substrate /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif. I have even used this technique in a stream bottom as a low water crossing with no culvert and it held for the 2 years I needed it. It really reduces the limitations created by local soil types. (And I have no idea what you have in PA.)

 

[newtothis]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This is why you need an engineer's help. )</font>

I won't get into the "plastic vs. steel" debate but... this won't prove helpful to someone in PA but for those from Michigan to Kentucky my wifes got a culvert manufacturing operation with an engineer on staff for just such problems. Been in business over 100 years!

St Regis Culvert

 

[HoffAppFarm]

We are in Elk County (Northcentral PA) and are almost in the implementation stage for this. And yup...had to fill out a TON of paperwork (box turtle..really?!), submit a plan, maps, drawings, etc. to our county conservation office. All in all, not terrible and I understand why...but it's a learning process for sure!

A creek?
I'm from the other corner of the state, but when I had a project going a few years back, the excavator had to file paperwork ( I think it cost me $150) with some environmental engineer co. to tell us how to build a small crossing over a tributary that runs through my property.
They said what size pipe, how long, how to backfill, how to seed and use haybales to prevent bank erosion.... I actually got a set of plans back.

At least around here, there's a bunch of gov't people that get pretty fussy when it comes to doing anything to creeks and such and mine dries up every summer.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

We are in Elk County (Northcentral PA) and are almost in the implementation stage for this. And yup...had to fill out a TON of paperwork (box turtle..really?!), submit a plan, maps, drawings, etc. to our county conservation office. All in all, not terrible and I understand why...but it's a learning process for sure!

Welcome to the forum! I don't live to far from Saint Marys!

Old thread, but doing it the right way is actually cheaper. If you get caught trying to get around permits, the fines can be hundreds of dollars per day per violation in PA.