November, New Progress, 2013
November 5th Kodiak began grinding the stumps on the dam. Medina County had required that the stumps remain in place over the 2012 winter to hold the clay of the dam. They also required that the stumps be ground such that only the outer roots would remain for removal. This photo shows the Kodiak Bearcat, with stump grinder attached busy on the next phase of the dam restoration.
After the stumps were ground, Kodiak began their truck dance. First they installed a temporary construction driveway at the bottom of the West River Road hill for the trucks to ingress and egress on the dam.
After damming water with the lower section of muck, Kodiak begins removing the muck. The trucks with loads of clay are scheduled to arrive about every 20 minutes. Kodiak has the trucks back up the temporary driveway, dump their loads of clay and leave with a load of muck that has been scooped from the face of the dam. This photo shows several loads of clay waiting to be shaped into the restored dam. I took this picture from the bottom of the original Popa driveway where I had cut down a volunteer black locust tree on Lot 10 now that the shore had been dry enough to walk on.
November 8th, I took this picture from the Lot 10 home picture window and zoomed in on the backhoe removing muck with the bulldozer filling in the area with dry clay.
Another picture zoomed in on the progress on the dam. Another truck has backed in on top of the clay that the dozer had just spread. I took these from the Lot 10 home to have a good view but remain out of the way of those operating the equipment.
This is a wider view of the work in progress. Muck continuously removed by the backhoe and fresh clay being brought in and spread with the dozer.
Another truck backed in and dumped its load of clay.
Muck removal continues toward the original spillway pipe.
Still November 8th. Medina County Engineer Inspector Metz observed the restoration in progress.
November 8th, 2013, Removing the Original Spillway
Kodiak cleared many loads of muck from around the original vertical spillway pipe. Still the trucks bringing fresh clay drop their loads.
With all that truck activity, fresh rock had to be delivered and spread.
I took this photo from the original Popa driveway, directly across from the dam. Kodiak began removing the muck from the south end of the dam.
Looking across the lake from the original Popa driveway, the dam is progressing.
Still November 8th, in the afternoon, and the dam is still growing. The white substance on the shore in the foreground of the picture is not snow, but lime, which I had broadcast on the exposed banks of the lake that I could now reach, to raise the pH of the soil, to counteract the acidity of decaying leaves which provides nutrition for the algae that grows on the lake.
This photo was taken from the south shore of the lake near the south end of the dam. I took this photo while I spread lime in this area also.
Another truckload of clay was delivered. The dam has shaped up very well.
This photo taken from the south end of the dam shows the last truckload of muck leaving the dam restoration site for November 8th. In the foreground is a glimpse of the lime that I've spread on the south edge of the lower lake.
The last two truckloads are on the dam. More work to go, of course, but this was a day well spent and thankfully the weather held.
