Beringer Blass Wine Estates Bank Stabilization Project; Asti, California

In 2004 and 2005 BioEngineering Associates, Inc. completed a very large project at the Beringer Blass Wine Estates in Asti, California. For a number of reasons, the riparian forest that used to act as a barrier between the river and the property had eroded away, along with large portions of the vineyard property, leaving several structures threatening to end up in the river. BioEngineering Associates, Inc. successfully redirected 1,500 feet of the Russian River into an existing secondary diversion channel, conducting a major fish rescue operation, and reconstructed the riverbank and a flood terrace with material from the mid-channel gravel bars.

A Live Willow Brush Mattress was constructed to successfully stabilize and revegetate the 1,000 feet of riverbank, together with Live Willow Siltation Baffles that were used to stabilize/revegetate a riparian terrace below the newly constructed riverbank. Local fallen trees were incorporated into fish habitat structures, which together with the live willow siltation baffles that created shoreline alcoves, resulted in superb and stable fish habitat that has increased in plant diversity on its own. An extensive irrigation system installed and maintained by the vineyard staff.

In March 2009 the Asti winery was awarded the Business Environmental Award by the Sonoma County Business Environmental Alliance. The restoration work done by BioEngineering Associates featured prominently in the recognition of Beringer Blass as an environmentally friendly business. See videos of salmon fry using structures.


March 2004: Before BioEngineering Associates, Inc. restoration. The streambank erosion extended 300 feet back from the river, along a 1,000 foot stretch. The very large old cottonwood tree, (right center,) was threatened by the eroding banks, and would have been the next to go.	The Asti farm worker crew, supervised by BioEngineering Associate’s key personnel construct a Live Willow Brush Mattress, which will stabilize and revegetate the newly constructed riverbank.

The last of the willow is delivered to the almost completed project. The willow mattress has been covered with a light layer of gravel and a series of Live Willow Siltation Baffles have been installed below the bank to build a new flood terrace and protect the toe of the riverbank.	The root ball and trunk section of a large fallen tree was built into a Boulder Wing Deflector at the upstream end of the project.

Spring 2005: The recently completed Boulder Wing Deflector after its first winter.	May 2009: The completed project at Beringer Blass Wine Estates, five years after construction.

Videos of salmon fry using the structures at Asti


This steelhead fry was in the area of the willow mattress at site 1 of the Asti project, at the Beringer Blass Wine Estates, on the Russian River. Video was taken on April 19, 2013. Watch the video .	This wing deflector at site 2 of the Asti project is used by both steelhead and chinook salmon fry. Video taken on April 26, 2013. Watch the video.