Odd Fellows Recreation Club, Guerneville, California

In 2009 BioEngineering Associates, Inc. re-constructed the riverbank at the Odd Fellows Recreation Club on the Lower Russian River in Guerneville, California, stabilizing and revegetating extensive erosion sites along 2,115 feet of bank. Nine different bioengineering techniques were used, including 1) Live Willow Brush Mattresses; 2) Live Woven Willow Walls; 3) Rock and Live Willow Brush Layers (Branch Packing); 4) Coir Wrapped Soil with Live Willow Brush Layers; 5) Deep Cluster Plantings; 6) Roughened Channels to replace erosion causing culverts; 7) multiple Log and Boulder Fish Habitat Structures; 8) Vegetated Boulder Wing Deflectors; and, 9) storm water pollution prevention techniques. Use of an in-stream Floating Siltation Curtain enabled work to be performed within the channel while preventing sediments from entering the stream flow. An extensive irrigation system was installed, along with deer exclusion fencing maintained on-site by the OFRC staff.


February 2008, Site 3: Bank failure at OFRC, which carried away over 4,000 cubic yards of soil. Erosion stopped at the face of a 10,000 gallon septic holding tank.	Summer 2009: Even with low flows of no more than 23,000 cfs, a previously intact bank section began to unravel. Live Willow Coir Wrapped Lifts were chosen as the method to repair this bank.

Summer 2009: Site 3 during construction. The willow layer is placed on top of the Coir Lift	November 2009, Site 3: Construction completed: Boulder wing deflector, Live Willow Brush Mattress, Fish Habitat Structure, Rock and Willow Lifts, Rock and Coir Lifts.

October 2011, Site 3: 2 years after BioEngineering Associates, Inc. restoration.	October 2011: Completed Live Willow Coir Wrapped Lifts, 2 years after construction.

February 2008, Site 4: Fallen Redwoods lie in liquefied soil during a storm event (26-28,000 cfs).	November 2009, Site 4: Construction completed.