Polymer Stabilized Road Surface, Rosa Residence

A homeowner in Citrus Heights was looking for a decorative driveway surface that was less expensive than concrete, but wouldn’t ravel or erode like gravel or decomposed granite. He found what he was looking for with Thunder Mountain’s Polymer Stabilized Road Surface, a combination of proprietary polymer and a decorative material called “Sonoma Gold Path Fines”. The result was a solid all-weather drivable surface, cool and pleasing to the eye.

 

Peterson Ranch Advanced Storm Water Treatment System

Peterson Ranch in Suisun, CA is a housing development recently built out by K Hovnanian Homes. The site discharges to a wetland to the south that eventually runs into Suisun Bay. Fairfield Suisun has stricter guidelines due to the Suisun Bay water quality concerns.

The site is relatively flat but the soils are very fine colloidal clays. Thunder Mountain designed this advanced treatment system to protect the wetland that flows to Suisun Bay during wet season construction, resulting in a clean outflow less than 10 NTU.

Georgetown Divide Slide Repair

A shallow landslide in El Dorado County threatened an EID water line in steep terrain. Georgetown Divide Utilities District had to repair in the wet season to avoid catastrophic failure.

Access was limited to a 3 mile unpaved road, making it difficult for trucks and equipment to get in and out. Haul trucks were prone to getting stuck in the mud, especially with the heavy rains.

Thunder Mountain constructed a gabion box wall to permanently stabilize the slope. Despite numerous challenges, construction was completed in only 3 weeks.

Sacramento Residence Rainwater Harvesting System

A residential rain water harvesting system was placed under a large patio in back yard. Thunder Mountain designed the retention tank, which can be used for irrigation and emergency water source in case of fire. The retention tank, when full, overflows into a secondary detention tank where the water can infiltrate and recharge the water table. Rainwater enters the tank through pervious pavers and filtered water from roof downspouts. The tanks can collect and infiltrate as much as 60,000 gallons of rain water per year.

Calpine Slope Stabilization

Thunder Mountain installed drilled soil nails with reinforced wire and shotcrete surface to stabilize an oversteepened bank, protecting a permanent road section and providing access to an existing geothermal energy well.

Caltrans Emergency Slide Repair, Hwy 70

Caltrans called on Thunder Mountain to perform emergency slide repair on Highway 70, using conventional slope repair methods including slope excavation and hydroseeding.

Sun Meadows Pond Construction and Liner

Thunder Mountain installed a storm water retention pond with 40 mil HDPE liner.  The pond was designed to capture storm water before leaving the site so sediment could settle out.  The upper portions of the 40 mil liner were covered with reinforced shotcrete to provide protection from mechanical and UV damage.  Liner was bolted with stainless steel bolts to polyurethane batton strips at inlet and outfall structures.

 

 

Dust Control: Choosing the Right Palliative

Chart comparing 4 common dust palliatives

The chart above illustrates four common dust palliatives and some of their advantages/disadvantages.

When choosing a dust control palliative, the following factors should be considered:

  • Volume of traffic
  • Speed of traffic
  • Type and gradation (particle size distribution) of road materials
  • Regional variances, including relative humidity
  • Desired lifespan
  • Environmental factors
  • Budget

Unit costs of products often do not reflect their relative value for a particular application, and some have undesirable environmental side effects, so it is advisable to have an experienced professional review the geographic location, application, traffic conditions, and soil types in order to determine the best product or process for your job.

TME offers effective dust control solutions for roads, job sites, farms and vineyards with a special emphasis on environmental compatibility.

Call us today for a free site consultation: 916.381.3400

Invasive Weeds in the Sacramento Region

Yellow Starthistle abundance across central California

Yellow Starthistle abundance across central California

California is home to around 450 invasive or “noxious” weed species¹. Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is one of the most harmful of these species, both ecologically and economically. It threatens biodiversity, reduces property value, is toxic to horses, depletes soil moisture, and spreads rapidly². Other invasive species common in the Sacramento region include³:

Centaurea solstitialis

Centaurea solstitialis

  • Giant Reed (Arundo donax L.)
  • Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
  • Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium L.)
  • Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
  • Puncture Vine (Tribulus terrestris L.)
  • Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae)
  • Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus)

An integrated weed abatement strategy is essential in controlling and eradicating these weeds. Thunder Mountain offers cultural (mowing & discing) and chemical (herbicide) abatement methods effective in the elimination of noxious weed species.

Call today for a free consultation: 916-381-3400

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1. California Native Plant Society
2. California Department of Food and Agriculture
3. Sacramento Weed Management Area

Storm Water Management

Construction of the Folsom Bridge with storm water management bmps in place

Folsom Bridge

12 Bridges Water Treatment

12 Bridges Water Treatment

Storm Water Management

Thunder Mountain Enterprises leads the pack when it comes to regulatory compliance relating to the Clean Water Act and the California Permit. Thunder Mountain’s expertise is distinctive because Thunder Mountain is the only California storm water consultant that has extensive on the ground, in the mud hands-on experience. We are your trusted advisor when it comes to Storm Water Management.
Here are some examples:

  • Cars on the Hazel Avenue Bridge during construction. Showing storm water management bmps

    Hazel Avenue Bridge

    Built and operated dozens of uniquely designed site-specific treatment systems in house, incorporating electro coagulation, natural occurring chemical formulations such as lime, citric acid, and chitosan, along with various mechanical filter media.

  • Thunder Mountain crews and emergency services have installed and monitored hundreds of acres of storm water BMPs in California.
  • Thunder Mountain designs hundreds of SWPPPs, and walks the ground on every site in advance. Thunder Mountain incorporated soils data, topography and proximity to sensitive water bodies,  and other factors in designs long before they became law in the new California Permit.
  • Thunder Mountain is a practitioner and technical leader with the industry’s most advanced products and concepts in slope stabilization and erosion control applications.
  • Thunder Mountain’s specialized nimble footed Agricultural equipment accesses troubled sites when no one else can.
  • Extensive in-house rain tracking, documentation and storm alert capability is unique to Thunder Mountain.
  • Thunder Mountain principals are regulatory experts, but understand practical earthwork, soil mechanics, and hydrologic scenarios.  Having Thunder Mountain on the team makes it easy to comply and generates instant credibility with key regulators.
  • Thunder Mountain provides extensive classroom learning opportunities for certificated QSP’s, QSD’s, aspiring site managers, and storm water professionals, limiting class size in order to insure top quality personalized training.

Thunder Mountain, CPESC, CPSWQ and our staff offer the highest possible level of design, consulting, monitoring and site analysis services available. Contact Thunder Mountain today for help with your storm water management needs.

Sacramento International Airport

Sacramento International Airport

Aerial image of Natomas Levee storm water management project

Natomas Levee