SITE SELECTION
SITE SELECTION
Description: This activity involves the selection of sites in advance of the need for long-term
and short-term stockpiling of materials for County maintenance activities and disposing of
excess materials from excavations, grading and culvert basin cleaning. The general watershed
criteria for selecting any disposal site is a site where the material will not erode into any part of
the channel network, and where it will not initiate a formerly dormant landslide.
Environmental Concerns:
• Filling wetlands with spoil material.
• Discharge of sediment or organic material into the stream or storm water discharge system.
• Damage to endangered or threatened plant species on site.
• Slope stability of both the disposal site and the spoil pile.
Best Management Practices:
1. Determine the location of existing disposal sites, potential disposal sites, and locations of
significant spoil generation along county roads. Incorporate data collected from County Road
Erosion Inventory as much as possible.
a. Conduct site investigations of existing and potentially suitable County disposal sites. Site
investigations should include the disposal area size, distance to watercourses, potential
slope instabilities, listed species habitat, archaeological sites, nearby residential areas,
access, and other limiting factors.
b. Prepare a map and data set indicating sites (existing and potential) with acceptable site
characteristics (see below). Prioritize acceptable sites and initiate the permitting process.
c. Develop site plans for sites adjacent to or near riparian areas or streams to identify
erosion and sediment control needs, and to ensure stability of the material.
2. Follow these acceptable site characteristics in the site election & design process:
a. Seek a stable site where sediment cannot reach the stream during any high water event.
b. Avoid adjacent riparian corridors or any area within the 100-year floodplain.
c. Avoid all wetland sites as these sites are protected from disposal activities and permits
will be required and may not be granted.
d. Avoid placing spoil on unstable slopes, where the added weight could trigger a land
movement. Excessive loading of clay or silt soils could also trigger a failure.
e. Use wide, stable locations such as rock pits, ridges, and benches as places to dispose of
fill. Avoid locations where ground water emerges or a thick organic layer is present.
f. Avoid sites with endangered or threatened plant species. Search the California Natural
Diversity Database [//www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/cnddb.html ] for any known listed
plant sites in the area. Seek site evaluations by qualified botanists during the appropriate
season before selecting a new site.
Permits Possibly Needed:
• A conditional use permit is often required from the County Planning Department. Coastal
development permit may be needed in coastal zone.
• Grading permit may be required by County under Grading Ordinance.
• County Floodplain Development permit if located within 100 year floodplain
• An agreement must be executed with the landowner, such as an encroachment permit. USFS
or BLM special use permits may be required if the site is on federal land; surveys of
additional species of concern may be required by those agencies.
• Permits from State and Federal agencies are usually not required as long as waters outside of the “ordinary high water” zone are avoided.
Description: This activity involves the selection of sites in advance of the need for long-term
and short-term stockpiling of materials for County maintenance activities and disposing of
excess materials from excavations, grading and culvert basin cleaning. The general watershed
criteria for selecting any disposal site is a site where the material will not erode into any part of
the channel network, and where it will not initiate a formerly dormant landslide.
Environmental Concerns:
• Filling wetlands with spoil material.
• Discharge of sediment or organic material into the stream or storm water discharge system.
• Damage to endangered or threatened plant species on site.
• Slope stability of both the disposal site and the spoil pile.
Best Management Practices:
1. Determine the location of existing disposal sites, potential disposal sites, and locations of
significant spoil generation along county roads. Incorporate data collected from County Road
Erosion Inventory as much as possible.
a. Conduct site investigations of existing and potentially suitable County disposal sites. Site
investigations should include the disposal area size, distance to watercourses, potential
slope instabilities, listed species habitat, archaeological sites, nearby residential areas,
access, and other limiting factors.
b. Prepare a map and data set indicating sites (existing and potential) with acceptable site
characteristics (see below). Prioritize acceptable sites and initiate the permitting process.
c. Develop site plans for sites adjacent to or near riparian areas or streams to identify
erosion and sediment control needs, and to ensure stability of the material.
2. Follow these acceptable site characteristics in the site election & design process:
a. Seek a stable site where sediment cannot reach the stream during any high water event.
b. Avoid adjacent riparian corridors or any area within the 100-year floodplain.
c. Avoid all wetland sites as these sites are protected from disposal activities and permits
will be required and may not be granted.
d. Avoid placing spoil on unstable slopes, where the added weight could trigger a land
movement. Excessive loading of clay or silt soils could also trigger a failure.
e. Use wide, stable locations such as rock pits, ridges, and benches as places to dispose of
fill. Avoid locations where ground water emerges or a thick organic layer is present.
f. Avoid sites with endangered or threatened plant species. Search the California Natural
Diversity Database [//www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/cnddb.html ] for any known listed
plant sites in the area. Seek site evaluations by qualified botanists during the appropriate
season before selecting a new site.
Permits Possibly Needed:
• A conditional use permit is often required from the County Planning Department. Coastal
development permit may be needed in coastal zone.
• Grading permit may be required by County under Grading Ordinance.
• County Floodplain Development permit if located within 100 year floodplain
• An agreement must be executed with the landowner, such as an encroachment permit. USFS
or BLM special use permits may be required if the site is on federal land; surveys of
additional species of concern may be required by those agencies.
• Permits from State and Federal agencies are usually not required as long as waters outside of the “ordinary high water” zone are avoided.
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