Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2019 10:12:53 GMT -7
High South Roads Heavily Damaged By Continued Wet Weather
South Glastonbury spring road work came and went in April of 2019. Most of Hercules and all of High South was completely neglected. Ditches were not cleaned, culverts were not flushed and no fresh gravel was applied. The grader made it only to Glastonbury Landowner's Association (GLA) President Dennis Riley's driveway and then went no further. Low South was graded along with 1,500 feet of Hercules that received fresh mag chloride. Then the spring and early summer rains started to fall.
Large, water filled potholes dot upper Hercules Road.
Hundreds of potholes filled with water with every passing storm. The collected water weakened the road surface. Vehicle traffic widened and deepened the potholes. Swarms of small potholes quickly turned into wide and deep potholes that spanned the road.
Small potholes grow to deep, road spanning craters.
Just south of SpecTec, Hercules turned into a mud bog due to clogged ditches and heavy factory traffic. The entire road surface disintegrated; the gravel was pounded into the dirt and mud road base. Soon this section of road became rutted and slippery. Fresh mud was four to six inches deep on the wettest days as water flowed into and collected in this low section of Hercules.
A growing mud bog south of SpecTec on upper Hercules Road.
Washboards form easily when roads lack a proper base and are not well drained. Usually they are graded out in spring when culverts and ditches are cleaned. Hercules never had a county standard base and in 2019 did not receive normal maintenance. Washboards from 2018 were allowed to collect water and grow. Potholes formed and the road continued to deteriorate.
Washboards from 2018 create 2019 potholes on upper Hercules Road.
Ditches and culverts must be cleaned every year so water can drain away from the road bed. Many sections of roads in Glastonbury are carved from hillsides and were never properly angled. The side closest to the steep hill should be lower than the other side of the road. A ditch along the hillside cut can then collect water from the road and channel it safely away. In the below photo the gravel surface of upper Hercules is washing away because the road is improperly angled and the hillside ditch is clogged. Water washes over the road and erodes the gravel surface.
Clogged ditch and incorrect grading allow Hercules Road to severally erode.
In 2018, the GLA under the guidance of President Riley and Road Committee member Walter Wunsch, illegally excavated almost 50,000 square feet of stream and wet lands in High South. The 2018 Army Corps of Engineers permit only allowed for 800 square feet of stream bed restoration. Instead Riley and Wunsch destroyed pristine wetlands, built berms, gouged out Golemeyer Creek and even constructed a 250 foot private driveway for an old time landowner. It was all paid for with landowner funds. The damage they caused has yet to be fully addressed by the GLA Board. The Army Corps of Engineers has inspected the damage and issued orders to have it repaired. The permit was changed to a more restrictive category which will bring added cost to the restoration. At some point fines will also be levied. What started out as a simple bank restoration could easily cost $500,000.00 or more. At a summer 2018 Road Committee meeting at SpecTec Walter Wunsch characterized the illegal excavation as "an innocent mistake" and promised that he and Regina would cover all expenses. As of July 7th, 2019 no restoration work has been done along Golemeyer Creek by the GLA or Wunsch.
The copious spring and summer rains have significantly eroded the banks of Golemeyer Creek, clouded the once crystal clear water and increased sediment deposition downstream. The GLA never reseeded any of the almost 50,000 square feet of land they disturbed and weeds are gaining a firm foothold.
SpecTec log fencing is falling into Golemeyer Creek as the banks are rapidly eroding.
Golemeyer Creek was once a quiet mountain stream hidden below tall grass covered banks. Because of the illegal GLA 2018 excavation it is now a rushing torrent of water clogged with silt and mud. Both the fresh cut banks and stream bed are rapidly eroding and clouding downstream waters including the Yellowstone River.