Trends Fall/Winter 2021 | Page 34

In anticipation of higher peak flow and an increase in sediment , Ayres is working with the City to design mitigation that protects homes , roadways , crossings , and culverts . Our team works with the topography and stream processes to create projects that blend with the landscape while providing protection and guiding debris floods away from sensitive areas . The work also focuses on enhancing natural deposition of sediment and ash on hillslopes and tributary channels so it doesn ’ t end up in people ’ s drinking water .
With a heightened emphasis on the critical role SUE can play in a construction project , this service is being implemented as standard procedures by many state roadways departments . Colorado ’ s law ( SB180167 ) was signed in May 2018 and became effective in August 2018 . Its purpose is to shift the workflow to the start of project design to increase public safety and reduce utility-related costs and risks throughout design and construction . The law requires that the work be overseen by a professional that is in “ responsible charge ” of engineering decisions .
In the middle of one of these design projects , a high-risk project site received more than an inch of rain on the high-severity burn area in late July 2021 . Ayres was again called to assist in stabilization and recovery after flooding sent a wave of debris into the Poudre Canyon in northern Colorado , an area burned by the 2020 wildfire . Five homes were destroyed , and another was damaged , and three people lost their lives in the flooding .
To assist with the flash flooding , Ayres is developing designs to use on-site wood and large rock to stabilize the landscape . This method is being used to develop storage and channel stabilizing features to add resilience to the landscape for short-term recovery . Additionally , the work involves stabilizing the river into a new alignment that allows for the safety of several historic properties and reconnection of fish migration and habitat .
Subsurface Utility Engineering Grows in Colorado
As the importance of utility locating has grown in recent years , many states , including Colorado , have recently adopted their own set of rules regarding subsurface utility engineering , otherwise known as SUE . While changes to roads and buildings are highly visible , an often-underemphasized component in construction projects is the utility infrastructure . Utility infrastructure includes potable water , sanitary sewer , gas , electricity , telecommunications , and stormwater conveyance .
Ayres now has expanded its SUE services to northern Colorado , becoming one of a few SUE providers in the area that offers SUE services at all quality levels . Northern Colorado communities served since this expansion include Loveland , Longmont , Windsor , Estes Park , Fort Collins , Greeley , Timnath , Boulder County , and Adams County .
Scan or visit https :// bit . ly / AyresSUE _ CO to learn more about Ayres ’ SUE services in Colorado and the many benefits subsurface utility engineering brings to engineers , contractors , and owners .
34 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .