The Coachella Valley, located in the desert portion of eastern Riverside County, is subect to wind events that deposit significant quantities of blowsand on roadways adjacent to unimproved land parcels. This sand is ground into fine particles by passing automobiles and trucks, and is re-entrained into the atmosphere where it can be breathed by the local residents. An effective strategy for reducing the deposition of sand on roadways is to install wind fences at the boundaries of unimproved land parcels that are adjacent to the roadways. The wind fences act as a barrier that "trips" the flow of blown sand, depositing the sand on the leeward side of the wind fence as opposed to the road surface.
180730.00
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) implemented the wind fencing project using both MSRC and CMAQ funding sources. CVAG issued an Invitation to Bid, ultimately awarding a contract to Sierra Landscape Company. The installation of wind fences was performed at four (4) locations adjacent to the Coachella Valley Preserve, requiring a total of approximately 30,000 linear feet of fencing. In most locations, multiple fences were installed to maximize the effectiveness; a total of 100 fences were constructed under this project.
This project involved the intallation of wind fences adjacent to the Coachella Valley Preserve to help eliminate the transport of loose sand from the Preserve into the community of Del Webb Sun City Palm Desert. The Del Webb residents had voiced a concern that blowsand was impacting their community.
According to representatives of CVAG and the Coachella Valley Preserve, the wind fences are not only effective in reducing the amount of sand that impacts the adjacent residential communities, but supports retention of the habitat for both the federally threatened/state endangered fringe-toed lizard and federally endangered milk-vetch, thus retaining the necessary habitat for these sensitive species.
This project is fully implemented. The fences have been inspected by CVAG and the Coachella Valley Preserve and installation is deemed 100% complete and in compliance with all specifications.
Sierra Landscape Company