Situation
The Cal Flats Solar project generates enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of about 100,000 average homes per year. The project site is strategically located to minimize environmental impacts and is not visible from any public gathering points or major roads.
Solution
GBI developed the access needed for the hundreds of daily employees and thousands of material truck deliveries to the site, including constructing a prefabricated steel railcar bridge over the main creek crossing, as well as widening the 13-mile access road to 24 feet across.
We provided a wide range of work on this project, including:
- Excavating and lining a two-million gallon retention pond
- Boring directionally under two creek crossings
- Designing and installing four miles of 12” HDPE pipe with pumps for construction water
- Ripping and compacting a 13.5-mile long access road
- Installing cattle guards and oversized culverts
- Winterizing the entire access road
- Cutting and filling 600,000 cubic yards of material for field grading
- Ripping and compacting 25 miles of solar array roads and installing waterway crossings
- Stripping, replacing, and seeding topsoil in compliance with the Habitat Restoration and Revegetation Management Plan
Notable
The project encountered months of delays as a result of Golden Eagle, Burrowing Owl, Kit Fox, and Archeological buffers, preventing the installation of a construction water system. To mitigate impact, GBI hauled construction water to the site from another source and shuttled it from onsite storage tanks.
The project also required daily coordination with Archaeologist, Tribal, and Environmental monitors for all work activities that required ground disturbance. This was vital to success, as encroachments into buffer zones or environmental violations could result in immediate termination of the County permit.
Environmental monitors for all work activities requiring ground disturbance. This coordination by field employees was vital to the success of the project as encroachments into buffer zones or environmental violations could result in immediate termination of the County permit.
