Work begins on Rose Gulch project

OSBURN — The Rose Gulch Remedy protection project is underway in the Gene Day Park area of Osburn, part of the Coeur d’Alene Basin Cleanup.

Coeur d’Alene Work Trust assistant program manager Jim Finlay explained how the current Rose Gulch channel drains into Gene Day Pond, but the current channel isn’t prepared to handle a quinquagenarian event.

“There’s quite a drainage back there and this new channel will prevent the creek from doing any damage to Gene Day Park or the Leisure Acres trailer park,” Finlay said. “This channel will be able to handle a potential 50-year rain on snow event.”

Beginning on May 7, the project should take roughly another six weeks to complete and should not impact use of the park, according to Finlay, but the priority is making sure that previously completed remediation work is not undone in the process.

“We are currently in the process of securing access agreements to the properties near the work area,” Finlay said. “Our goal is to keep the previously remediated areas from cross-contamination from the creek run off. We want to protect what has already been fixed by other programs.”

The project includes a clean out of existing culverts, installation of a concrete block wall and the construction of soil berms to improve the channel capacity.

The Rose Gulch project will be completed this summer, but the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be completing work on Gene Day Pond in the near future as well.

For more information contact Jim Finlay with the Coeur d’Alene Work Trust at 208-783-0222.