The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has issued Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for consulting services necessary to protect state and municipal infrastructure upstream of the Suncook River in Epsom, NH.
The RFQs and the resulting contracts are the next steps to address some of the impacts of the 2006 flooding that lead to the redirection or “avulsion” of the Suncook River in Epsom. Since the floods of 2006 and 2007, the Suncook River has continued to seek out a state of dynamic equilibrium where sediment transport, erosion, and channel forming processes are all in balance. This equilibrium has not been reached and the Suncook River continues to erode aggressively along the main channel and upstream on the Little Suncook River and Leighton Brook. The active headcut that is actively migrating upstream on the Suncook River is impacting adjacent lands upstream of the Route 4 Bridge. The headcut on Leighton Brook has destroyed a snowmobile corridor and now threatens the physical integrity of Black Hall Road and adjacent private properties. A Section 319 funded restoration project was awarded to the Town of Epsom in 2007 to study the causes of the avulsion and to develop geomorphic-based alternatives for responding to the avulsion.
“Moving forward with these consulting services is an important step towards stabilizing the Suncook River, protecting public and private property and the quality of life for residents in the Suncook River valley. This effort combined with a DES proposed and Department of Safety supported Capital Budget requests for construction and property buyouts signify the State’s recognition of the urgency of the situation in the Suncook River valley.”
The RFQs are available at http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/rivers/suncook-river.htm and http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/rfp.htm. Completed applications must be received by the Department no later than January 10, 2011. Questions relative to the RFQs can be directed to the contacts listed within each RFQ package.