Please join APWA Sacramento for our May Monthly Meeting featuring a presentation by Cheyenne Kinna, Placer County on the
American River Debris Removal Project
Friday, May 1, 2026 | 11:30am to 1:00pm
About the Presentation
The American River Debris Removal Project traces its origins to the catastrophic December 1964 flood, when the incomplete Hell Hole Dam failed and a surge of water moved downstream, washing out the Highway 49 Bridge at the American River Confluence and scattering large structural debris throughout a remote stretch of the river corridor. For decades, this legacy debris remained embedded in the river, largely inaccessible and unaddressed.
About 60 years later, renewed attention from Protect American River Canyons, in partnership with the County, helped secure State funding to finally implement removal. This presentation tells the chronological story of how a historic flood event evolved into a modern public works project, highlighting the challenges of regulatory coordination, access, and field execution in an environmentally sensitive setting. Presented from a public works project management perspective, it offers practical lessons in interagency collaboration, adaptive decision-making, and delivering a unique, atypical project shaped by history, advocacy, and complex site constraints.
About the Speaker
Cheyenne Kinna is a Senior Civil Engineer with the Placer County Department of Public Works, where she primarily manages transportation and public infrastructure projects from planning through construction. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, bringing a balanced perspective that considers both engineering practicality and environmental constraints.
For the American River Debris Removal Project, Cheyenne served as the County’s project manager, leading coordination, permitting, and field implementation for debris removal within a sensitive river corridor. Although her regular work focuses on transportation projects, this effort required close collaboration with regulatory agencies, contractors, and stakeholders to address complex environmental and access challenges. Her experience reflects a practical, solutions-oriented approach to delivering public works projects in technically and environmentally constrained settings.
Where: Dante Event Center
2330 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95825
When: Friday, May 1, 2026
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Lunch at Noon.
COST:
- Early Bird Registration (ends Wednesday, April 15, 2026): $35 for APWA members and $45 for non-members
- Regular Registration (ends 04/22/26): $45 for APWA members and $55 for non-members
- Lunch Card: Use your Pre-Paid Punch Card at checkout!
Please email any meal restrictions to Sacramento@apwa.org or
Ashley Orsaba-Finders, President, at AOrsabaFinders@dokkenengineering.com
Thank you to our sponsor NCE!