 ENGINEERING Project Experience
 Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
West Lake Park Hydrologic & Mangrove Mitigation Project
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District Four
E Sciences recently provided mitigation services to the FDOT for the $1.5M mangrove restoration of two parcels at West Lake Park. Due to the scarcity of mangrove mitigation in Broward County, FDOT turned to government partners for mitigation opportunities. E Sciences and the FDOT collaborated with regulatory agencies and Broward County Parks and Recreation to find a suitable location to provide mitigation for impacts to mangroves that occurred as a result of the FDOT Eller Drive and Dixie Flyover projects. This win-win project for the FDOT and Broward Country resulted in E Sciences contracting with Mitigating Circumstances, a small business with extensive wetland remediation/restoration experience, to construct the mitigation areas. The remediation consisted of removing Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), an invasive, exotic species which had infested the berms in both parcels, excavating the berms, creating two channels and grading the adjacent areas to allow mangroves to naturally recruit.
The restoration project was completed in late September 2010. West Lake Park is the largest remaining mangrove ecosystem in the 85-mile, highly developed urban coastal zone from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach. This vital coastal land provides valuable natural resources and significant recreational opportunities to urban residents and visitors. Additional information about West Lake Park can be found by visiting:
http://www.broward.org/Parks/WestLakePark/Pages/Default.aspx
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
TM Ranch Econ Mitigation Bank Services
Central Florida
E Sciences provides hydrological consulting services to recreate the historic flow regimes throughout this 5,000+ mitigation bank project site in order to enhance the biological and wildlife communities. During the course of the historical uses of the site, clear-cutting of forests, construction of roads and bridges, and, the installation of drainage ditches and culverts significantly altered the site hydrology along with reduced flood storage capacity and degradation of water quality. E Sciences performed a complete hydrologic analysis of the site and designed improvements required for submittal of a conceptual wetland mitigation bank permit document as well as a construction-level permit for the initial phase of the project. This included utilization of Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) computer models HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS to predict run-off conditions and model historic and existing flow conditions, preliminary water level data collection, development of a hydrologic enhancement concept for the project, coordination with multiple agencies, submittal of Prospectus and Mitigation Bank Instrument Application along with responses to Request for Additional Information to multiple agencies and jurisdictions, construction cost estimate and associated construction schedule, design of on-site wetland restoration, enhancement, and creation areas and GIS mapping.
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
Shreveport Mitigation Bank
Bossier Parish, LA
E Sciences is assisting our client with the establishment of this 290-acre wetland mitigation bank on prior-converted agricultural lands and existing drained wetlands. Our services include site feasibility analysis, market analysis, prospectus and Mitigation Bank Instrument development and federal/state agency permitting support, wetland functional assessment using the modified Charleston method, restoration plan ecological and engineering design, implementation and construction oversight, monitoring and long-term site management. The hydrologic site restoration plan is a complex, cascading hydrologic design due to integration of both stream and depressional wetland habitat types, as well as re-integration of this cut-off floodplain with Red Chute Bayou, and includes bottomland hardwood, cypress-tupelo and stream restoration elements.
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
Gulf Coastal Plains Wetland Mitigation Bank
Chambers County, TX
This 2000+ acre project includes restoration of historic river (bayou) channels, creation of hundreds of acres of salt water marsh, and gradual transition from saltwater marsh to upland coastal prairie. This is the first time design and permitting of this type has been realized in Texas. E Sciences is working closely with two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts to establish and refine permit methodologies appropriate for Federal Regulation of this “new” type of project. Engineering design includes consideration of tidal influences in marsh areas near the lowest site elevations, stream design using concepts of fluvial geomorphology throughout the entire project; and design of land surface and wetland transitions between saltwater marsh to upland prairie. The resulting project will closely mimic the historic environment, ecosystems and provide regional wetland mitigation alternatives in Southeast Texas.
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
Acadian-Haynesville Pipeline Offsite Mitigation Project
Rapides Parish, LA
E Sciences provided project management, WVA functional assessment analysis, and senior technical oversight services for the permitting of this 170-acre permittee-responsible offsite bottomland hardwood mitigation project compensating for bottomland hardwood and cypress-tupelo wetland losses associated with the construction of an interstate pipeline. This 277 acre site was an extremely time-sensitive project requiring a two week turnaround. E Sciences’ staff effectively coordinated scientific and engineering staff to produce a complete mitigation work plan to the client enabling them to submit their permit application prior to changes in New Orleans District functional assessment policy and complete timely public noticing of the project. Our staff also coordinated the completion and submittal of a Nationwide 27 permit to the New Orleans District.
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
Comite Flats I and Comite Flats II
New Orleans, LA
E Sciences staff provides bank implementation, management, monitoring, as-built documentation and credit release services for these sites. E Sciences’ staff developed effective working relationships with the USACOE New Orleans District, which has helped successfully and expeditiously obtain the construction and planting completion credit release for all permitted sites. E Sciences is currently ushering an additional 260 acre site through the addendum approval process.
Hydrologic Restoration and Preservation
Missouri Loop Mitigation Bank
Morehouse Parish, LA
E Sciences provides complete project development and management services for this mitigation bank located in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. Our efforts include feasibility analysis, ACOE and state permitting, coordination with IRT members from ACOE, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USFWS, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), wetland functional assessment analysis, restoration plan development and construction, monitoring and long term site management. Due to past agricultural activities, the site has experienced severely disturbed hydrologic alterations. Local watershed and hydraulic analysis have been conducted to plan and develop techniques and design documents to mimic the natural hydrologic cycle. The bank also lies within the Mississippi flyway, and currently provides important resting and foraging habitat for migrating waterfowl. Restoration of its historic bottomland hardwood character will provide high quality resting, denning, nesting and foraging habitat for state and federal threatened and endangered species. Once restored, the bank site will support a diversity of bottomland hardwood community associations such as elm-ash-sugarberry, overcup oak-bitter pecan, mixed red and white oaks, sweetgum-red oaks, and small pockets of open-canopied cypress-tupelo in the lowest portions of the site which will provide protected refuge for migrating waterfowl.
|
