Herrera Environmental Consultants » Water Quality

Lake and Aquatic Plant Management

smaxwell — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:37:54 +0000

Herrera SCUBA divers mapped aquatic plants and eradicated Eurasian watermilfoil in Walsh Lake in Seattle’s Cedar River Municipal Watershed.

Herrera’s scientists and engineers have studied and characterized numerous lakes throughout the Pacific Northwest region for the past 26 years, and have applied this extensive background to develop and implement strategies for lake and aquatic plant management.

Our multi-disciplinary staff incorporates scientists, environmental engineers, fisheries biologists, and planners in lake and aquatic plant management projects. These professionals have extensive experience with various lake and aquatic plant projects, primarily focused in the Pacific Northwest region. Our expertise in lake and aquatic plant management includes the following types of projects:

Developing lake monitoring plans for diagnostic and restoration studies

Developing water quality and stormwater management plans for lake basins

Monitoring lakes to evaluate water quality conditions in pelagic (deep) and littoral (nearshore) waters

Monitoring surface and groundwater inflows to lakes during base and storm flow conditions for pollutant loading assessments

Using scuba divers for underwater videography and structural inspections and to collect sediment cores, aquatic plant samples, and periphyton samples

Calculating internal phosphorus loading in lakes using data collected from sediment cores, sediment traps, diurnal water quality studies, and aquatic plant surveys

Evaluating sediment contaminant data for dredging projects

Collecting and analyzing inflow, outflow, lake stage, precipitation, and evaporation data for hydrologic studies

Developing lake water and phosphorus budgets using simple and complex models

Evaluating phytoplankton, zooplankton, periphyton, and benthic invertebrate communities for lake restoration projects

Evaluating sources of taste and odor and disinfection byproduct precursors in drinking water reservoirs

Evaluating pollutant impacts to lakes from nonpoint and point sources

Conducting aquatic plant surveys, producing plant distribution/density maps, analyzing biomass and nutrient content, and identifying exotic plant species

Preparing exotic species prevention plans and aquatic plant control plans, and surveying lakes for the presence of non-native, invasive aquatic plant species

Controlling and eradicating Eurasian watermilfoil and other aquatic plant populations using bottom barriers and hand pulling by scuba divers.

Key Projects

Green Lake Restoration Analysis and Alum Treatment Projects – Seattle Parks and Recreation
Phase I and II Water Quality Studies, Phosphorous Budget Development, Periphyton and Macrophyte Sampling, Aquatic Plant Surveys, Exotic Aquatic Species Prevention Program, and Taste and Odor Control Plan for Lake Youngs – City of Seattle
Walsh Lake Aquatic Plant Survey and Milfoil Eradication Program – City of Seattle
Twin Lakes Water Quality Monitoring and Aquatic Plant Assessment – Twin Lake Homeowners Association
Chester Morse Reservoir Contaminant Spill and Transport Study – City of Seattle
Pine Lake Management Plan Phosphorous Loading Analysis – City of Sammamish
Seasonal and Long-Term Effects Model of Lake Morphometry and Hydrological Alternatives for a Decommissioned Power Plant on Roslyn Lake – City of Portland
Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment of Tropic Conditions and Bull Trout Habitat in the Boundary Reservoir – Seattle City Light
Inventory of Aquatic and Terrestrial Plants, Vertebrate and Invertebrate Species in Capitol Lake – Washington Department of General Administration
Horseshoe Lake Phase II Restoration Project – King County
Freshwater Aquatic Plant Identification Manual – Washington Department of Ecology
Steel Lake Aquatic Plant Management Plan and Aquatic Plant Surveys – City of Federal Way

Sediment Management

smaxwell — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:01:19 +0000

Herrera scientists evaluated the effectiveness of a nearshore confined disposal facility by monitoring mercury in intertidal groundwater at the West Eagle Harbor Superfund Site for WSDOT.

“I doubt you’ll ever know how much I appreciate your work at the Eagle Harbor Superfund Site. I have worked with many consultants and nobody has equaled you in terms of the level of trust I’ve been able to place in you — you’ve been wonderfully reliable in the level and quality of service you’ve given us. THANK YOU so very much.”
~Washington State Department of Transportation

Herrera performs physical, chemical, and biological monitoring and assessment of marine and freshwater sediments for various public agencies and private clients throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Herrera scientists and engineers apply a multidisciplinary approach to a variety of sediment management projects. Our senior geomorphologists are renowned experts in the analysis of erosion and sediment transport in coastal waters, lakes, rivers, and streams. The Herrera sediment management group also includes water quality scientists, hazardous materials specialists, biologists, and engineers who monitor, characterize, and design controls for contaminated sediments that are affecting the surrounding environment.

Our technical experts interpret the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, and various state and local programs to address site-specific regulatory requirements. We also typically use the Washington state sediment management standards (SMS) and the Puget Sound dredged disposal analysis (PSDDA) criteria for marine sediment evaluation and rely on additional guidelines for freshwater sediment evaluation. Our senior scientists have over 25 years of applied sediment monitoring experience in the Pacific Northwest that includes the following:

Preparation of detailed sampling and analysis plans using the Puget Sound Estuary Protocols
Collection of sediment samples using various grab sampling and coring techniques for evaluating conditions before cleanup and after construction
Validation and interpretation of sediment chemistry and bioassay data
Monitoring water quality impacts during dredging operations
Sampling and evaluation of toxic contaminants in fish and other aquatic organisms at sediment remediation sites
Sampling and interpretation of benthic community data for site characterizations and impact analyses
Evaluating the recolonizaton of cap materials by benthic invertebrates at various remediation sites in Puget Sound

Key Projects

Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Plan Implementation for Contaminated Sediment Management at West Eagle Harbor Superfund Site, Bainbridge Island – Washington State Department of Transportation
Beach Sediment Survey of the Puget Sound Shoreline – Thurston County Regional Planning Council
Structural Inspection, Sediment Monitoring, and Site Remediation for Georgetown Flume – Seattle Public Utilities
Boeing Plant No. 2 Sediment Site Characterization – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District
Lake Ozette Sediment Study – U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Geomorphic Analysis of the Grays River – Bonneville Power Administration, Oregon
Big Spring Creek Sediment Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study – Private Client
Monitoring and Assessment for Dredged Material Management Disposal Site – Washington Department of Natural Resources
King County Sediment Management Plan – King County, Washington

Compliance Monitoring

smaxwell — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:52:44 +0000

“We are so impressed with you guys. I think you have sampled in the two worst/best rain events I have seen in a long time. Your team must be tough!”
~Senior water resources planner, Whatcom County

Rigorous attention to detail in environmental monitoring is a hallmark of Herrera’s service record. Our dedicated group of field scientists has extensive monitoring experience across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Successful monitoring programs frequently require data collection under inclement conditions and during non-business hours. At Herrera, data integrity comes first and staff members are committed to producing high-quality field results. Our stormwater monitoring team is highly responsive and mobile; staff members in Portland, Seattle, and Bellingham successfully monitor stormwater conditions throughout western Oregon and Washington. Our hazardous materials monitoring team mobilizes throughout the Pacific Northwest, assessing long-term changes in ground water contaminants at sites that are undergoing cleanup.

Herrera uses the latest monitoring technologies, including low-flow sampling, automated samplers, data sondes, multiparameter meters, underwater diver surveys and videography, and telemetered hydrologic and water quality monitoring equipment. Our monitoring programs also include inventories of plankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, aquatic macrophytes, riparian vegetation, large woody debris, and sediment contamination and transport.

Our interdisciplinary approach to large projects applies a broad range of scientific applications to environmental monitoring that sets the company apart as regional monitoring experts.

Key Projects

Stormwater Monitoring for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System: Permit Compliance and Best Management Practices Performance Evaluation of Compost-Amended Filter Strips – Washington State Department of Transportation
Stormwater and Hazmat Quality Monitoring of Link Light Rail Construction Site – Sound Transit, Seattle, Washington
Water Quality Studies for Issaquah Highlands Master Plan Development – Port Blakely Communities, Inc., Washington
Drinking Water Testing Program – Seattle Public Schools
Engineering and Monitoring Services for Green Lake Water Quality Improvements and Alum Treatment – Seattle Parks and Recreation
Walsh Lake Aquatic Plant Survey and Milfoil Control Project – Seattle Public Utilities
Twin Lakes Water Quality and Aquatic Plant Assessment – Twin Lakes Home Owners Association, Federal Way, Washington
Multiple ground water monitoring projects for petroleum and dry-cleaning chemicals at shopping malls in Washington – Various private clients
Assessment and Long-Term Monitoring Study for Federal Building Motor Pool Ground Water Treatment System in Fairbanks, Alaska – U.S. General Services Administration, Region 10
Long-Term Monitoring for Maintenance Shop Petroleum Cleanup – City of Sumner, Washington

Contaminant Source Tracking

smaxwell — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:55:42 +0000

Herrera engineers and scientists conduct contaminant source tracking studies to evaluate both point and nonpoint sources of chemical and biological contaminants.

Projects range in scale from Superfund sites to drainage basins and watersheds. Our services related to contaminant source tracking include study planning, investigation, design, and remediation for upland soils, surface water sediment, surface water, stormwater runoff, and ground water. Source tracking studies for chemical contaminants involve an evaluation of sources associated with current and historical operations, as well as an evaluation of redistribution and recontamination of sediments. We have designed microbial source tracking studies using genetic fingerprinting technologies for local governments, focusing on public health issues, the development of best management practices, and the development of total maximum daily loads for fecal coliform bacteria, as required by the Clean Water Act.

Key Projects

Diagonal Avenue South Drainage Basin Stormwater Pollutant Source Investigation – Seattle Public Utilities
Norfolk Basin Water Quality Investigation – Seattle Public Utilities
Commercial Business Discharge Source Control Inspections – Seattle Public Utilities
City of Seattle Facilities Source Control Inspections – Seattle Public Utilities
Eagle Harbor Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring, Bainbridge Island, Washington – Washington State Department of Transportation
Microbial Source Tracking Study for Thornton Creek and Matthews Beach – Seattle Public Utilities
Willapa River Microbial Source Tracking Study, Pacific County, Washington – Pacific County Department of Community Development
Drayton Harbor Watershed Fecal Coliform Bacteria Contamination Source Investigation – City of Blaine, Washington