Natural Resources Investigation and Permitting

I-290/Eisenhower Expressway Improvements, EIS and Noise Studies

gzachris — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:47:29 +0000

I-290/Eisenhower Expressway Improvements, EIS and Noise Studies

Chicago, IL

gzachris Mon, 01/22/2024 - 13:47

Challenge

The Interstate 290 (I-290) Eisenhower Expressway improvement project, involving reconstruction and/or upgrades for the congested, 50-year-old multi-modal corridor, has a long history and has proceeded in phases commensurate with available funding. Public scrutiny of the project is high, particularly for the traffic noise. The high-profile nature of the project, dense urban development through which the project corridor extends, and length of the project corridor—from the western Chicago suburbs to downtown Chicago—added complexity to the project’s traffic noise analysis.

Solution

The scope of our analysis was massive. Over 10,000 individual receptors were studied. Four project alternatives were examined for traffic impacts, and then the preferred alternative was studied for traffic impacts as well as noise abatement analysis. Based on public comments, sensitivity analyses in particularly dense residential areas and for a nearby Chicago Parks District property were completed to determine the traffic noise consequences of various alternatives. Nearly all land adjacent to the I-290 study corridor was found to have traffic impacts in the future condition. Of 92 noise walls analyzed, 63 were deemed feasible, met IDOT’s noise reduction design goal, and were cost effective. Viewpoint solicitation packages were developed for those who would receive a noise reduction benefit from the noise walls. ��Ϸ�� also worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to develop materials for “noise forums�� at which votes were cast for available noise wall alternatives. With great focus from the public, alternatives changed frequently through the project in response to the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) process.

In addition to the traffic noise analysis, our natural resources and permitting experts completed a wetland analysis, tree survey, natural resources review, threatened and endangered species analysis, and water quality analysis, and we worked closely with the project’s engineering team to develop the floodplains analysis for the EIS.

Benefit

GZA’s team was uniquely capable of tackling a project of this scope and sensitivity, delivering a state-of-the-art technical report and working closely with the public and agencies throughout the noise analysis process to address heightened concerns about traffic noise impacts. Our noise expertise was augmented by the firm’s multi-disciplinary capacity, providing other key services for the EIS.

A Supplemental EIS and update to this 2019 EIS commenced in 2023.

Traffic Noise Model (TNM)
Traffic noise and noise abatement analyses
EIS
High profile
Extensive public outreach, “noise forums��
Dense urban environment
Exceptionally large project area
Significant traffic impacts anticipated for adjacent land
��Ϸ��tlands, floodplains
Natural resources, vegetation survey

Government

Land Use and Environmental Planning

IDOT High Speed Rail Project - Chicago to St. Louis Tier 1 and 2 EIS and Environmental Services

gzachris — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 18:39:27 +0000

IDOT High Speed Rail Project - Chicago to St. Louis Tier 1 and 2 EIS and Environmental Services

Illinois to Missouri

gzachris Mon, 01/22/2024 - 13:39

Background

GZA contributed to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT’s) Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 284-mile-long Intercity High Speed Rail (HSR) Project between Chicago and St. Louis and Tier 2 EIS for related regional rail projects. Improvements to existing rail corridors and stations are being completed to accommodate the high-speed trains.

Challenge

GZA completed environmental studies and document preparation related to wetlands, threatened and endangered species, bat habitat assessments, prairie characterization surveys, flora, mussel, avian, insect, and herpetofauna surveys. ��Ϸ�� also provided noise monitoring to assess potential impacts to grassland birds. The length of the corridor and varied and brief timeframes for species surveys made the project more challenging.

Solution

GZA addressed many aspects of potential impacts along the extensive project corridor: completed multiple threatened and endangered (T&E) species surveys; prepared a Conservation Plan and Biological Assessment for several species; completed wetland delineations and complex permitting; and conducted noise monitoring to assess impacts to grassland birds. Numerous on-site surveys for sensitive natural resources were conducted along rail segments between 2010 and 2021. Numerous documents were prepared for submittal to regulatory agencies.

Benefit

GZA provided the necessary natural resources expertise, project management, and capacity for this vast project to secure all necessary permits with no delay to the tight construction schedule.

This project, started by Huff & Huff prior to its acquisition by GZA, has continued as a GZA project.

Natural resources consulting
Noise monitoring
T&E species, flora, prairie, herpetofauna, avian surveys
Federally funded
Review and preparation of NEPA documents and 4(f) statements
Permitting agencies include IDNR, USFWS, IEPA, and USACE

Illinois

Government

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction Improvements

gzadan — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:48:12 +0000

Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction Improvements gzadan Tue, 06/13/2023 - 16:48

Challenge

The Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction project located in Unincorporated Lake County, Illinois, included reconstruction of the Fairfield Road and IL Route 176 intersection, encompassing approximately 6,600 feet or roadway reconstruction, approximately 7,000 feet of bike path reconfiguration, two bike path underpasses of IL Route 176, three wetland/open water stormwater basins, approximately 600 feet of stream/ravine relocation, wetland creation, and riparian restoration. Huff & Huff, a Subsidiary of GZA (GZA) was selected as the Certified ��Ϸ��tland Specialist and Restoration Engineer for the Lake County Division of Transportation’s (LCDOT) Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction Improvements project.

Solution

GZA staff performed environmental services for Phase I, II, and III, and provided post-construction Natural Area Installation (NAI) maintenance and monitoring services. GZA staff coordinated closely with Civiltech, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), LCDOT, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (LCSMC), and the Lake County Forest Preserve District (LCFPD) for all environmental related services pertaining to the roadway, bike path, stream/ravine, wetland, and stormwater design. Services provided by GZA staff included: wetland delineation, tree survey, endangered and threatened species consultation, ravine restoration design, wetland creation design, riparian restoration design, wetland bottom stormwater basin design, Preliminary Environmental Site Assessments (PESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) support services, IDOT coordination, LCSMC and USACE permitting, and NAI maintenance and monitoring.

GZA staff prepared wetland and open water stormwater basin design including grading, depth and duration analysis, wetland shelf design, species selection from aquatic to upland zones, and maintenance and monitoring planning. GZA staff was the lead restoration engineer in the design and construction of the stream/ravine relocation, wetland creation, and riparian restoration. GZA staff managed all monitoring and maintenance coordination for LCDOT, achieving all performance standards for the NAI areas, which included the wetland and open water stormwater basins, and the stream/ravine relocation, within the three-year maintenance and monitoring period. Transfer of the NAI area to LCFPD was completed in spring of 2018.

Benefit

The project restored habitat and wetland in a popular recreation area. The three wetland and open water stormwater basin designs were integrated into the existing pond and ravine system at Lakewood Forest Preserve. Design elements included re-meandering of the existing stream utilizing relic stream channels, creation of a riffle-pool design system, step pool and riffle grade controls, 4 streambank stone toe protection revetments, 3 cross-vanes, wetland creation from abandoned channel, and riparian environment restoration design.

Regenerative stormwater conveyance system design
��Ϸ��tland creation and riparian restoration design
��Ϸ��tland delineation, endangered species consultation, and tree survey
Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment (PESA)
NEPA support, LCSMC and USACE permitting
Construction oversight
NAI 3-year maintenance and monitoring

Illinois

Government

Natural Resources and Ecological Services

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Agrivoltaic Solar Energy Dual Use Project

gzadan — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 19:24:06 +0000

Agrivoltaic Solar Energy Dual Use Project gzadan Fri, 07/29/2022 - 15:24

Challenge

Bluewave Solar sought to develop a dual use solar array project on a portion of a wild blueberry farm in Rockport, Maine. The project included upgrading an existing access road and building a 4.2-megawatt solar energy system in a design compatible with continued blueberry production. GZA was contracted to provide wetland delineation and vernal pool assessments; State, federal, and local permitting; site civil design, and geotechnical foundation recommendations for the equipment pad and racking system.

Solution

GZA delineated wetlands and conducted three site visits to locate and document vernal pools and conduct wetland assessments. The original concept was redesigned to avoid impacts to surrounding natural resources by moving the proposed array outside the 75-foot significant wetland setback and the 250-foot Maces Pond Normal High-Water setback. The project required a Maine Stormwater Law Permit-by-Rule (PBR), Maine Construction General Permit (MCGP), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Self Verification Notification (SVN), and Site Plan Review by the Town of Rockport. GZA developed the site civil plan set and issued for construction civil drawings, developed permitting packages and coordinated agency meetings. Additionally, GZA oversaw the excavation of test pits to obtain subsurface information that was used to provide geotechnical foundation recommendations for the equipment pad and racking system.

Benefit

Because GZA worked with the client to redesign the original concept to avoid natural resources, the project required fewer permits and went from concept to construction in just over a year.

��Ϸ��tland delineation and vernal pool assessments
State, federal, and local permitting
Site civil design
Geotechnical foundation recommendations
15-acre/ 4.2 MW (DC) solar array
Upgrade of existing access road and construction of a solar energy array on an active wild blueberry farm

Maine

Energy

Natural Resources and Ecological Services

Site / Civil Engineering & Design

Round Pond - Natural Resources Impact Analysis

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 19:16:47 +0000

Round Pond - Natural Resources Impact Analysis Anonymous Tue, 09/24/2019 - 15:16

Challenge

In response to current and anticipated water demands, a New England municipality explored options to increase the storage capacity within its water supply system. Their analysis included the feasibility of raising the elevation of a 100-acre pond, integral to its water supply system, by up to 10 feet. GZA helped evaluate the potential environmental impacts that would result.

Solution

GZA undertook a significant field data collection effort, using handheld mobile devices pre-loaded with site-specific forms, maps and natural resource data references to maximize productivity, expedite the work, and lower costs. The large quantity of electronic data that resulted was incorporated into a GIS-based topographic model, developed by GZA, which helped the team assess the extent of potential inundation and predict changes to habitats and natural resource features. GZA completed a comparative analysis of current and proposed environmental conditions to evaluate overall project feasibility. GZA also supported the lead Design Engineer and the City in regulatory agency meetings, identifying regulatory review and permitting issues as well as specific species and habitat concerns. When potential impacts to Blanding’s turtle �� a State Endangered species �� were identified, GZA completed a reservoir-wide turtle trapping study to identify turtle species occupying the reservoir; captured Blanding’s turtles were radio-tracked for one year to identify important seasonal habitats, and the data was incorporated into a project re-design.

Benefit

GZA provided a wide range of ecological and engineering services to the project team, working efficiently to collect data and identify ecological concerns �� ultimately informing important design revisions that minimized potential impacts to a sensitive resource.

Insights

· Natural resource identification and assessment

· Inundation study

· Vernal pool mapping

· Turtle trapping and radiotracking

· Blanding’s turtle study

· GIS mapping & analysis

· Dam engineering evaluation

· Permitting support

New Hampshire

Government

Water

Water Resources

Natural Resources and Ecological Services

Data Management, Analytics and Visualization Solutions

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Dams, Levees, and Hydropower

Marshfield Municipal Airport/George Harlow Field Runway Extension Permitting

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 16:14:57 +0000

Marshfield Municipal Airport/George Harlow Field Runway Extension Permitting Anonymous Tue, 09/24/2019 - 12:14

Challenge

The airport’s proposed runway extension required seven separate environmental permitting processes at the most stringent regulatory levels. GZA has served as the natural resource consultant for this coastal airport—which has rivers and wetlands at both ends of the runway and rare species associated with the immediately adjacent habitats—for many years.

Solution

The MEPA/NEPA process was used as a “big-table�� permitting and mitigation strategy tool, bringing all the permit authorities together. In addition to leading all environmental permitting, GZA’s most client-critical role was devising a wetland and rare species mitigation package, including:

Bass Creek and Green Harbor River at Runway Ends �� GZA coordinated with regulators to establish reasonable mitigation measures
Direct ��Ϸ��tland Impact (>1 acre)/Entire Runway in Flood Zone �� GZA designed a 3+ wetland mitigation area as replacement and coordinated with regulators to establish “in lieu fee�� for Bass Creek
Removal of Trees in Airspace Within ��Ϸ��tlands �� GZA’s field review characterized all cutting areas and a Vegetation Management Plan minimized impacts
Protected Box Turtle �� GZA conducted a Turtle Telemetry Study, designed and permitted turtle nesting sites, and facilitated purchase of an adjacent farm for habitat replacement

GZA also provided ecological compliance monitoring for the construction and mitigation elements of the project, as well as long-term ecological monitoring for the restoration of Bass Creek.

Benefit

GZA’s extensive knowledge of the facility, surroundings, and regulatory environment facilitated the successful permitting for much-needed airport infrastructure.

Insights

MEPA/NEPA Documents
Vegetation, Invasive Species, and Rare Species Management Plans
Box Turtle Telemetry
��Ϸ��tland Delineation, Impact Assessment, Mitigation Design
��Ϸ��tland & Rare Species Permitting
Expert Witness Testimony
Public Presentation
Stakeholder Outreach
Construction Monitoring
Long-term Ecological Restoration Monitoring

Massachusetts

Transportation & Infrastructure

EHS Regulatory Compliance

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Eversource Energy Transmission Line Rebuild

imarcmike — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:42:30 +0000

Eversource Energy Transmission Line Rebuild imarcmike Fri, 09/13/2019 - 09:42

Challenge

Eversource Energy (Eversource) maintains miles of electrical infrastructure to support current and projected electricity demands. When the aged and deteriorating wooden utility poles along the L176 Transmission Line (115 kV) required replacement, GZA was engaged by Eversource to provide full-service, multidisciplinary support from the beginning stages of data collection through the construction phase of the project. Maintaining the project schedule was a critical goal.

Solution

GZA completed wetland delineation, wetland function-value assessment, vernal pool mapping, geotechnical investigation, regulatory coordination, local/state/federal permitting, and construction monitoring for the project. Honed by years of experience with the utility industry and in the region, GZA employed a streamlined approach to field investigations and a proactive approach to regulatory agency engagement. Field work efficiency was increased by combining data collection and natural resource surveys, including functional assessments of wetlands with vernal pool confirmation. GZA identified potential regulatory issues and worked swiftly to address them, and coordinated with local, state and federal regulatory agencies from the early stages of the project to stay ahead of schedule and prevent project delays. GZA’s field and office teams worked closely to maintain open communication and keep Eversource up to date on progress and milestones.

Benefit

GZA’s institutional knowledge of electrical infrastructure needs, as well as the firm’s natural resources expertise and permitting experience in the region added great value to the project and facilitated its timely and successful completion.

Insights

��Ϸ��tland delineation and functional assessments
Endangered species review and field surveys
Vernal pool assessments
Historical review and coordination of archeological survey
Compensatory mitigation identification and execution
��Ϸ��tland and shoreland permitting
Public utility commission, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation permitting
Federal stormwater permitting including SWPPP
Geotechnical investigations

New Hampshire

Energy

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Natural Resources and Ecological Services