Overview
Water & Air scientists assisted a consulting engineer with delineation and evaluation of wetlands along multiple power line corridors throughout Florida. Wetlands and listed species within each corridor were identified to assist with environmental permitting support for a large power company. Electronic files containing location information for each corridor were imported into a mobile geographic information system (GIS)/global positioning system (GPS) unit. The field staff used the mobile GIS/GPS unit to locate and delineate environmentally sensitive features within the corridor. Any ongoing changes in the proposed right-of-way design or location were electronically transferred to the field team and incorporated into their work plan. The environmental data combined with the final layout was then provided to the client’s permitting team.
Task Summary
- Provided environmental permitting support for access road establishment and improvement and for corridor maintenance and expansion.
- Analyzed environmental impacts of new corridors.
- Evaluated mitigation areas using the Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM), the Wetland Rapid Assessment Procedure (WRAP), or the Army Corps of Engineer’s WATER analysis.
Results
Wetland impact evaluations by Water & Air scientists provided the engineer with critical data for the client’s Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) application. The permitting team used the environmental data to calculate and minimize the impact of the project design to sensitive resources. When appropriate, existing facilities such as roads and culverts were mapped to provide the engineers with existing infrastructure information. Over 200 miles of corridors have been mapped and evaluated. Rapid turnaround of field data has been critical to the successful completion of these fast tracked projects.
