The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, has awarded a five-year Environmental Services Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract to ANAMAR Environmental Consulting Inc. for dredged material evaluation.
The $7 million contract will include collection and analyses of water and sediment samples from the federally-maintained navigation channels and off-shore dredge material disposal sites.
Routine testing allows staff to analyze and evaluate shoal material to determine whether unacceptable impacts would result from dredging operations prior to maintenance of the channel.
“The Corps routinely conducts physical and chemical analysis on dredging projects throughout the Galveston District in order to characterize the shoal material to be excavated during routine maintenance dredging,” said Lisa Finn, an environmental project manager with the USACE Galveston Navigation Branch.
“Through sampling analysis, we are able to review data to make certain we remain in compliance with multiple federal regulations, including the Clean Water Act.”
The USACE Galveston District employs an environmental management framework to provide structure and accountability within its business processes to help enhance and expand the positive impacts of its mission, while reducing, mitigating or eliminating potential negative impacts.
“This contract involves special Tier III testing for bioassays, which requires the Corps to test animals such as clams that live in the sediment for a period of time,” said Finn. “We then check the animals for toxicity and bioaccumulation in their tissue.”
According to Finn, the first task order awarded is Brazos Island Harbor sediment testing in Brownsville, Texas. The Corps performs bioassay testing every five years for off-shore disposal sites per agreements with federal partners including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Work is expected to begin in about two weeks, but Tier III testing takes about nine months to complete.
[mappress mapid=”23965″]