BCI Engineers and Scientists

SUMMER 2010

BY: Dr. John Kiefer, PE, PWS

Dr. John Kiefer, PE, PWS

SUMMER 2010

BY: Kristen Blanton, Dr. John Kiefer, Dr. Joann Mossa & Dr. William Wise

Kristen Blanton

Bankfull stage, or the elevation at which the stream just begins to overfl ow onto its floodplain, is considered an important threshold in geomorphology. Bankfull discharge, the streamflow associated with that stage, is considered the most effective streamflow for moving sediment, forming or removing bars, forming or changing bends and meanders, and generally doing work that results in the average morphological characteristics of channels (Dunne and Leopold, 1978). It is related to meander geometry characteristics (Ackers and Charlton, 1970), and is the breakpoint between processes of channel formation (erosion) and fl oodplain formation (deposition) (Copeland et al., 2000).

SUMMER 2010

BY: Aziza Baan, John Kiefer, PhD, PE, PWS, Kristen Blanton, MS & Karen Warner, MS

Aziza Baan

In the Florida phosphate mining region, reclamation of stream channels is rigorously regulated at the state and local level with requirements to maintain or improve the biological functions of these systems affected by surface mining operations (Florida Statutes (FS), Chapter 378). BCI has worked closely with mining clients and the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research, (FIPR) to develop design metrics for restoration and reclamation of first order streams in Florida. Stream creation techniques have evolved from allowing channels to self-adjust via natural weathering processes to carefully constructing the riparian system mechanically.  CF Industries (CF) hired BCI to assist in piloting a state-of-the-art demonstration project of natural channel design. The Doe Branch-5 (DB-5) project provided an opportunity to add a construction technique that differs from those deployed at previously successful stream creation projects such as DB-2 which involved stream creation by hydraulic carving. The objective was to create a palmetto lined stream that could be designed and constructed cost effectively in a few months.

SUMMER 2010

BY: Karen Warner, MS, Mike Channen, PE, John Kiefer PhD, PE, PWS, Kristen Blanton, MS, Aziza Baan & Jacqueline Levine

Karen N. Warner, MS

Despite best efforts to avoid and minimize impacts to natural streams wherever possible, impacts sometimes occur on natural systems, and more often to altered stream channels degraded through historic land use practices. Starting in 2004, phosphate miners became the first regulated sector in Florida required to explicitly mitigate stream impacts with in-kind stream channel replacements (per 62C-16 Florida Administrative Code). Prior to this requirement, the need for stream restoration and/or reclamation to replace lost habitat had been approached through various methods with equally varying levels of success over many decades. Stream construction techniques of the past and present include reliance upon self-adjustment under climatic influences, mechanical construction, or in most cases, a combination of these techniques. The phosphate industry’s experience with these three construction techniques provides valuable lessons for stream restoration in any rural Florida setting. This body of knowledge will soon become increasingly valuable because the US Army Corps of Engineers is currently working on new in-kind stream mitigation guidance for all applicants across the state.

SUMMER 2010

Jennifer Sagan

SUMMER 2010

Jacqueline Levine

How we assess a stream depends primarily upon what type of biometrics we want to measure. In order to ensure complete data coverage, any number of analysis styles and types may be applied. Our Stream Team’s extensive expertise ensures that the successful solution will be found to help our design teams create a plan to preserve and/or restore biological integrity to our clients’ systems.

Choosing the appropriate assessment or assessments may also depend on the type of stream you will be working in. Our team has a deep understanding of the appropriate stream classification systems and is prepared to create an assessment and monitoring plan to ensure proper functions are restored or maintained.

SPRING 2010

Nirjhar Shah, PhD

Both of these articles are extensions of Dr. Shah’s dissertation which involves enhancing modeling conceptualization for shallow water-table environments, such as in the South Eastern United States. These articles are intended for people working in the hydrologic and hydraulic modeling field and illustrate that processes such as variability in specific yield and air entrapment have to be studied in greater detail such that their impact can be fully understood.

The articles were born out of a need to revisit the processes that cause or impact water-table fluctuations. This was determined because for shallow water-table environments it becomes very difficult to model the water-table fluctuations using traditional methodologies. Model parameters have to be tweaked sometimes to values which may depart significantly from the widely accepted parameter’s value. The objective was to make sure that the modeling conceptualizations that are used currently are sufficient to describe the physical processes. Dr. Shah has provided summaries of both articles and the results of the findings for this publication.

SPRING 2010

Karen N. Warner, MS

BCI is currently working with the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) to obtain state and federal permits necessary for sediment removal within the Lake to improve aquatic habitat, water quality and navigation. LCWA has partnered with the St. John’s River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on the enhancement initiative within the western-most portion of Lake Beauclair where anthropogenic sediment deposits are most pronounced.

SPRING 2010

GEROLD MORRISON, PhD

In January, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that numeric criteria must be developed for nutrientrelated pollution in the State of Florida in order to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Draft criteria for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), the two most important nutrients in water quality management, were proposed for Florida’s inland waters in January 2010. Numeric criteria for TN and TP in estuaries and coastal waters are expected in 2011. These steps could be indicative of things to come throughout the country.

In Florida, water quality management is guided by state statutes, such as the Florida Watershed Protection Act (FWPA; Sect. 403.067, Florida Statutes), as well as by the “fishable and swimmable” requirements of the federal CWA. The legal requirements of the state and federal statutes differ in some respects, however, particularly in their requirements for the development of “total maximum daily loads” (TMDLs). The TMDL process begins with the identification of “impaired” waters, which are defined as waterbodies that are not currently meeting one or more water quality standards.

For each impaired waterbody, a TMDL report is developed identifying the pollutants causing its impairment and estimating the maximum quantities (loads) of those pollutants that can be discharged to the waterbody while still allowing it to meet standards. TMDL reports also estimate the reductions in pollutant loads that will be needed to bring an impaired waterbody into compliance with existing standards, and indicate how those reductions should be allocated among the point and non-point pollutant sources in the contributing watershed. Because pollutant load reduction projects are costly, the development and implementation of TMDLs is a potentially contentious process for regulatory agencies and the regulated community.

With respect to nutrientrelated TMDLs the primary regulated entities are local governments (which operate municipal sewage treatment and stormwater management systems) and certain types of industrial facilities (such as fertilizer manufacturing and processing plants) whose discharges could potentially contain elevated concentrations of TN or TP. These entities are regulated as point sources under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program which is administered by EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

Winter 2009

Jennifer J. Sagan, MS

BCI provides project support to 15 SJRWMD project managers on a full-time basis for District critical projects such as Alternative Water Source Impact Evaluation, Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), the Lake Apopka Restoration Project, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) establishment, and the Surface Water Quality Monitoring Networks program. Some of these projects and tasks for which our personnel are assigned are highlighted below: