Writing for the Daily Journal of Commerce, Aspect's Andrew Holmson covers why it pays to know your geotechnical engineer during habitat restoration work.
Landmark Hirst Water Rights Decision Increases Burden on Counties to Evaluate Exempt Well Impacts
In a landmark decision on the use of exempt wells and county responsibility for evaluating impacts from the wells on instream flows, the Washington Supreme Court (Court) recently overturned a lower court decision in the Whatcom County v. Hirst case. The lower court decision appealed in this case essentially directed local governments to follow the Washington Department of Ecology’s (Ecology) interpretation of instream flow rules in determining water availability. This Court decision rescinds that direction, noting that the Growth Management Act (GMA) places an independent responsibility to ensure water availability on counties, not on Ecology. The decision also noted that the fact that county provisions are wholly consistent with Ecology’s regulations does not, by itself, render them consistent with GMA requirements.
The Ruling Constrains Exempt Well Use in Washington
Under existing law (RCW 90.44.050), the groundwater permit exemption allows, for a limited number of purposes, water users to construct and develop groundwater wells for small quantities of groundwater without obtaining a permit. According to the new ruling, there is no question that a permit-exempt well may not infringe on an earlier established right to water, including instream flow rules, under the doctrine of prior appropriation. The Court also found it contradictory that Ecology must consider the effect of groundwater appropriations on minimum flows when issuing water right permits, while counties did not consider these same impacts when issuing building permits with exempt wells. This means that in a basin with adopted minimum instream flows, any new exempt well or exempt well drilled after adoption of flows may be subject to interruption when flows are not met, rendering these wells legally unreliable as a continuous domestic water source.
The Ruling Increases County Responsibility for Water Availability Determinations under GMA
In addition, this ruling imposes a strict standard for county review of cumulative impairment from exempt wells due to rural development. Aspect has been working with Spokane, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties to establish a water bank for the Little Spokane River watershed. A water bank is a mechanism that facilitates transfer of water rights between sellers and buyers through use of the state’s trust water right program, using banked water as mitigation for new water uses. The three counties anticipated that use of unmitigated exempt wells would continue to be more restricted in the state and proceeded with water bank development to proactively address this concern, along with addressing other future water needs in the basin. The recent ruling in Whatcom County v. Hirst only increases the need for local jurisdictions to be directly involved with proactive water resource management.
Dave Cook Speaks and Moderates at GBA, Urban Land Institute, and IEEE Humanitarian Events
Aspect’s principal geologist, Dave Cook, is participating in several urban energy and humanitarian events this week in Seattle.
On Wednesday October 12th in Seattle, Dave moderates a panel of local experts discussing sharing energy sources between facilities and throughout communities. The discussion is sponsored by the Urban Land Institute of which Dave is a member. The panel discussion is titled, “District Energy, What’s stopping us from sharing in the sharing economy?” will seek to answer the questions, “What is keeping us from sharing and conserving energy, reducing carbon footprints, and revolutionizing how we pay to heat, cool, and power our downtown core and neighborhoods?” Learn more about the presentation HERE.
On Saturday October 15th in Seattle, Dave will be at the Geoprofessional Business Associations’ Fall Conference in Seattle. As the 2016 Board President of the 15,000-person volunteer organization Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), he will discuss how EWB-USA responded to recovery efforts after the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, and how geoprofessionals can contribute their skills at EWB-USA. Learn more HERE.
Later on that Saturday, Dave will be the Keynote Speaker at IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle again discussing the importance of EWB-USA’s work and how professionals can engage in the humanitarian world. Learn more HERE.
Aspect's Andrew Holmson Presenting at APWA's Fall Conference
Aspect’s Andrew Holmson will be presenting at the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) fall conference in Spokane on Thursday, October 6. He and City of Port Angeles Engineering Manager Kathryn Neal will present Protect and Innovate: Port Angeles Landfill Stabilization – the story of how the City and a large, multidisciplinary team relocated 400,000 cubic yards of refuse away from a 140-foot bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca while building Washington’s tallest reinforced soil slope.
Aspect has provided geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology, and environmental support to the City’s closed landfill facility since 2007. We led the engineering geology team in determining long-term and short-term shoreline and bluff retreat rates, evaluating options for removal of existing shoreline protection structures, extending or modifying the structures, evaluating bluff slope failure mechanisms and slope stabilization options, landfill cell relocation, and fill slope stabilization and design. Work on the slope was completed ealier this year. Aspect continues to support the City with operation and maintenance of the landfill gas system and have provided environmental monitoring and support to meet regulatory reporting requirements.
Meet Jessica Smith!
Aspect is excited to welcome Jessica Smith, LG to our team. Jessica is a Senior Geologist supporting Aspect’s Environmental group out of our Seattle office. She is a proven environmental project manager with experience leading complex, high-profile, multi-disciplined projects for both private and public sector clients including the Amazon Headquarters Multi-City Block Redevelopment and the Washington State Convention Center Addition. Jessica has developed an expertise in due diligence, site assessment, and remediation of upland urban brownfield redevelopment sites. Here are five questions we asked to get to know her better:
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? I was born in Littleton, Colorado and moved to the Pacific Northwest when I was 8. I grew up in Bellingham but also lived near Salt Lake City for a few years in junior high and high school. After college my husband and I moved to the Redmond area and have been here ever since. I have lived in the PNW for the majority of my life and consider it home!
2. What inspired you to pursue geology? What made you curious about it? I started college as an English major with an emphasis on technical and creative writing. Spring quarter of my sophomore year I took a Geology 101 course for a general science credit and really enjoyed it. My professor talked me into taking a Geology field course that summer in California, which I absolutely loved. When I got back from the trip I immediately changed my major, signed up for all the math and science I hadn’t taken, enrolled in summer school to not fall behind and graduated (on time!) with a Geology degree!
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated? I enjoy working on challenging, fast paced and team-focused projects. I love the satisfaction that comes from working with my colleagues, clients, contractors, regulators and other consultants to solve problems and reach our end goals. I am also a visual person and get satisfaction from presenting technical data in a graphic way that is easy to understand.
4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working? When I’m not working I’m usually hanging out with my husband, our two kids, Caden (7) and Clara (4) and our black lab, Porter (9). We love to travel, hike, camp, and on sunny PNW days you can almost always find us boating on Lake Sammamish.
5. Where in the world would you like to travel next? I love to travel and, since my husband is a pilot, get to do it quite a bit! I’m looking forward to someday exploring Italy and Greece, relaxing on the beaches in Thailand and heading back to Ireland and Scotland!
Prominent Environmental Leader Dave Cook Joins Aspect Consulting in Seattle
Principal Geologist Dave Cook, LG, CPG joins Aspect’s Seattle Office, providing clients an established, innovative, and creative earth science advisor. Dave’s 25-year track record of applying new solutions and technologies to old problems is highly regarded by business clients, the community, and fellow environmental firms and regulators.
Principal Geologist Dave Cook joins Aspect Consulting, LLC in Seattle, adding strength and depth of experience to Aspect’s urban development capabilities. As a leader in the Puget Sound community, Dave’s 25-year career has included high-profile and complex projects for the region’s most prominent businesses. He thrives in unique situations where there are multiple stakeholders and when clearly communicating complex technical issues to business leaders, legal experts, regulators, and the public is critical to successful outcomes. He is sought after for his combination of technical acumen and innovative application of financing and risk management tactics to help business owners and communities develop cost effective solutions that put distressed sites back to productive use.
“Working with Dave as a regional colleague has always been a pleasure, and I’m excited to have him join forces with us at Aspect. Collaboration and strategic thinking come naturally to Dave as he integrates environmental, geotechnical, and construction know-how with great skill. Daily interaction with a professional of his caliber makes us all stronger,” says Doug Hillman, Aspect’s Environmental Practice Lead.
Deep down, Dave’s heart and soul is founded in bettering the communities for which he and his clients embed themselves. In addition to being at forefront of his earth science and environmental practice, he’s been a leader with Engineers Without Borders-USA (www.ewb-usa.org) for over 10 years. As the 2016 Board President of this 15,000-person volunteer organization, Dave helps lead the organization and facilitate partnerships with industry partners. He’s also traveled to Bolivia and Peru to support water supply projects and been a mentor to the University of Washington EWB chapter. Recently, he coordinated EWB-USA’s response to a unique geohazard assessment after the devastating earthquake in Nepal.
“I’m excited to join the Aspect team. It’s a firm composed of very skilled practitioners that I’ve admired through interactions on various projects. I get energized collaborating with clients and bringing a team of experts to the table to solve tough problems. The Aspect team gives me an opportunity to do more of that. I’ll also be focused on introducing clients to a more creative set of solutions through my established environmental practice while branching out into water and geohazard skills that I developed early in my career and have blossomed again through my volunteer work with EWB-USA,” Dave said.
Formerly a Principal Geologist with GeoEngineers, Dave has over 25 years of environmental consulting experience, with focused expertise in urban brownfields redevelopment, site acquisition, remedial cost estimation, cleanup, environmental strategy and regulatory liaison. Dave has led many large, complex environmental projects in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, including Amazon’s revitalization of South Lake Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Headquarters, which received a 2014 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) national engineering award.
Join Aspect at the NEBC 2016 Northwest Remediation Conference
Aspect is once again a proud sponsor and participant in this year’s Northwest Remediation Conference held October 4th in Seattle, WA. For session 2A, “Implementing Combined Remedies,” Senior Remediation Engineer, Adam Griffin, will discuss how, why, and with what results remediation technologies have been deployed at complex sites. Later in the day, join Carla Brock, Aspect’s Associate Geologist, as she moderates a panel of remediation professionals and regulators on the challenges they face when mitigating surface water contamination.
The conference is presented by the Northwest Environmental Business Council, “a regional trade association representing leading service and technology firms who are working to protect, restore, and sustain the natural and built environment.”
Learn more about the conference HERE.
Tim Flynn talks Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) at the NGWA Conference in Portland
This September 8-9 the National Groundwater Association will host the “Connecting the Dots…Groundwater, Surface Water, and Climate Connections” conference in Portland, Oregon. This 2-day conference will focus on the connections between groundwater, surface water, and climate in the area encompassing Washington, Idaho, Oregon, northern California, and British Columbia.
Aspect’s president and principal hydrogeologist Tim Flynn will present on day two of the conference in the Drought Resilience/Water Availability/Scarcity portion of the conference. He will be presenting on Aquifer Storage and Recovery and will examine the challenges and opportunities of ASR. Learn more about the conference HERE.
Aspect Tours the Entiat National Fish Hatchery
It’s early August in central Washington. Three blocks from Aspect’s Wenatchee office, the Columbia River rolls downstream on its way to the Pacific Ocean. Beneath the surface, adult Chinook salmon swim upstream, returning from the sea to the rivers where they were born. Some of these fish are destined for the Entiat River and may eventually find themselves climbing the ladder to the Entiat National Fish Hatchery (ENFH).
Although all salmon hatcheries share a similar goal of producing fish, they each have unique characteristics that influence the way in which they operate. Aspect’s Wenatchee team is visiting ENFH today to learn about the specific challenges that Craig Chisam and Jason Reeves of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) face at their facility, and what they have done to solve them. Meeting with the operators directly, seeing systems in action, and asking questions helps Aspect build a collective understanding for problem solving that can be applied to help other hatchery facilities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
This isn’t the first time Aspect has been to ENFH. In 2014, hydrogeologists Joe Morrice and Tim Flynn performed an assessment of the hatchery’s existing water supplies and rights, and the condition of water-source infrastructure. Their recommendations for improving the hatchery’s access to a reliable supply of cold, clean water are being pursued by the USFWS. More water for the tanks and raceways means better rearing conditions for the 400,000 juvenile Chinook ENFH releases each year.
Following the tour, the group makes a stop along the Entiat to look for adult salmon moving upstream. Engineers Nick Szot and Ryan Brownlee, both avid fishermen, point at pools that hold fish and talk strategy. Some early morning soon, they will return to the river with rods and tackle. With some luck, they may head home with a fish that Craig and Jason helped raise.
The Aspect Team Turns Out for Another Great Ride to Defeat ALS
Over the past several years, Aspect has proudly sponsored the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association’s fight to end ALS. Every summer, the Evergreen Chapter of ALS puts on the Ride to Defeat ALS -- a one-day team bike challenge to support this worthy cause. The Aspect team rode as part of "Lori's Crew"-- in support of Aspect alumni Lori Herman. Over 40 Aspect employees, family, and friends biked down the Snohomish County Centennial Trial to raise an eye-popping $25,000.
Meet our Portland Staff!
Aspect is not only launching a new Portland office, we're also welcoming new staff with expert knowledge of the region. Peter Stroud joins us as a Senior Associate Engineering Geologist with over 30 years of experience on engineering, engineering geologic, geotechnical, and environmental projects. Mark Swank joins us as a Senior Engineering Geologist with over 14 years of experience performing engineering and geologic analysis for schools, dams, and infrastructure projects in the greater Portland area. Here are five questions we asked to get to know them better.
Pete Stroud
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? I was born in a small town north of San Francisco and grew up in Sacramento. After going to college and working in northern California for several years, my wife and I took a 10-month trip to explore Alaska, Canada, and travel around the US. At the end of the trip, we thought we’d settle in the Pacific Northwest. We both had good college friends who lived in Portland. We stopped to visit and never left—we’ve lived here now for 29 years!
2. What inspired you to pursue geology? What made you curious about it? From an early age, I enjoyed backpacking—particularly the above-timberline, glaciated, granitic Sierra Nevada mountains. I loved the out-of-doors and for college I applied to be a forestry major. It was so popular at my chosen college that there were no spots available! I took advantage that the college had openings for the “undeclared” major. I took Intro to Geology my first term and really enjoyed it. The Department Chair encouraged me to declare being a geology major. I never regretted the decision, and I realized it wasn’t the forest that turned me on, it was those rocky mountains!
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated? Geology has so many applications, and as a result I’ve been a geologist in so many types of projects: mineral exploration, watershed restoration, groundwater supply, fluvial geomorphology, landslide mapping and mitigation, geotechnical engineering, environmental assessments and cleanup, and dam removals. The variety of projects keeps work interesting and there’s always more to learn. Also in my personal time, it’s great to look around at the landscape, evaluate the geomorphology, and try to figure out what geologic processes shaped the land.
4. What do you do like to do when you aren’t working? I enjoy photography, reading about the early exploration of America, sea kayaking, biking, backpacking, white water rafting, cooking, eating Cajun foods, watching Blazer games and college football, and sampling microbrews.
5. Where in the world would you like to travel next? For the longest time I’ve wanted to go to Africa and finally did so this year. For the next foreign trip, I’d like to go to Costa Rica and /or Peru.
Mark Swank
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? I was born and raised in the South Bay Area (San Francisco Bay Area), and my wife and I moved to Portland about 10 years ago. The housing market was a little crazy in Silicon Valley in 2006, and we were looking for a place to locate that was affordable and fit our lifestyle. My wife worked for Intel so we looked for locations where we could both transfer with our jobs, which narrowed the possibilities to Scottsdale, Folsom, and Hillsboro – Hillsboro being the easy choice.
2. What inspired you to pursue engineering geology? What made you curious about it?After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in Soil Science/Env. Management in 1999, my first job was working on a NavyCLEAN project with IT in the Central Valley on the closed Crows Landing Naval Air Base as an environmental scientist. I worked a lot with the lead geologist and what he was doing seemed far more interesting than what I was doing. I had always intended to get a Master’s degree in something – just wasn’t 100 percent what at the time I graduated. After my first engineering geology class in my Master’s program, I knew landslides and faults were for me. California has lots of regulations when it comes to faults that require a CEG stamp and I worked for a guy during my graduate studies that specialized in fault and geohazard studies for residential properties. Moving to Oregon put an end to the fault investigations, but landslides and the Northwest go together quite well.
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated? What I like best is that my work is something new all the time and no project is the same. I’ve always had a hard time explaining to people what I do for a living because it is so many different things, and I like that. I’m motivated and excited to always be learning something new. I would have left this field a long time ago if I had to do the same thing every day.
4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working? I like to hang out with my family and vacation in warm, preferably tropical locations. For hobbies, I swim regularly, ski in the winter, play in a couple of soccer leagues, and hike.
5. What five people would be your dream dinner party guests? Albert Einstein, Jon Stewart, Hemingway, Picasso, and Maria Theresa.
Announcing Aspect Portland
Aspect Consulting is crossing the Columbia, opening up shop in downtown Portland.
Aspect Portland is a reality made possible by two extraordinary additions to our team: engineering geologists Pete Stroud and Mark Swank. Pete and Mark are both Portland locals, with decades of combined consulting experience between them. Our Portland team increases the breadth of technical talent available to our existing clients, as well as offering Oregon clients access to our 70+ person team of geotechnical, water resources, remediation engineers, hydrogeologists, and geologists.
“Mark and I are excited to join Aspect and launch the Portland office. With Portland’s infrastructure market growing, many ongoing environmental cleanup projects throughout the region, and the challenge of managing limited water supply across the state, we really feel Aspect’s proven experience in those areas and deep roster of high-performing technical advisors is a great fit to help our Oregon clients succeed.” said Pete Stroud.
Pete Stroud
Pete joins Aspect as a Senior Associate Engineering Geologist, with over 30 years of professional experience leading engineering, engineering geologic, geotechnical, and environmental projects.
Mark Swank
Mark joins Aspect as a Senior Engineering Geologist with over 14 years of experience performing engineering and geologic analysis for schools, dams, and infrastructure projects. Mark and Pete were colleagues for over 10 years at Kleinfelder’s Portland office and bring their strong partnership to Aspect.
“This is a great time and a great team to bring Aspect’s extensive project experience to the greater Portland/Vancouver area and up the Columbia Gorge,” said Tim Flynn, President and Principal Hydrogeologist at Aspect. “Mark and Pete’s 40 years of combined consulting experience in the Portland area gives us immediate credibility with local clients and sets Aspect up for long-term success in the region.”
Highlights of their Portland and Pacific Northwest projects include the I-5 Willamette River Crossing in Eugene, Lake Oswego-Tigard Water Partnership (LOTWP) pipeline project, Condit Dam Decommissioning, Scoggins Dam Raise, Oregon Convention Center, Hoyt Street Properties Redevelopment and a tradition of working and managing a variety of on-call professional services contracts throughout the state.
Aspect’s new Portland office is located at 522 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 1300, in the historic Yeon Building on the Portland Transit Mall in the heart of downtown. Keeping with Aspect’s commitment to sustainability, it’s a convenient, accessible location, close to our clients and teaming partners.
What it Takes to Become Nation’s First “Salmon Safe” Airport
In the Pacific Northwest, we take our salmon very seriously--it is an important species in measuring the health of our watersheds, a key link in our food supply, a cultural touchstone for many Tribes, and a symbol of the ocean, rivers, and streams that define our beautiful region.
So it’s only appropriate that, if any airport in the country is going to be “Salmon Safe”, Sea-Tac International (Sea-Tac) does it first. The Salmon-Safe label comes from a group called Stewardship Partners, which started the certification program about 15 years ago with wineries and small farms.
Now, they've expanded their certification program and given Sea-Tac the "Salmon Safe" designation to recognize the airport's work to improve water quality standards well beyond the federal requirements. Learn more about how the airport did it in this KPLU article.
Aspect is proud to supply environmental and water resource project support to promote this important certification. We’ve partnered directly with Airport water resource staff for over a decade as well as working on projects that benefit the habitat surrounding Sea-Tac. Our work has included on-call surface water monitoring, improving water quality from the Des Moines Creek stormwater detention facility, installing groundwater mitigation wells to maintain baseflows in the Des Moines and Miller/Walker Creek basins, to providing remedial action support to clean up distressed areas around Lora Lake and return them to productive use and improved habitat. Aspect also conducted an airport-wide stormwater infiltration feasibility assessment that helped satisfy the Salmon-Safe criteria associated with low impact development (LID) planning.
Given that Sea-Tac is also America’s fastest growing airport, it's no small feat to keep clean water for healthy fish habitat when you have 42 million+ passengers passing through the gates every year.
We look forward to help continue Sea-Tac's fish-friendly aspirations.
Enloe Dam Water Rights Case Upheld—Permitting Path Stays More Certain for Applicants
The Washington State Court of Appeals ruled last week that the Department of Ecology appropriately conditioned the approval of a water right permit for the Public Utility District No. 1 of Okanogan County's (PUD) hydroelectric project on Enloe Dam.
The case revolved around the public interest test in RCW 90.03.290, and the application of the protection of aesthetics of public waters in RCW 90.54.020, as well as a previously-issued 401 Certification under the Clean Water Act. The Court of Appeals upheld the conditioned approval of the water right permit with a 5-year adaptive monitoring plan to evaluate the aesthetics of different flow levels over the dam and falls. Because the final flow levels necessary to protect aesthetics were not known at the time of permit issuance, the appellants (Center for Environmental Law and Policy, American Whitewater, and North Cascades Conservation Council) argued that Ecology did not have authority to approve the permit. The Court of Appeals disagreed. “We conclude that Ecology had authority to issue a ROE, and water permit, which was subject to a condition to ascertain information that was not available prior to proceeding with the Project. Ecology did not abuse its discretion in determining that the PUD's water permit should issue subject to the stated conditions.”
This is an important finding in water right permitting because not all conditions of a project can be known with clarity at the time of applying for a water right permit. Ecology’s ability to approve a permit, subject to verification of conditions or adaptation-provisions for changing conditions, is important authority to retain. A copy of the decision can be viewed at: https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/748416.pdf. Contact Dan Haller (509.895.5462) at Aspect Consulting with any questions.
Meet Ali Dennison
Aspect welcomes Ali Dennison, LG to our team! She is a Senior Project Geologist supporting residential, commercial, transportation, and industrial projects. Ali is currently working from our Seattle office and will be moving across the Sound to Bainbridge Island in the coming months. Here are five questions we asked to get to know her better:
Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? I was born in Breckenridge, Colorado, lived there for four years, then moved to New Jersey, which is where I consider I am “from.” However, I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for more than half my life now! I moved to Tacoma for college and convinced my mom to come with me and work for her brother in Seattle.
What inspired you to pursue geology? What made you curious about it? I started out in computer science, but quickly learned I was no good at it. I enjoyed the geology classes and love the field trips looking at rock outcrops and camping! I love the outdoors, so it just worked. I never really thought that I would have a career where I actually used my degree, but here I am 14 years later and still “playing with soil and rock.”
What do you like best about your area of expertise? What about your work excites you and keeps you motivated? I love being outside exploring project sites both above and below the ground. It is amazing what we can build. I enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge with junior staff so that they can grow. I enjoy being with people and helping clients solve challenges.
What do you do like to do when you aren’t working? You can find me swimming, biking, running, triathlon-ing, and skiing with my two kids, Cooper (5) and Ruby (3). I am currently training for Ironman Whistler on July 24 which includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, ending with a 26.2-mile run. If you want to hear more about why: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/yourway16/adennison
Where in the world would you like to travel next? I would love to take a safari in Africa, tour Italy, sail the Caribbean, and see Machu Picchu.
Eastern Washington's Water Future in the News
The just released Columbia River Basin Long-Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast is gathering the attention of the news media. National Public Radio interviewed Aspect’s Dan Haller as part of their coverage. For the last two years, Aspect has worked on the research team alongside Washington State University and the University of Utah to forecast how regional environmental and economic conditions will affect water supply and demand through 2035. The report is now open for public comment through July 20. The final version will go the state legislature in the fall to help steer sound water goals and policy for eastern Washington.
Hear and read the interview here: More Water For Eastern Washington, But Not When Its Needed Most
Forecasting the Future of Water Use in the Columbia River Basin
Changing climate will affect availability and demand for water in Washington's Columbia River Basin, and will influence how water will be managed in the basin over the next 20 years, according to a new report being prepared for the Washington Department of Ecology's Office of Columbia River.
The Columbia River Long Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast project team is preparing an updated long-term water supply and demand forecast for the Washington Department of Ecology, Office of Columbia River and would like your feedback. The Forecast team includes researchers from Washington State University, University of Utah, Aspect Consulting, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. This forecast, updated for the Washington Legislature every five years, provides a generalized, system-wide assessment of how future environmental and economic conditions are likely to change water supply and demand by 2035.
The team will host a series of FREE public workshops June 21st – June 23rd in Tri-Cities, Wenatchee and Spokane. The purpose of these workshops is to share preliminary results from the 2016 Water Supply and Demand Forecast, provide an opportunity for public feedback and interaction, and gather input on possible improvements for the 2021 Forecast. (SEE POSTER BELOW FOR DETAILS)
What to Expect:
- Presentations from researchers introducing the methodologies used and preliminary results found
- Q&A sessions with the researchers
- Open house, with time to explore results further and provide comments on the draft results
Meet Andrew Austreng
Aspect welcomes Andrew Austreng, LG to the team! Andrew joins our Seattle office as a Project Hydrogeologist with a wide range of experience in supporting water resources and water rights projects. Here are five questions we asked to get to know him better:
Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? My wife and I grew up in North Dakota. We came to the PNW because we felt like it has it all – great culture, beautiful landscape, and exciting professional opportunities. Needless to say, we have not been disappointed!
What inspired you to pursue hydrogeology? What made you curious about it? I grew up in a rural area surrounded by agriculture, where most people were served by private groundwater wells. I often found myself considering how the water needs of an entire household or community could be met by simply installing a pipe in the ground (I would later come to find out that it isn’t quite that simple). After my first introduction to geology, I understood the detective-like nature of hydrogeology, and knew that it would be a lifelong interest and satisfying career.
What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated? Focusing on water resources allows me to be part of something that often effects many people. It gives a unique perspective on preserving a valuable resource, while simultaneously serving the needs of individuals. There’s something very satisfying about getting someone the water they need for their home or business while knowing that you’ve done your best to preserve that same resource for others.
What do you do like to do when you aren’t working? Spending time with family! My wife and I have a newborn at home, and we enjoy spending a lot of time with our new family. That being said, I’ve also been known to squeeze in a few ski trips throughout the winter months, and I really enjoy honing my skills as a novice mechanic.
Where in the world would you like to travel next? Madagascar. I’d love to spend time exploring for plants and animals. There’s an area called the Forest of Knives that made my list – it’s a bizarre scene of limestone peaks filled with all sorts of birds and lemurs. On the other hand, with our newly expanded family we could happily settle for a week on a sandy beach!
Technical Exchange: Talking Cleanup Levels
Cleanup levels are the beating heart of any environmental remediation project. They drive the approach, the cost, and the schedule for project closure. Yet, the path towards cleanup level selection is murky – one size does not fit all. In Washington State alone there are a variety of cleanup levels – set through the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) – and selecting the correct one for a site requires a sound understanding of site-specific data, the science of how the media at the site exists and moves, the pertinent regulatory requirements, and what, ultimately, is the site going to be redeveloped? If so, for industrial purposes? For livable space?
At a recent Technical Exchange, senior hydrogeologist Dana Cannon tackled this knotty topic in an open discussion of what we talk about when we talk about cleanup levels. Questions asked and answered included:
- What cleanup levels apply in what situations?
- What exposure pathways do different cleanup levels address?
- MTCA and other ARARs: Where do cleanup levels come from, and what’s an ARAR, anyway?
- Method A cleanup levels: when can I use these? Do I want to?
- Method B cleanup levels: now it gets complicated.
- Method C cleanup levels: when to I get to use these?
Three overarching points rung true throughout the discussion:
- Get to Know CLARC. It pays big dividends to get familiar with the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Cleanup Level and Risk Assessment (CLARC) database and MTCA.
- Exposure pathways. Understand the human and ecological exposure pathways for a given site. From there, cleanup level selection becomes clearer.
- Strategy. Strategy means knowing the site conditions backwards and forwards, knowing the end goal for the site after cleanup, and understanding which cleanup levels apply. Knowing how to approach CLARC relative to site exposure pathways puts you ahead of the game.
Meet Eric Schellenger
Aspect welcomes Eric Schellenger to our Geotechnical/Infrastructure team. He started in March in our Seattle office and will be full time in June after he completes his master’s degree at the University of Washington. Here are five questions we asked to get to know him better:
Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here? I’m originally from Southern California. I moved to Portland after undergrad for work and fell in love with the beauty, vibe, and culture that I feel is so unique to the region. I lived there for about 3 years before moving to Seattle in September 2015 to pursue my master’s.
What inspired you to pursue geotechnical engineering? What made you curious about it? The site-specific nature of geotechnical engineering—the fact that no site is the same—triggered my interest.
What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated? The wide range of challenges and projects we get to face because of the site-specific nature mentioned above. Also, geotechnical engineering is less “by the book,” and geotechnical engineers get to exercise judgment more than any other kind of engineer.
What do you do like to do when you aren’t working? Exploring everything Seattle has to offer, manning the grill, walking/running Green Lake, hiking, reading, and taking road trips.
Where in the world would you like to visit next? Iceland and South Africa.
Eric in the Zebra Slot Canyon outside Escalante, Utah