Phoenix was recently awarded several Stream Condition Index (SCI) projects in Florida. SCI is a surface water quality assessment method which relies on hydrobiological indicators (freshwater macroinvertebrates) as a means of determining water quality. SCI was developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and is often required downstream of facilities including, but not limited, to wastewater treatment plants, mining facilities, paper mills, or other facilities with major point-source or non-point source discharges. In many cases, SCI is used to supplement standard water quality monitoring within the same streams.

SCI is initiated by conducting a habitat assessment within a 100-meter stretch of the stream in accordance with FDEP’s Standard Operating Procedures. The specific stretch is assigned a score based on several criteria relating to and potentially affecting the overall productive habitat in the system. Aquatic habitat (e.g. leaf packs, snags, aquatic vegetation, submerged roots, and rock) are sampled for macroinvertebrates. Samples are analyzed by a certified taxonomic laboratory and the stream is assigned a score based on species richness and diversity.

Phoenix has SCI certified scientists who have conducted SCI and rapid-biorecon assessments for over 10 years on streams throughout Florida for the FDEP and several of the Water Management Districts.

A gopher cricket emerges from a burrow

It’s All About The Burrows

At up to 40 feet long and ten feet deep, gopher tortoise burrows are an engineering marvel. Using their shovel-like front feet, gophers will dig down until just above the water table, to provide a nest of perfect temperature and humidity for their needs. These burrows provide much more than just shelter for the tortoise. These burrows provide permanent and temporary habitat for an estimated 300 additional species including other reptiles, a variety of mammals and a host of insects. For this and other reasons, gopher tortoises are considered a keystone species. The loss of their habitat and the subsequent loss of the burrows, affects hundreds of other creatures.

Reclaimed Phosphate Lands

Gopher tortoises require well-drained sandy soils, open canopy, bare ground and a wide variety of herbaceous groundcovers for food. Reclaimed phosphate lands might offer the perfect recipe for creating new gopher tortoise habitat.

Once mining operations have ceased in an area, phosphate companies are required by their mining permits to “reclaim” or reform the land, returning it to conditions that closely resemble the original land use as possible. This land is then monitored for conformity to the plan and eventually “released” once permit conditions have been met.
One phosphate mining company in northeast Florida has committed to creating viable gopher tortoise habitat on reclaimed phosphate land. With help from Phoenix Environmental, this land has been home to a large population of relocated gopher tortoises since 2006.

Conditioning Activities

Land management activities to condition the land for gopher tortoises include implementing prescribe fire, scraping the ground to provide bare areas, planting supplemental food plots and removing invasive plants that threaten the gophers’ natural food supply.

Above left, a small piece of cactus called prickly pear is planted. Two years later, in the photo on the right, large patches of prickly pear have grown. This is a favorite food of the gopher.

Why Gophers?

Gopher tortoises have inhabited North America for almost 60 million years. They provide habitat for many other species and are an indicator of ecosystem health. Creating habitat for them is a commitment that one company has made as a way to give something back to the environment.

The problem: it didn’t work.

Only a single Osprey had actually nested in a metal dish, all of the other Osprey nests, dozens of them, were it the bracing structure of the older wooden poles. Given a side-by-side choice of where to nest the Osprey’s choice was clear, they liked the wood poles. There was something about the metal dishes that Ospreys didn’t like, or there was something about the wooden poles that they did like.

At the power company’s request, Phoenix Environmental began studying the problem. In addition to some regulatory issues there were 2 questions:

1. Where along the power company’s system would Ospreys be likely to nest?
2. “Dish” nests don’t work. What sort of nest would work?

From previous mapping work Phoenix had done for the power company we had some actual nest location data. We plotted that data against aerial photos and researched Osprey behavior. There is more research to be conducted but so far a few certainties were identified:

• Ospreys avoid developed areas
• Ospreys are within about 2 ½ mile of a source of fish. Fresh or salt water doesn’t seem to matter, as long as the food source is available.
• A single, isolated nest seems rare. They seem to group together.

The type of nest to build seemed a bit easier. The power company had some ideas from previous nests they had used. There were a few criteria that we designed into the nests, just for the power company:

• It had to be a modular design that the power company could have on hand, complete and ready to install
• It had to be installed with tools readily available to the line crews, i.e., no specialized tools..
• It had to be sturdy and long lasting.

We have come up with a good design, similar in some ways to the power company’s existing nest design but far easier for line crews to install. We met with their environmental specialist, to “test install” a prototype nest. It worked very well and, with only a few refinements, this is the design we’re going to use. Phoenix will supply a complete unit, right down to the screws to install it. The power company will save one of the wooden poles as they are being replaced and with one of Phoenix Environmental’s nest units, make it into a free-standing Osprey nest, away from the power lines.

This is an on-going project, and becoming a builder and supplier of the nest units is something a bit different for Phoenix Environmental. The long term question still remains, though: If you are an Osprey, where do you want to live?

Phoenix has eight qualified Florida Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation Control inspectors, and four Maryland Green Card inspectors, available to design, implement and manage your project for compliance with Best Management Practices. Our experienced inspectors will work to ensure compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program during all phases of construction.

The Phoenix Environmental Group, Inc. conducts Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard E-152705. Phase I ESAs are invaluable when it comes to protecting a prospective buyer from unwittingly (or innocently) acquiring property that may be contaminated by hazardous materials or hazardous waste, as defined under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Other sources of contamination include petroleum products associated with gasoline stations, dry cleaning facilities, wood preserving operations and a myriad of other industrial facilities.

Generally Phase I ESA’s involve preliminary in-office work to evaluate existing, readily available information, such as aerial photographs, soil maps and topographic quadrangle maps. This review will provide a better understanding of the existing and historic major features of the site as well as land uses and other characteristics of the surrounding lands. Concurrent with this initial review, a search will be initiated of available state and federal databases to determine if the subject parcel or surrounding lands were subject to known or possible sources of hazardous materials or wastes.

Once existing information is evaluated, one or more site visits will be conducted to further investigate any known or suspected contamination problems. Finally, a report will be prepared documenting the results of the investigation, including a discussion of the likelihood that such materials are or have been present and recommendations as to what, if any, further action may be warranted. If further assessments are needed, Phoenix can prepare plans of study for and conduct Phase II assessments to document the nature and extent of any contamination.

Please call us to satisfy your lending institution’s requirement of a Phase I or II ESA.

Phoenix provides detailed wetland mapping, threatened / endangered species surveys, environmental permitting and management plans for species protection for power utility companies.

The GPS system is normally used to create accurate maps of any site. Any features can be mapped and the resulting map will show the feature’s true size and shape. Measurements for length or acreage will be readily available, both in the field and in the plotted map. The plotted maps can be placed over aerial pho- tographs or combined with existing AutoCAD or ArcMap data.

Data Collection of On-site Resources

While creating a map of the location and shape of any feature, the mapping software can also record data about the attributes of the feature being mapped. A “feature file” will be created for any particular project containing specific data about the mapped features. For a timber survey, the data collected could include tree diameter, height and species. An- other could be for utilities, in which the collected data could include phone and electric lines, pipe diameters and manhole locations. Other feature files could be created for re- mote areas including wetlands and uplands, open water ponds and streams.

Updating of Existing Data

Existing data in standard formats (e.g. AutoCAD drawings and ArcMap shape files) can be loaded into the mapping software and the position and attribute data can be checked, updated or en- hanced. The GPS will guide the operator directly to any shown feature. The existing information about that feature can be confirmed and updated.

Bathymetric/Underwater Surveys

The data collector has the ability to accept elec- tronic data input from outside sources such as a sonar depth measuring unit. Phoenix owns and operates a boat and sonar unit for this purpose. A series of depth readings are recorded as the boat travels in a grid pattern over a water body. The resulting data is used to create a bathymetric con- tour map of the bottom. Many Phoenix associates are certified and experienced scuba divers and can investigate and map the underwater features of the water body to sub-meter accuracy.

Volume Calculations

A laser distance range finder can measure the 3-D position of a surface and use that data to model the vol- ume of an object. For example, we could laser an excavated area and determine the volume of the excava- tion. We could measure a material pile and determine the amount of ma- terial on hand. We could also use this laser to obtain the 3-D position of a feature that we cannot physically reach.

Experienced Phoenix personnel come from a variety of backgrounds include both state, federal and pri- vate enterprise. So whether you need an ERP, WRP, CCCL, NOI, ESA….you name the acronym and we’ve done it! Applying for the maze of regulatory and statutory permits can be a confusing and frustrating experience.

• Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys
• Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring
• Coastal Construction Control Line Permitting
• Environmental Resource Permitting

We provide permitting and associated services for the entire life of mine.

We have over 20 years’ experience in permitting mine activities for companies mining phosphate, rock and sand, and attapulgite. Experience counts in navigating the regulatory hurdles facing private businesses in today’s economic climate.

• Mines Planning, including wetlands delineation, threatened and endangered species surveys, natural resource evaluations, stream sampling
• Permitting
• Compliance Monitoring
• Erosion and Sedimentation Control
• Best Management Practices