Lower Fox River Remediation

Wisconsin

The Lower Fox River is the largest contaminated sediment cleanup site in the United States, with more than 7 million cubic yards of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediments.

Anchor QEA designed the remedial action for one of the operable units to address elevated PCB concentrations that warranted expedited removal. This evaluation was used to optimize the design and refine the remedial action plan, resulting in an effective remedy that saved millions of dollars while maintaining or improving its environmental benefit.  

PFAS Sampling and Analysis at Milwaukee Area of Concern

Wisconsin

Anchor QEA completed a sediment investigation to indicate the nature and extent of PFAS in sediments and surface water. The CERCLA-compliant investigation included specialized sample collection techniques to preserve sample integrity and data quality.

Results of this investigation were used to optimize the remedial design and identify potential treatment options and placement alternatives. The methods that Anchor QEA recommended and used to collaboratively develop guidance values are being broadly applied to other sites in the region.

Gloucester Harbor Remediation and Manufactured Gas Plant Site

Massachusetts

This former manufactured gas plant site is situated in an industrial harbor servicing one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in the United States. Over the past 9 years, Anchor QEA has completed site assessment, design, permitting, procurement support, and construction oversight of a sediment remedy and is currently involved with long-term post-construction monitoring.

Proximity to the U.S. Coast Guard Station Gloucester, the Harbormaster office, and historical nearshore structures limited remedial options and required complex remedial design to maintain structural stability.

San Francisco Bay to Stockton Navigation Improvements

California

Anchor QEA prepared a draft environmental impact statement/environmental impact report and integrated feasibility study to evaluate alternatives for improving this navigation channel, as well as strengthen levees and create new habitat through dredged material placement. Work included plan formulation; hydrodynamic and salinity modeling for water quality impacts; wetland restoration design using dredged material; and stakeholder coordination through technical working groups for endangered species, habitat restoration, and water quality.

Collaborating with the San Francisco, Sacramento, and Jacksonville USACE Districts, Anchor QEA demonstrated how ecosystem restoration provided national economic benefits. Proactive coordination with USACE Headquarters was key to project advancement.

Dredging Operations Environmental Research Strategic Dredge Technology Innovation

Nationwide

Anchor QEA is working with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) through the Dredging Operations Environmental Research program to assist the USACE with advancing beneficial use of dredged material in support of the Chief of Engineers’ initiative to increase beneficial use of dredged material to 70% by the year 2030.

East Point Federal Navigation Channel Beneficial Use

Florida

The USACE aimed to evaluate beneficial use alternatives for the Eastpoint Federal Navigation Channel using Engineering With Nature. Anchor QEA developed and assessed alternatives; performed geotechnical investigations, coastal engineering, and ecological surveys; and provided design, plans, and specifications for a beneficial use cell and dredging.

The sandy beneficial use berm design supports sediment stability and habitat creation, yielding a rookery, marsh, beachhead, and recreational beach that exceeded project goals, earning a Gulf Guardian Award nomination.

Hancock County Marsh Living Shoreline

Mississippi

Prior to construction of the living shoreline, the Hancock County Marsh Coastal Preserve was the fastest eroding marsh in Mississippi, with losses equaling 7 acres of intertidal marsh annually.

The living shoreline design uniquely combines 6 miles of segmented breakwaters with 46 acres of subtidal reef and 46 acres of restored marsh to reduce storm damage while enhancing aquatic habitat. Anchor QEA provided engineering design, hydrodynamic modeling, construction management, and a long-term biological monitoring program. This site is now the largest living shoreline project in the United States.

Techniques developed by Anchor QEA staff were incorporated into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Monitoring and Adaptive Management Procedures and Guidelines Manual.

Dagger Point Habitat Restoration

Texas

Anchor QEA is working with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to design and construct 6.5 miles of a living shoreline breakwater. This will protect infrastructure, maintain public shoreline access, and protect marsh and whooping crane habitat at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

The comprehensive design used wave and hydrodynamic modeling of the San Antonio Bay to simulate wave growth, nearshore wave transformations, and the impact of the proposed nearshore breakwaters on reducing wave energy along the shoreline and at the toe of the bluff.

Shooting Island Living Shoreline Design and Restoration

New Jersey

Anchor QEA designed a multipart living shoreline to protect and restore Shooting Island, a wetland island that provides protection to back bay communities from flooding and storm surge. Using hydrodynamic and wave models, our team developed a sustainable solution for long-term protection of the marsh edges under budget and on time in 2019.

The project resulted in the largest living shoreline constructed in New Jersey, which is now a model for other towns.

NNBF Guidelines

Nationwide

Anchor QEA worked with the ERDC and USACE Headquarters to develop a national and international framework for design and construction of NNBF. The framework is a comprehensive reference guide to make it easier for communities vulnerable to flooding, sea level rise, and storm surges to incorporate nature-based approaches into their resiliency strategies.

Anchor QEA supported the ERDC with development of NNBF techniques for coastal storm reduction and flood risk management, validation of the NNBF framework, and performance review using case studies.

Lake Michigan Shoreline Assessment and Regional Bluff Mapping

Wisconsin

Anchor QEA collaborated on an NOAA-funded coastal hazards study in southeastern Wisconsin, providing geomorphic analysis to support coastal resilience. Partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and others, Anchor QEA helped create a database of erosion along Lake Michigan’s coastline.

Results, including bluff recession rates, were integrated into Wisconsin’s Shoreline Inventory GIS for public access and use by researchers and designers.

Port of Gulfport Redevelopment

Mississippi

Anchor QEA designed and permitted the Gulf of Mexico’s first regional sediment management and ecosystem restoration site on the Mississippi-Louisiana border. This created an 815-acre wetland restoration area in coordination with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, and USACE.

Shoreline protection was developed for the Port of Gulfport's post-Hurricane Katrina redevelopment, evaluating storm conditions using ADCIRC and CMS-Wave models to predict surge, flooding, and waves. Shoaling rates were calculated to estimate 30-year dredging volumes, informing a comprehensive dredged material management program. Dredged material testing was completed on 7 million cubic yards.

Anacapa Island Wharf Replacement

California

Anchor QEA assisted the National Park Service in replacing an 80-year-old structurally deficient timber wharf, located within Channel Islands National Park, and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Biosphere Region.

Built upon a volcanic stone bluff, the design features an innovative cantilevered system with a partially enclosed lift for safety. The design accommodates future sea level rise with a flexible piling system.

The replacement improves visitor and staff access; enhances the visitor experience; and preserves important natural, cultural, and landscape characteristics.

Middle Rio Grande Fish Passage and Diversion Dams

New Mexico

Anchor QEA is supporting the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation by providing engineering and design support to improve fish passage and reduce sediment issues at the Isleta Diversion Dam and San Acacia Diversion Dam in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. These dams, which are critical for irrigation, face infrastructure challenges due to sediment deposition, which also degrades habitat for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow.

To address these issues, Anchor QEA is conducting computational fluid dynamics modeling using FLOW-3D to optimize fish passage designs, hydraulic analyses, and statistical flow assessments. Additional planning and permitting support aims to facilitate fishway construction by 2026.

Scorpion Anchorage Pier Replacement

California

On behalf of the National Park Service, Anchor QEA led environmental planning, permitting, compliance, engineering design, and construction oversight for a 300-foot-long steel superstructure that accommodates 300,000 annual park guests for the Scorpion Anchorage Pier ferry service on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. Features include a steel superstructure, timber deck, gangway, and height-adjustable platform to allow for sea level rise and long-term sustainability.

Anchor QEA provided cultural resources support alongside Chumash Tribal members to identify significant resources and avoid impacts.

Anchor QEA construction managers led on-site inspection and measurement and provided continuous construction administration.

Onondaga Lake Construction Quality Assurance

New York

For this lake impacted by decades of industrial use, Anchor QEA provided pre-design investigation services and development of the dredge and cap design.

During construction, Anchor QEA provided quality assurance, including surface water quality monitoring and verification that dredge and cap construction was completed in accordance with the design.

Currently, Anchor QEA is part of a team providing a long-term monitoring plan and subsequent monitoring of the installed cap.

Ohio Street Boat Launch

New York

To expand and enhance public access and encourage passive recreation along the Buffalo River waterfront, Anchor QEA led the design and construction of shoreline and in-water enhancements. This included a fishing pier, walk-in paddle sport launch, floating debris deflectors, and aquatic planting.

Anchor QEA collected and evaluated hydrodynamics of the area to create a resilient shoreline that includes aquatic vegetation and wetland habitat.

Upland improvements to pedestrian sidewalks and parking areas created a seamless connection between the water-based Blueway Trail System and the landside Greenway Trail System.

Chehalis River Basin Strategy

Washington

Anchor QEA is leading NEPA compliance for a multidisciplinary project aimed at aquatic habitat restoration and flood risk reduction in the Chehalis River Basin.

The Anchor QEA team developed a programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) and subsequent project-level draft EISs (State Environmental Policy Act and NEPA) evaluating options for a 65,000-acre-foot reservoir, dam modifications on the Skookumchuck River, and levee improvements. Environmental studies encompassed water quality, fish and wildlife, cultural resources, and more, providing comprehensive support for regulatory compliance and project advancement.

Alcatraz Ferry Embarkation Environmental Impact Statement

California

Anchor QEA managed the planning and design for a new ferry embarkation site between the San Francisco waterfront and Alcatraz Island. Collaborating with National Park Service and Golden Gate National Recreation Area staff, Anchor QEA created architectural, landscape, and marine structural designs for six possible waterfront sites.

Anchor QEA developed the NEPA environmental impact statement and California Environmental Quality Act documents; led Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Magnuson-Stevens consultations; and worked with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission to approve the Coastal Zone Management Act consistency determination.

This project received the American Planning Association – Federal Planning Division award for Outstanding Collaborative Federal Project in 2017.

Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration

Maine

Anchor QEA conducted environmental surveys to support NEPA compliance for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island restoration project, aimed at restoring more than 2,000 acres of habitat through dredged material use and protecting more than 1,300 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation near Barren Island.

This included data collection for the Barren Island supplemental environmental assessment and the James Island supplemental environmental impact statement. Results from tasks such as fisheries assessments, water quality analysis, and habitat delineation informed NEPA planning, permitting, and engineering design. This will contribute to long-term adaptive management plans to ensure successful habitat restoration.