Archives: Project

Solar Development at Rose Hill, West Kingstown, and University of Rhode Island (URI) Superfund Landfills

Challenge From permitting to construction completion, this solar development program in partnership with Kearsarge Energy  – design and construction of a solar field atop three previously capped landfills – presented challenges: as the first project of its type in the state, the permitting process was without precedent; protection of the landfill caps was paramount; and as-built … Read more

Hydroelectric Project- Confidential Client

Challenge A turbine extension and modernization program at this Pumped Storage Hydrogeneration Project required complete un-watering of the subsurface water conveyance structures that connect its Lower Reservoir (LR) and Upper Reservoir (UR). Stability of the earthfill embankment components of the project, which are sensitive to water surface elevations and changes in piezometric pressures, added complexity … Read more

Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. Geotechnical Services for Ground-Mount Solar

Challenge Preferred foundation systems for ground-mount solar projects are short driven or screw piles able to resist high lateral loads. The piles are typically designed by a design-build contractor based on multiple site-specific load tests. For bidding projects, designers need to know the soil type and potential for shallow obstructions, such as boulders and bedrock. … Read more

Block Island Wind Farm, Staging Facility

Challenge While staging offshore wind operations for Block Island Wind Farm, the developer was confronted with an aging port facility where the bearing capacity of the facility and condition of the quay was largely unknown. GZA was retained by Deepwater Wind and General Electric to conduct a geotechnical assessment of the facility where proposed staging … Read more

PFAS Litigation Support, Confidential Client

Challenge In a rural New England community, groundwater contaminated with per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was discovered in a community supply well located near a former industrial facility that historically handled PFAS-containing materials. PFAS contamination associated with this site was also found in soil, sediment, and surface water. The facility is now owned and operated by … Read more

Steel Craft Industries

Challenge To achieve regulatory closure at this former manufacturing site nestled within a residential section of Newark’s Ironbound District, GZA is remediating chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) in soil and groundwater and also addressing cost allocation issues for remediation of commingled off-Site groundwater plumes     Solution GZA designed and constructed of a full-scale soil … Read more

Encore Boston Harbor Resort and Casino

Challenge The 32-acre property on the Mystic River selected for the Encore Boston Harbor resort and casino had been impacted by historic chemical manufacturing use; much of the site was on salt marsh that had been filled with waste materials from operations at the site and/or nearby facilities. The buildings on the property were razed … Read more

Luther’s Reservoir Dam & Pumping Station Rehabilitation

Challenge The Luther’s Reservoir Dam and Pumping Station are critical to the water supply system for the City of Attleboro. When the dam was deemed to be in poor condition and the pumping station found to be in need of modernization, GZA was retained to provide comprehensive dam safety and water supply engineering services to … Read more

Former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP), Site Remediation

Challenge In 2010, when coal tar was detected in the harbor adjacent to a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site, GZA was retained to analyze the preliminary site investigation data previously collected. The redeveloped site now spans upland and in-water properties owned and operated by several different entities. GZA’s services expanded as client’s needs grew … Read more

Long Wharf Flood Protection Study and Living Shoreline Design

Challenge The Long Wharf area of New Haven, located within FEMA VE and AE high risk flood hazard zones, is highly vulnerable to coastal flooding. It has historically experienced severe flooding and flood damage from hurricanes and extreme weather events dating to the Hurricane of 1938 and more recently during Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. … Read more

Firmenich Fragrance Manufacturer, Ecological Restoration and Conservation Management

Challenge Firmenich retained GZA to complete a large-scale ecological restoration project on its active industrial property adjacent to Newark Bay, an area impacted by a long history of industrial use. The fragrance manufacturer was eager to re-establish a robust ecosystem supporting pollinators, migrating songbirds, raptors, small mammals and northern diamondback terrapins into the sterile waterfront. … Read more

PCB Abatement Program – Industrial Client

Challenge As this industrial manufacturing client wrestled with the discovery of PCBs in paint at active plants in multiple states, GZA was asked to develop a comprehensive abatement and remediation program that minimized disruption to ongoing plant activities and was protective of workers, the environment, and the neighbors. Spread across three states, the projects were … Read more

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey On-Call Asbestos and Lead Consulting Services

Challenge GZA provides identification, quantification and assessment of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP) at active, high-profile, high-traffic Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) facilities throughout the region, safely completing numerous projects simultaneously. Solution Experienced and licensed GZA field staff provide oversight, project control, inspection, monitoring, and air testing for safe … Read more

Bridge Point 78

Challenge Melick-Tully Associates (MTA), a division of GZA, is providing geotechnical engineering services at this long-vacant, 383-acre site being redeveloped into a four-million-square-foot warehouse complex in the booming Central New Jersey/Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania distribution corridor. The former industrial site presents numerous engineering challenges, including diverse subsurface conditions caused by geologic and historic use; differing land use and … Read more

Prologis Triport Warehouse Development

Challenge Prologis, a leader in logistics real estate development, turned to Melick-Tully, a Division of GZA, to provide the geotechnical engineering services needed to develop a large, strategically located property with very challenging soil conditions and complex project requirements. The project involved construction of a 540,000 square foot warehouse building and a new 1900-foot-long rail … Read more

Landing Road Affordable and Supportive Housing Brownfield Redevelopment

Challenge Bowery Residents’ Committee retained GZA to investigate and remediate environmental contamination of a steeply-sloped, vacant brownfield site redeveloped into a 13-story supportive housing development with subsurface parking. Historic uses at the site included manufactured gas plant-related structures and an engineering research facility. The project was enrolled in the NYC Office of Environmental Remediation (NYC … Read more

Threatened and Endangered Species Survey

Challenge A local conservation group, concerned about the fate of threatened and endangered (T&E) species potentially present on town-owned land slated for development, retained GZA to investigate the wetland-stream complex. Solution GZA ecologists inventoried the approximately 11-acre wetland-stream complex to identify which T&E species likely inhabit the area and conducted surveys for target T&E species … Read more

City of Northampton Climate Resiliency and Regeneration Plan

Challenge GZA was selected to advance the City of Northampton’s Climate Resiliency and Regeneration Plan by providing conceptual to final construction-ready design of green infrastructure solutions to improve flood control and stormwater management during extreme weather events. Solution GZA is collaborating with the City of Northampton’s Office of Planning & Sustainability and Department of Public … Read more

Cove Point LNG Terminal Expansion Contractor Services

Challenge GZA already had a trusted working relationship with owner/operator Dominion Transmission and Kiewit at this Maryland site when it was asked to be the Geotechnical Engineer of Record for the IHI/Kiewit Engineer/Procure/Construct (EPC) contract for the terminal’s expansion. The expansion included new buildings, walls, storage tanks, heavy equipment pads, and more. Solution GZA’s services … Read more

Borrego Solar Phase I Northern Long-Eared Bat Habitat Assessments

Challenge Many of Borrego’s planned solar developments require Phase I habitat assessments for the federally-listed Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB) and Indiana Bat because the potential projects involve tree clearing within the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s NLEB buffer zone. GZA’s Ecological Services group was retained to conduct numerous Phase I assessments and provide reports required … Read more

Towantic Switching Station and Transmission Line Upgrades

Challenge Under a very tight schedule, Eversource Energy sought to obtain permits for reconstruction of lines accommodating delivery of increased power to the new Towantic Generating Station. The power line corridor traverses a salt marsh, freshwater wetlands, an ash landfill, numerous residential properties, and Federal Aviation Administration airspace. The transmission line upgrades (structure replacements and … Read more

Marshfield Municipal Airport/George Harlow Field Runway Extension Permitting

Challenge The airport’s proposed runway extension required seven separate environmental permitting processes at the most stringent regulatory levels. GZA has served as the natural resource consultant for this coastal airport—which has rivers and wetlands at both ends of the runway and rare species associated with the immediately adjacent habitats—for many years. Solution The MEPA/NEPA process … Read more

Seaside State Park Master Plan Environmental Impact Evaluation

Challenge GZA was retained by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) to prepare an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for implementation of the Seaside State Park Master Plan. The 32-acre site, occupied by a long-abandoned, historically-significant former State Tuberculosis Hospital, had been declared surplus property in the late 1990s and incorporated into … Read more