ACEC of Vermont is excited to offer four technical presentations as part of our Annual Environmental Protection Technical Workshop! This year the Workshop will take place virtually on November 12 from 12 noon – 3:00 PM and November 19th from 12 noon to 2:15 PM as further described in the Technical Workshop Agenda below.
The Workshop will be comprised of four diverse presentations including: a panel discussion on the compliance, construction management, and public participation for the complex Middlebury Bridge and Rail Project; a case study on developing an exit strategy for contaminated sites; regulatory challenges associated with design and permitting bridge projects spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont; and designing and permitting the first dam removal project to obtain ACT 250 approval in Vermont. Presentations will be provided by VHB, Sanborn, Head and Associates, McFarland-Johnson, and Milone & MacBroom.
As an ACEC National recognized Regional Continuing Education Provider (RCEP), ACEC of Vermont will be providing workshop attendees with 4.5 approved Vermont professional development hours (PDHs) for the workshop.
Meeting content information can be found by clicking the link above. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information and event/sponsorship registration please click the link above.
We look forward to seeing you on November 12 and 19.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOP AGENDA
Day 1: November 12
OPENING REMARKS AND SPONSOR RECOGNITION: 12:00 – 12:10 PM
Brendan Cosgrove, Executive Director for ACEC of Vermont
Webinar #1: 12:10 – 1:50 PM
Course Title: The Middlebury Bridge & Rail Project
Purpose and Objective:
The Middlebury Bridge & Rail Project is currently the largest and most important transportation improvement project being undertaken by VTrans. The replacement of two deteriorated rail bridges, located in the center of historic downtown Middlebury, demanded innovative engineering design as well as rigorous environmental and cultural resource identification, assessment, permitting, and mitigation. The project is approaching the completion of the most significant phase of construction, allowing an opportunity to reflect on the progress made and lessons learned from three standpoints: 1) initial project planning and permitting (including the NEPA compliance process); 2) the planning for and executing a complex four-year construction project; and 3) public engagement and mitigating construction-related impacts.
This three-part presentation will take the form of a panel discussion, moderated by Brad Ketterling, Director of Environmental Services for VHB. Panel participants include:
- Project Planning and Permitting: Meg Lout, CWB, VTrans Biologist and Jeff Nelson, CPESC, CPSWQ, VHB Energy/Environmental Market Leader
- Construction Planning and Execution:Jon Griffin, VTrans Project Manager; Aaron Guyette, PE, DBIA, VHB Project Manager; Zack Clark, VHB Environmental Scientist; and a representative from Kubricky Construction Corporation.
- Public Outreach and Coordination:Jim Gish, Public Engagement Liaison, Town of Middlebury
Webinar #2: 1:55 – 2:55 PM
Course Title: Evaluating Closure Strategies and the Role of Optimization
Purpose and Objective:
Many release sites have been identified and have been actively managed since the 1980s and 1990s. Regulatory approaches in New England have not focused on risk-based processes but instead have required all release sites to meet similar protective standards regardless of the potential for exposure to the contaminants at these sites. Further, scientific and technological advances have been significant during this time period changing our understanding and approach to cleaning up release sites and changing the understanding that many regulatory programs were designed to address. As release sites continue to age and mature especially in New England, there is a growing need to re-evaluate our approach to addressing remaining contamination and focusing on how to achieve closure even in regulatory programs that do not have risk-based outcomes. Monitoring program and remediation optimization can be an important part of this re-evaluation coupled with multiple lines of evidence approaches to demonstrate beneficial changes to monitoring programs and site remedies often reducing overall cost for response actions and advancing the sites towards closure. This presentation will evaluate strategies to achieve site closure or at least higher future cost certainty in the current environment and the role that optimization can play in achieving better outcomes. The presentation will also highlight several case studies where optimization was effectively used to terminate active remediation or optimize the system with clear end points in regulatory programs that have historically shied away from such solutions.
Presenter: Russel Abel, PG, LSP, Sanborn, Head and Associates, Inc.
CLOSING REMARKS: 2:55 – 3:00 PM
Brian Beaudoin, P.E.
Day 2: November 19
OPENING REMARKS AND SPONSOR RECOGNITION: 12:00 – 12:05 PM
Brendan Cosgrove, Executive Director for ACEC of Vermont
Webinar #3: 12:05 –1:05 AM
Course Title: Regulatory Challenges for Connecticut River Bridge Projects Between New Hampshire and Vermont
Purpose and Objective:
There are more than 30 roadway and rail crossings of the Connecticut River between Vermont and New Hampshire. Transportation projects that address these crossings often require a number of NH, VT, and federal permits, and having a clear understanding of the jurisdiction for each permit is a critical first step in resolving sometimes disparate requirements. Christine Perron, an environmental scientist with McFarland-Johnson, Inc., will summarize the regulatory challenges associated with design and permitting for projects addressing two Connecticut River bridges: Interstate 89 between Lebanon, NH and Hartford, VT and NH Route 119 between Hinsdale, NH and Brattleboro, VT. A key issue for the Lebanon-Hartford project was mitigation for a slight rise in base flood elevation, which required balancing local, state, and federal regulatory concerns regarding impacts to the river, its floodway, and water quality. Christine will provide an overview of how the project evolved to address these concerns. Other permitting considerations will be discussed, including Section 404 permits, state wetland permits, rare species, and stormwater.
Presenter: Christine Perron, McFarland-Johnson, Inc.
Webinar #4: 1:10 – 2:10 PM
Course Title: Camp Wihakowi Dam Removal Project
Purpose and Objective:
A 100-year old unused 13-foot-tall dam was removed from Bull Run, a tributary of the Dog River, in Northfield, Vermont in 2020. In addition to removing the safety risks associated with a failing dam, the project restored the natural ecosystems and supported the movement of aquatic species by freeing the water and removing sediment trapped behind the dam for nearly 100 years. Milone & MacBroom provided engineering services to The Friends of the Winooski River. This project is the first dam removal to obtain an Act250 permit in Vermont along with other permits typically required for dam and river construction projects. The dam was originally used for recreation at the former Camp Wihakowi, but has over time filled with sediment and islands covered with knotweed. The owners of the now Woods Lodge have sustained property damages from flooding and limited use of the area. Geomorphic and hydraulic analysis aided in removal and restoration designs to return the river and floodplain to historic conditions under the 4-acre impoundment area. The healthy local brook trout fishery has been reconnected to an additional 26-mile river area. The presentation will include details on the design analysis, unique permitting aspects, invasive species handling, construction water control, and time lapse views of construction.
Presenters: Jessica Louisos, P.E., Milone & MacBroom
CLOSING REMARKS: 2:10 – 2:15 PM
Brian Beaudoin, P.E.
