Geo-Environmental Section

1. Geo-Environmental Section Environmental Permits General Inspectors Certification Training 2007 - 2008

2. 1 2 Geo-Environmental Section overview Environmental permits 3 Key environmental contacts Presentation plan

3. Geo-Environmental Section 4 Units • Natural Resources • Environmental Planning • Engineering and Asset Management • Program Support

4. One of our responsibilities • Coordinate environmental regulatory compliance for all transportation programs in the state ~ 160 Federal environmental laws ~ ?? State and local environmental laws

5. Permit requirements Permit Application Permit Terms & Conditions Contract Special Provisions Advertise/Bid/Let Pre-construction Meeting Construction Mitigation & Monitoring

6. Environmental permits • Biology • Fish • Birds • Invertebrates • Plants • Erosion control • Wetlands and waterways • Stormwater

7. Biology compliance in general 3 primary laws • Endangered Species Act (ESA) [State and Federal] • Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) [Federal] • Fish Passage Law [State]

8. Endangered Species Act It is illegal to “take” ESA species Take = harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect

9. Anadromous salt fresh ESA fish NMFS: Chum salmon Coho salmon Steelhead Sockeye salmon Chinook salmon USFWS: Bull trout Lahontan cutthroat trout Chub (spp.) Sucker (spp.) Bosket spring speckled dace freshwater

10. Fish & in-water work period To minimize environmental impacts, work during low flow

11. Fish & silt containment

12. Fish & silt containment silt fence breach fixed

13. Fish & work area isolation

14. Pumping and fish screening

15. Fish & over-water containment

16. Fish & pile driving Problem: Noise amplification in water One Solution: Bubble curtain

17. Fish & pollution control

18. Fish & ESA non-compliance Stranded Call the REC

19. ESA fish incidents Report to the REC: • Sick, injured, or dead state or federally protected fish • Activities causing injury or death of state or federally protected fish • Permit violations REC = Regional Environmental Coordinator

20. ESA wildlife Mammals excluding whales Gray wolf Canada lynx Gray fox Wolverine Kit fox Washington ground squirrel Columbian white-tailed deer (lower Columbia River) Sea Otter Steller sea lion USFWS NMFS

21. ESA wildlife Birds Short-tailed albatross Brown pelican Aleutian Canada goose Bald eagle Peregrine falcon Western snowy plover California least tern Marbled murrelet Northern spotted owl

22. ESA wildlife incidents Report to the REC: • Sick, injured, or dead ESA mammals or birds • Activities causing harassment, injury or death of ESA mammals or birds • Permit violations

23. ESA wildlife permit violations Examples: • Habitat loss (unpermitted) • Nest destruction • Noise levels • Daily/seasonal time of activities • Location of activities

24. Migratory Bird Treaty Act • It is illegal to “take” MBTA species Take = harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect • It is legal to disturb/remove habitat • There is no incidental take permit X Incidental = unpredictable

25. MBTA violations OK no birds - OK

26. MBTA birds • Every Oregon species except • European starling • House sparrow • Rock dove (feral pigeon) • Mute swan • Farm birds • Captive-reared game birds • Captive-reared waterfowl

27. MBTA Highway Directive • Avoid clearing live or dead vegetation containing active nests of migratory birds. • Avoid felling trees or snags containing active nests of migratory birds. • Avoid destroying active nests or injuring birds protected during bridge demolition or repair.

28. MBTA Highway Directive • Avoid clearing live or dead vegetation containing active nests of migratory birds. Female robin and four chicks winter

29. MBTA Highway Directive • Avoid destroying active nests or injuring birds protected during bridge demolition or repair. Bridge net

30. MBTA incidents Report to the REC: • Sick, injured, or dead migratory birds of any age (including eggs) • Activities causing injury or death of migratory birds • Disturbance of active nests (i.e., containing eggs)

31. Fish Passage State Statute ORS 509.585 & OAR 635-412-0005

32. Fish Passage State Statute • Owners & operators of culverts must address fish passage when “trigger events” occur • “Trigger events” include • Major replacement • Installation • Activities that extend the life of culverts (e.g., new floors, aprons, wing walls, slip lining) • Abandonment of artificial obstruction

33. Fish Passage State Statute • For any trigger event, the owner must comply with state fish passage criteria • Options: • Comply • Seek waiver (with FP mitigation) • Seek an exemption (no net benefit to native migratory fish species)

34. Fish passage problems?

35. What problem?

36. Fish passage incidents Report to the REC: • Obvious fish passage problems • perched culvert outlets • smooth bottom culverts with • high water velocity • shallow sheet flow during low water periods

37. Erosion & sediment control • Goals • Prevent soil erosion • Prevent sediment from moving off site

38. Erosion & sediment control requirements • The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) • 2 major types of Permits • 1200-C: Construction (contractor) • 1200-CA: Construction (public) agency • Water quality • related requirements of other laws, permits, agencies, & agreements

39. Project inspection objectives • EC contract documents are adequate & comply with Section 280 of standard specs • Contractor fulfills NPDES Permit and contract requirements • Continuously monitor project sites and fix problems quickly • Work with contractor to ensure that potential for polluting waterways is kept to an absolute minimum

40. Wetland and waterway permits • 3 Primary regulated features • Wetlands • Streams and Rivers • Ditches

41. Wetland Ditches River or Stream OHW* Wetlands and waterways

42. No Work Zones (NWZ) • Special provisions • No equipment • No driving • No disturbance • Prevent sediment discharge into NWZ NWZ Wetland Ditches River or Stream NWZ

43. Waterways – Check list • Know where these 3 waterway features occur at project site (if at all) • Carefully review contract plans and special provisions for wetland and waterways issues • No Work Zones should be clearly identified/marked in the field • Any question about these issues—contact the REC

44. Stormwater Management • Non-point pollution • Surface water quality

45. Stormwater Management Check dam to trap sanding material

46. Stormwater Management Water quality swale

47. Stormwater Management Outfall protection onto a vegetated slope

48. Stormwater Management Wet detention pond

49. Stormwater Management Absorbent material following a chemical spill

50. ID the Environmental Problem Wetland