Environmental Mistakes are Costly

1. A Suggested Method for Setting the Conditions for a Successful Construction Project with Effective Environmental Team Communications(Achieving less environmental drama on your construction project – the ECIP meeting)David Larson, P.E. WisDOT-NWR

2. Environmental Mistakes are Costly • Loss of habitat that may not be recovered. • Restoration costs. • Lost time and resources drawn away from other issues. • Loss of staff time from many sections in the departments over an extended period of time. • Loss of management time from other issues. • Attraction of management time to your issues. • Loss of agency trust. Bird dogging.

3. HELP!!! How does a project leader have time to communicate when they are trying to run a project with soils, asphalt pavements, concrete pavements, structures, signing, electrical, landscaping, beam guard, payroll, labor compliance, IDR’s, materials testing, and other issues and then a rain storm washes the grade out into a wetland that feeds a trout stream with endangered snails in it that feeds into a high quality fishery during the peak of spawning season?

4. Effective Project Communications Involve • Project Players • DOT (PDS, Soils, Environmental, Utilities, etc.) • DNR (Area Liaison) • USACE (County Contact) • The Public • Elected Officials • Property Owners • Special Interest Groups (Lake Associations, Env. Groups, Etc.) • Unknown others….

5. Identify environmental risk factors early when the Project Leader gets the plan • Evaluate the overall environmental risk of your project first thing when you get it. • Work to mitigate your projects risk by approaching the risks proactively. • For high risk projects consider scheduling a Pre-ECIP submittal meeting with at a minimum present: • Onsite project leader / project manager • SWEC Engineer • DNR Liaison • Onsite contractor superintendent • Grading contractor foreman • Landscaping contractor foreman • Schedule the Pre-ECIP meeting as soon as possible after award of the project.

6. Identify and Assess Environmental Risk Factors (Engineering Judgment) • Soil Types • Receiving Waters • Drainage Pattern • USACE Permit, DNR Letters, Environmental Commitments • Slopes • Staging • Time of Year for Earth Disturbing Activities • Winter Close Out (erosion control for spring run off) • High Value Adjacent Resources • Political Notoriety (Brule River, Kinnickinnic River, etc.) • Pre-ECIP Meeting Warranted???

7. Which type of ECIP review process to have?(Consult with SWEC Engineer) • Programmatic review • Abridged review • Pre ECIP meeting

8. Which type of ECIP review process to have?(Consult with SWEC Engineer) • PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW (phone/photo log review) • Mill and overlays with some beam guard end treatment replacements. Very minor, upland land disturbing activities. • Players are familiar and comfortable with project. • Very brief (if any) field review.

9. Which type of ECIP review process to have?(Consult with SWEC Engineer) • ABRIDGED REVIEW (around the precon) • Minor earth work, curb and gutter, resource crossings, a few straight-forward select sites, minor staging. • Fairly comprehensive ECIP may be developed without much extra input from players. • Field reviews just before or after the precon.

10. Which type of ECIP review process to have?(Consult with SWEC Engineer) • Pre-ECIP MEETING (as soon after award as possible) • Complex project, multiple stages, multiple resource crossings, high risk to resources if systems fail, multiple complex select sites. • Many players input required to develop comprehensive ECIP. • Field reviews scheduled prior to the ECIP submittal.

11. The Pre-ECIP Meeting • Have a loose agenda in your mind. Try not to shape the conversation too much. Foster an open communication environment from the start. • All players must be present : Project Leader, SWEC Engineer, Project Manager, DNR Liaison, Contractor (s), Consultant (s); and if appropriate USACE, County Representative, Local Municipal Representative, Tribal Representative, and others with an interest? • May need to schedule an entire day (less travel) to walk through the entire project and gather concerns prior to the contractors first submittal of an ECIP for the project as soon after award as possible. • Bring a hard copy of the PAL, Plans, Specifications, and environmental commitment letter.

12. The Pre-ECIP Meeting • Use a vehicle that all of the players can ride in together. • PL, SWECE, DNR Liaison, Superintendent ride together. • Review any/all areas identified by any one in the group as a potential environmental risk in as much detail as required. • Review any/all potential waste and borrow sites that the contractor may submit. • Contractors representative is in charge of developing the ECIP and taking the notes at the meeting. Talk slowly and give them time.

13. The Pre-ECIP Meeting • Make sure that all of the environmental concerns are documented in the notes; these will become the ECIP. • Ask lots of questions that seem obvious to you. • Assume that no one in the group has seen the project or thought about it before, because they have not! • Go through the plan set carefully and thoroughly. • Look at locations that may require additional protection during large rain events and fully discuss the ramifications with the entire group so that expected actions can be anticipated and discussed.

14. The Pre-ECIP Meeting • The contractor should be able to generate a full and complete ECIP with the notes that are taken on the review day. This will save you time and money in the future. • Have lunch together if possible; work to foster a team atmosphere this will aid you when issues come up later. • Avoid standing face to face, stand together as a group shoulder to shoulder and look at the potential issue together as you talk it through. • After the ECIP is received on complex projects, review it in the field with at least the SWECE, PL, and DNR Liaison.

18. Pre-ECIP Experiences • Regions experience / observations • DNR reactions • PDS requests are up • Local program requests are up • Contractor requests are up

19. QUESTIONS??