Environmental Permitting & Monitoring

Environmental permitting for water supply entities.

LWS personnel have assisted numerous water supply entities with federal permitting under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, acting as the Project Liaison between the lead permitting agency and the project proponent. This work has included coordinating environmental aspects, and providing acceptable solutions, in the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Permitting expertise includes: 1) State water rights and storage permits; 2) Bureau of Land Management right-of-way permits; 3) U.S. Forest Service Special Use permits; 4) Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permits; 5) Class I, II, and III cultural resource clearances; and 6) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permits

Pandora Mill

Environmental water quality can affect all water resources.

Environmental water quality issues can result from natural and/or anthropogenic sources and can affect both surface water and ground water resources. For environmental issues related to impacts to water resources, LWS can develop plans to identify the location and quantify the extent of contaminants, as needed for determining fate and transport. Developing water quality monitoring data is vital to evaluate impacts to surface and ground water supplies and to develop the methods to mitigate impacts. LWS can then use data collected from the identification of the depth and breadth of the issue(s) to assess remediation strategies. LWS' 3-dimensional visualizations of the data help to better understand complex water quality issues in heterogeneous ground water systems.

Mr. O'Grady, of the LWS team, has decades of experience in providing consulting services related to environmental permitting water supply dams, reservoirs, and diversion structures, including:

  • Mr. O’Grady acted as the Project Liaison for all federal and Section 404 permitting for the new 16,000 acre-feet ($100M) dam and reservoir Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD). The new dam was eventually located off-channel in Newlin Gulch, a tributary of Cherry Creek located southeast of the Denver Tech Center in Douglas County, Colorado. Once construction was initiated, the communities of Castle Rock, Castle Pines North and Stonegate approached the PWSD about expanding the reservoir. Mr. O’Grady then assisted the PWSD with the preparation of a Supplemental EIS (SEIS) for the expansion to 72,000 AF. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval was received in April, 2008 and construction for the expanded reservoir was completed in 2011; filling of the reservoir began in 2012. The earthen embankment dam is 196 feet tall and 7,675 long.

  • Mr. O’Grady acted as the Project Liaison for all federal and Section 404 permitting for a new 23,000 acre-feet ($33M) dam and reservoir for the Wyoming Water Development Commission (WWDC). The State of Wyoming contracted with Mr. O’Grady’s firm in 1998 to assist them in finalization of NEPA documentation (EIS) and the acquisition of a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After nearly 20 years and in excess of $5M the State of Wyoming finally received federal authorization (Section 404 permit) in the Spring of 2001, construction was initiated in that Fall and completed in 2004.

  • The purpose of the Greybull Valley Reservoir project was to provide additional irrigation water to the Greybull Valley Irrigation District. The project involved the development of basin hydrology, reservoir yield, and preliminary designs for a new 33,000 acre-foot ($30M) off-channel reservoir along the Greybull River. Mr. O’Grady acted as the Project Liaison for the Greybull Valley Irrigation District for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 permitting purposes and BLM Right-of-Way permits, and coordinat­ed the EIS preparation between the state and federal agencies and the EIS contractor.

  • Since the early 1970s, the City of Buffalo, Wyoming has been engaged in investigating a supplemental supply of water for municipal purposes from the Clear Creek basin, west of Buffalo. The project involved development of preliminary designs for a roller-compacted concrete dam, outlet works, and spillway. Hydropower analyses were also conducted and project financ­ing plans developed. Mr. O’Grady was the Project Liaison between the City, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Forest Service, State of Wyoming, and EPA through the development of the EIS and final permitting approvals for the project. Section 404 permits were obtained along with USFS Special Use permits. This was the first roller-compacted concrete dam built in the State of Wyoming.

  • Kemmerer Reservoir is a 1,000-acre-foot municipal supply reservoir for the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. Built around 1911, the structure was called unsafe in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam safety inspection. The principal problems cited by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were: The spillway was undersized to carry the probable maximum flood, and the embankment had too-steep slopes.

    The primary role of Mr. O’Grady for this project was obtaining of all permits required to construct, including the 404 Dredge and Fill Permit. Obtaining the 404 Permit was a 10-month process. Because of the dam's age, a historical evaluation was required to ascer­tain whether the structure was of historic consequence. Also, Kemmerer Reservoir is utilized by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for raising brood stock. Draining the reservoir during reconstruction would kill the brood population fishery. Mr. O’Grady provided all coordination among state and federal agencies, with the outcome being the acquisition of the 404 permit.

  • The Cabresto Dam was found unsafe by the New Mexico office of the State Engineer and required major repairs to the dam spillway and outlet works. Mr. O’Grady assisted the dam owners with the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Special Use permit application to the Carson National Forest. He also assisted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permit application and process.

  • This project consisted of the evaluation of the overall hydrologic and structural adequacy of two dams located approximately 26 miles west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) series hydrographs were developed for each dam and associated incremental damages calculated for several PMF series floods. Conceptual designs were then developed to address dam safety deficiencies. Final designs were developed and construction was ini­tiated in the summer of 1993. Mr. O’Grady coordinated all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permitting for the project, the 404(b)(1) showing document, and wetlands mitigation, and monitoring plan.

  • This project involved the design and construction of six diversion dams across the Little Snake River. The project was successfully permitted through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the dams are currently being used for diversion irrigation flows into four different canal systems. The project was designed and bid, and the construction management was completed.

 Contact us to learn more about our expertise as Environmental Permitting and Monitoring Consultants