(Gatlinburg, TN) EnviroScience, Inc. performed a biological assessment on discharge from the City of Gatlinburg’s wastewater treatment plant on the West Prong Little Pigeon River to provide supporting data for requirements in the facility’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The biological assessment consisted of a macroinvertebrate survey at a station upstream of the outfall and two downstream. Samples were collected in compliance with Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC) protocols and were scored on the Tennessee Macroinvertebrate Indices (TMI) to assess the community at that location.
In addition to the macroinvertebrate collection, EnviroScience also provided water quality measurements and habitat assessments, in accordance with TDEC protocols, at each of the three sites. The full suite of field assessments that EnviroScience conducted was meant to serve as a baseline assessment of effluent phosphorus reduction efforts that the City of Gatlinburg had implemented to comply with the permit. Results of the assessment determined that the variability in macroinvertebrate conditions between the three sites was consistent with sampling completed in previous years and should be considered to represent baseline conditions.
Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse background of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results. Our expertise includes but is not limited to: aquatic survey (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring); emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation.) Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.
