Environmental Services in Our Tennessee Office
EnviroScience proudly highlights our Nashville, Tennessee office and three of its many areas of expertise. Since opening in 2012, the office has continued to grow; we are always looking to add key personnel to enhance and increase our capabilities and capacity. Rooted in our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety, every EnviroScience office strives to provide high-quality, region-specific natural resource and environmental services. Our Tennessee office is no exception, offering top-notch expertise in services that include wetland delineation, hydrologic determination, threatened and endangered aquatic species surveys, and emergency response.
With over 30 years of experience managing complex projects, EnviroScience experts have a rich understanding and familiarity with environmental laws and regulations, as well as an outstanding reputation with these regulatory agencies. Because most of our employees have over ten years of experience in their respective fields, our team’s collective knowledge and diverse backgrounds—paired with state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technologies—afford our clients innovative, cost-conscious solutions. We always put our clients’ needs first and only use necessary resources, allowing us to reliably complete projects on time and within or below budget.
Abiding by the same credo, our Tennessee office holds its assets and values to the same standard, carefully selecting highly specialized and capable employees when staffing and consistently delivering first-rate services. These practices are evidenced by the master service agreements we hold with clients in the transportation, energy, and manufacturing industries, as well as municipal, state, and federal agencies.
TENNESSEE EXPERTISE: HYDROLOGIC DETERMINATION
Rivers and streams are abundant in the beautiful state of Tennessee; in fact, they traverse approximately 17,000 miles of the state. Most residential, commercial, and industrial site development projects inevitably encounter some form of watercourse due to their prevalence in the state.
To further protect these “waters of the state” under the Clean Water Act, Tennessee enacted laws to enhance the protection of these natural resources in 2009. Projects that involve or are nearby a watercourse may require a hydrologic determination. A state-qualified professional performs this scientific assessment to investigate, observe, and analyze several scientific variables to determine whether a watercourse carries flow for extended periods or only in direct response to precipitation.
EnviroScience conducts hydrologic determinations following the guidelines published by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Water Resources. These guidelines supplement the standard operating procedures established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for making stream and wet weather conveyance determinations under the Clean Water Act. Following these guidelines, hydrologic determinations consider biologic, hydrologic, geologic, geomorphologic, precipitation, and other scientifically based principles.
Hydrologic determinations by EnviroScience hydrologic professionals include reviewing current local precipitation patterns and longer-term seasonal precipitation trends; field evaluations; investigating historical land-use, regional geology, and soil types; observing varying seasonal ecological indicators such as in-stream flow; determining variability along watercourse lengths; multi-point channel inspections; identifying physiographic variances due primarily to climate and underlying geology, soils, and reliefs; and GPS coordination. The culminating findings allow our biologists to determine if watercourses carry flow for extended periods or only in direct response to precipitation. This information helps clients make informed decisions about applying for Aquatic Resources Alteration Permits (ARAP) or establishing avoidance measures when developing a site.
TENNESSEE EXPERTISE: SALAMANDERS
Tennessee is a salamander biodiversity hotspot—home to over 50 species! In fact, around 10% of salamander species globally occur in the southern Appalachians.
Because they tend to thrive in moist forested areas, the presence or absence of salamanders can be used to help gauge habitat health and quality. Their absence in favorable environments can indicate poor water quality and stream health due to sedimentation, pollution, or unintentional habitat disruption.
Some government projects, as well as projects on land that falls under state or federal jurisdiction, require amphibian surveys to determine presence or absence—especially where a species is threatened or endangered. In Tennessee, EnviroScience herpetologists are closely monitoring the state-endangered Streamside salamander (Ambystoma barbouri) and its habitat, as protections are required under state law. Similarly, the unusually large river and stream-dwelling Hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is listed as an endangered species in Tennessee.
For nearly a decade, EnviroScience biologists in our Tennessee office have been providing amphibian surveys and habitat and impact assessments for wildlife of all kinds, including salamanders. Additionally, our restoration services crew has extensive experience restoring, improving, and naturalizing wetlands and streams. Before your next build or during a hiccup mid-build, protect your efforts by entrusting EnviroScience to assess and restore your construction site for salamanders.
TENNESSEE EXPERTISE: WETLAND DELINEATION
Proposed development projects in Tennessee and surrounding states that involve streams or wetlands may be subject to permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Food Security Act. Permits are regulated by federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as state and local agencies such as the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and local water conservation districts.
EnviroScience biologists perform thousands of wetland assessments and delineations on projects ranging from less than one acre to over 6,000 acres. Our wetland scientists complete an average of 30 permit applications for wetland and stream impacts each year, including USACE nationwide permits; individual USACE 404 permits; Aquatic Resources Alteration Permit (ARAP); individual EPA 401 water quality certifications; state joint permits; state general permits; and isolated wetland permits for various clients in surrounding states. In-depth knowledge of the permitting process allows our scientists to tailor applications in a manner that often expedites the approval process. For projects that do not require permits or when impacts occur under a non-notification permit, EnviroScience employs a highly refined documentation process to clearly outline project details and support project compliance with state and federal regulations.
Before breaking ground on your next project, protect your efforts and the environment by entrusting EnviroScience to help safeguard your plans under applicable requirements and regulations. The biologists at our Tennessee office provide an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving you time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results. Click here to learn more today!
Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds 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 client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today, as our scientists explore the latest in environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.
EnviroScience 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.