Water & Natural Resource Group

      "Solutions to water quality, quantity, permitting and planning issues." 

Gene was the Project Manager to evaluate and make recommendations on how to update the Colville Confederated Tribes’ current water quality standards.  The existing standards were evaluated against the EPA guidance, a number of other northwest Tribes’ standards, and the State of Washington’s current and proposed standards.  The Colville Confederated Tribes’ water quality protection program was also evaluated for omissions or weaknesses.  Recommendations in regard to changes to the existing code and programmatic approach were prepared and presented to the Tribe for consideration.  The Tribe requested their current standards be rewritten to reflect a number of the recommendations presented.  Project involved meetings with tribal representatives and investigating and documenting the differences and similarities with other standards, documenting findings, making recommendations based on findings, and presenting the conclusions to the client.

Project manager for a hydrologic investigation in shallow unconfined aquifer for determination of direction and velocity of Bunker C migration pathways in hummocky subsurface bedrock/silt in downtown Spokane.  Study utilized in potential litigation over impact to subject properties from migrating contaminants 400 to 800 feet from site.  Study involved determining flow direction, preferential flows in different bedrock channels and velocities of shallow groundwater throughout the site and at locations along property lines where contaminant may cross.  Project also consisted of participating in numerous public meetings to answer concerns of public to impact of downtown properties.