Horsley Witten Group

Climate-Ready Water Utilities, Morro Bay, CA National Estuaries Program (NEP) Collaborative Exercise

aspacek — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:28:40 +0000

HW expects to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in this exciting new project to conduct a study on climate impacts to water resources in California’s Morro Bay watershed. Morro Bay is a small estuary of 2,300 acres fed by the Chorro and Los Osos Creeks and is protected from the Pacific Ocean by a lengthy sand spit. HW intends to use EPA’s Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) and the U.S. Geological Survey’s SEAWAT model to assess potential changes in groundwater quality due to projected climate change (e.g., changes in groundwater recharge dynamics and/or changes in sea level rise resulting in saltwater intrusion) for the purpose of informing current and ongoing basin-wide management plans in the Los Osos groundwater basin.

To accomplish the goals of this pending project, HW will assist Morro Bay NEP and the Los Osos Water Purveyor Group to use CREAT to begin assessing their climate threats and potential adaptation measures. Through a series of webinars, the project participants will use CREAT as a team with the goal of examining the financial risk of purveyor asset losses resulting from climate change. Following the webinars, HW will assist EPA to assemble strategies for effectively addressing the risks in a form useful for the Basin Plan and Adaptive Management Plan. The project team will document the collaborative process utilized to provide meaningful inputs to CREAT as well as produce a final report documenting the process.

Project Contact: Tom Noble, tnoble@horsleywitten.com

Healthy Places by Design, Rhode Island

aspacek — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:26:16 +0000

HW is assisting two of the three Rhode Island pilot communities for the ground-breaking Healthy Places by Design project sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH). The City of Pawtucket, in partnership with the Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation (PCDC), and the Town of North Kingstown, in partnership with the local YMCA, were selected by HEALTH in a competitive grant process to participate in the program.

Healthy Places by Design (HPbD) seeks to strengthen local polices and ordinances related to land use, transportation, and urban design in order to guide the decision making process for the built environment. The goal is to create partnerships and policies that are more supportive of health, particularly as it relates to physical activity and healthy eating. To achieve this goal, the HPbD project has two main objectives: (1) incorporate changes to local policies and the public participation process that consider the effect of the built environment on health; and (2) build administrative and infrastructure capacity for healthier communities.

HW is assisting project partners in an intensive outreach campaign that includes on-the-ground “bikeability and walkability” assessments, and a five-day charrette. HW, in partnership with GrowSmart RI, is also providing technical training in planning for and improving food systems within each municipality.

This work is a continuation of our years of service in both communities over several years. In Pawtucket, HW helped to complete a circulation and zoning analysis of its downtown, and facilitated the ongoing KeepSpace community initiative with PCDC and Rhode Island Housing. In North Kingstown, HW crafted numerous regulatory reforms, including the State’s first Transfer of Development Rights program, village-based zoning, design standards, and low impact development techniques.

You can learn more about both projects and follow our progress at: www.horsleywitten.com/healthypawtucket and www.northkingstown.org/healthy-places-design.

Project Contact: Nate Kelly, AICP, NCI, nkelly@horsleywitten.com

South Sandwich Village – A Smart Growth Village on Cape Cod

aspacek — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:17:19 +0000

South Sandwich Village, located between Route 130, Cotuit, and Quaker Meeting House Roads, is being designed to be the premier smart growth village center on Cape Cod. The design integrates over one million square feet of mixed use offices, retail and residential uses to create a pedestrian-oriented and bicycle-friendly village setting. South Sandwich Village is located in an Economic Center, as designated by the Cape Cod Commission, and is consistent with the intentions of the Town of Sandwich Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

HW is providing planning, design, engineering and permitting services for the project that includes master planning, zoning amendments, MEPA Environmental Impact Reports, a Development Agreement with the Cape Cod Commission, and engineering for a wastewater treatment facility. Project progress and details can be viewed at: www.southsandwichvillage.com.

Project Contact: Scott Horsley, LEED AP, shorsley@horsleywitten.com

Workshops & Trainings

aspacek — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:49:13 +0000

Our staff are not just experts in their fields, they are educators, able to translate complex, technical information into understandable concepts for decision makers, professionals, and the general public. The following is a list of the of all upcoming workshops and trainings HW staff are leading in the following areas of expertise: (Insert Buttons for each of the following areas:) Emergency Response Stormwater/ LID Operator Training Please contact our office for more information about any of these trainings at (508) 833-6600.

Profile

aspacek — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:43:09 +0000

HW is a full-service environmental science and engineering firm with offices located in Sandwich and Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. Incorporated in 1988, our staff consists of 40 professionals, including engineers, scientists, planners, environmental analysts, licensed site professionals, surveyors, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) and supporting personnel. We utilize an interdisciplinary approach to our work combining engineering and science with land use planning, economics, and public policy to create innovative solutions to environmental problems. Philosophy We believe a good environmental services firm is one that consistently produces quality work, understands their clients’ objectives, and knows how to develop cost effective solutions to meet both regulatory requirements and environmental standards of sustainability. HW applies a corporate philosophy that starts with the type of services we provide, extends to how we select our clients and continues through to how we undertake our projects. We believe it is our job to protect our natural resources while exceeding our clients’ expectations for quality professional services. As we move forward, we will strive to work with our employees, our clients and our partners to minimize our footprint on the earth while we maintain a truly sustainable future. We invite our clients and partners to explore with HW the direct and cumulative benefits of environmental sustainability.

Services

aspacek — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:37:30 +0000

HW provides innovative environmental planning, engineering, science, and training services for private and public clients by successfully integrating the interdisciplinary skills of our staff.

Rhode Island DEM awards $200,000 to the next phase of Sawmill Pond Restoration

aspacek — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:46:33 +0000

(December 2010) HW assisted the Town of North Kingstown with securing $200,000 in grant funding from RI DEM. Funding will be used to construct three stormwater treatment systems designed by HW, and implement 10 demonstration rain gardens. This is part of a watershed-based outreach and education program. Visit RI DEM’s website for more information about this grant program and other recipients.

Precedent-setting Rhode Island Stormwater Manual published on January 1, 2011

aspacek — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:43:29 +0000

(Sandwich, MA – January 2011) – Rhode Island rang in the New Year with the publication of arguably the most progressive stormwater design manual in New England. Effective January 1, 2011, the Manual mandates a proactive and integrated approach to managing stormwater and protecting water quality, through eleven minimum standards. These changes will radically affect how new and redevelopment projects are designed. Cape Cod-based environmental consulting firm, Horsley Witten Group, has been leading a team since 2008 to assist the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) develop new standards and coordinate an extensive public review and comment process. The update is the result of a 2007 legislative mandate “Smart Development for a Cleaner Bay Act,” which required the DEM and the CRMC to amend the 1993 Stormwater Manual to require the use of low impact development (LID) techniques as the primary method of stormwater management. “For the first time, the Manual mandates the use of LID strategies for stormwater management in site planning and design for development projects in Rhode Island, and provides enhanced stormwater practice design criteria,” explains Rich Claytor, P.E., Principal Engineer at Horsley Witten Group and for the Project. “The new criteria limits acceptable water quality stormwater practices to only those with a proven track record of successfully removing high levels of sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, and bacteria.” Of greatest significance is that the Manual establishes LID as the “industry standard” for stormwater management, representing a paradigm shift for development in Rhode Island, and setting a precedent in New England. While some New England communities are already embracing LID as a more sustainable approach to development by integrating runoff reduction and groundwater recharge through smarter site planning and design techniques, this is the first time in the region that regulators at the state level have moved from encouraging LID to requiring it. HW has also developed a companion Community LID Site Planning and Design Guidance Manual targeted at local Rhode Island municipalities. This local LID guidebook is designed to help communities revise applicable ordinances and/ or adopt new regulations to facilitate the implementation of LID at the local level. Upcoming LID Stormwater Trainings Beginning on January 13th, HW is conducting a series of trainings with the DEM and CRMC and in conjunction with the University of Rhode Island to acquaint users with the revised manual. These trainings are targeted at Rhode Island designers and developers, including engineers, scientists, planners, builders, and contractors, and will range in focus from a general overview of the manual to more specific design and construction issues such as sizing calculations and material specifications. Further information about the various training sessions is available at http://www.ristormwatersolutions.org/SW_wevents.html. For information about upcoming stormwater trainings or other information regarding the revised Stormwater Manual, please contact Michelle West, P.E. at Horsley Witten Group, Inc. at (508) 833-6600 or mwest@horsleywitten.com. The revised Manual becomes effective on January 1, 2011 and will be applied to permit applications received on or after that date. An extension to the deadline for compliance with the updated manual – to June 30, 2011 – is provided for certain projects that are already in the planning or design process, including projects currently before local planning boards and several DOT road and bridge projects. The DEM point of contact for questions about the trainings is Eric Beck who may be reached at 401-222-4700 ext. 7202 or eric.beck@dem.ri.gov. Questions can also be directed to James Boyd, Coastal Policy Analyst at CRMC, by calling (401) 783-3370 or emailing jboyd@crmc.ri.gov.

Ecological Restoration of Ten Mile River

hwinfo — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:55:53 +0000

The Attleboro Redevelopment Authority (ARA) received funding from a supplemental environmental program (SEP) fine for a river bank restoration project on the Ten Mile River as part of their downtown urban renewal plan. HW has been contracted by the ARA to design the stabilization and restoration of approximately 1,800 linear feet of eroding river bank and adjacent upland areas choked with invasive Japanese knotweed. The project encompasses an area between a new street, the Wall Street/Olive Street Connector Road, and the Ten Mile River – this area is currently home to the city’s highway yard, soon to be relocated. Based on the flow characteristics of this stretch of river, only “soft” bank stabilization measures are necessary. These include more natural designs such as using native vegetation, logs, and fiber rolls to protect the bank, instead of armoring with riprap or retaining walls. Japanese knotweed will be removed and replaced with native communities of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. The project also includes the design of a transit-related multi-use pathway, connector bridge, and associated landscaping and park features such as benches, fences, and signage that will provide much-needed public access to the river and nearby transit station. HW has prepared a planning level concept for the proposed river restoration to approximately the 10% design level. This concept plan that was presented to the public focused on the three main aspects of the project: the proposed limits of bank stabilization measures, areas for invasive species management and riverfront area restoration, and a transit-related multi-use path layout. NEXT STEPS: Now that stakeholders have weighed in on the project and provided feedback, HW is in the process of advancing the concept plan to a 75% design level. Plans at this level include sufficient detail needed to secure the necessary local, State, and Federal permits. Once all required approvals are in place, we will move into the construction phase for a portion of the design that will serve as an early demonstration project. The remainder of the project will be constructed upon further funding. Visit http://www.horsleywitten.com/ten-mile-river.html for project updates and to view the concept plan. For more project details, contact Michelle West, Project Manager.

Barstow Village Affordable Senior Rental Housing

hwinfo — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:46:34 +0000

Barstow Village is an affordable housing rental development for seniors consisting of a 66 unit housing development incorporating Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) design techniques and standards. It is being developed by EA. Fish Associates and the Archdiocese of Boston’s Planning Office for Urban Affairs, with funding support from MassHousing, on a 6.6-acre site on Legion Drive in Hanover, Massachusetts. The 66 units include 64 one-bedroom apartments and 2 two-bedroom apartment. The Horsley Witten Group, Inc. (HW) is assisting EA Fish with the completion of the civil/site design and permitting aspects of the project. HW completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, designed a 9,900 gallon per day pressure dosed onsite subsurface disposal system, designed conceptual plans for review by local boards, and performed all aspects of the civil/site design. HW also provided all planning, site assessment, and engineering, including: project schematic designs and layout; construction-level engineering design for all utilities, drainage design, LID stormwater management, wastewater management, erosion and sediment control, landscaping, and site grading. HW is providing all permitting services, including support services at public hearings before the Town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Health. HW will also review construction bids and provide construction management services, as well as assistance with the civil/site LEED aspects of the Project.