Pennsylvania Soil & Rock, Inc.

PSR's expertise and services

Regulatory Drivers

At national, state and local levels, there are regulatory requirements that address wetlands. We help our clients work with the agencies and governing groups that administer these programs, and we offer expertise and experience with:

Clean Water Act
River and Harbors Act
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE)
state wetland regulations
local wetland regulations

Permitting

We have proven experience in wetland permitting programs. Wetland permitting is best accomplished by utilizing a phased approach:

preliminary assessment of the site to locate potentially jurisdictional wetlands
pre-application consultation with the ACOE and state agencies to discuss permit requirements and to identify potential problem areas

Based on the information obtained through this approach, a permitting strategy is developed, and the permit application is prepared and submitted to the agency for formal project review and decision. Where a nationwide or general permit is appropriate, the level of regulatory review may be reduced significantly or even eliminated with the use of appropriate support documentation.

Wetland Functions and Values Assessments

The functions and values of a wetland are services provided by the wetland to the environment and the public.Numerous wetland assessment procedures are available at both the federal and state level, including:

Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET), the Highway methodology, Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM). PS&R uses the specified procedure analysis to assess the specific functions and values of wetlands.
The results of the function and value analysis are used for decision-making purposes and to design an effective mitigation plan for impacted wetlands.

Wetland Mitigations

Wetland mitigation includes planning and implementing avoidance and minimization of impacts to wetlands and streams prior to site development activities. The mitigation process includes:

avoiding impacts by modifying the site plan
minimizing the impacts by limiting the degree of the action or modifying the site plan
compensating for the impact by enhancing, replacing or providing substitute resources

Benefits of Experience

We offer our clients the benefit of comprehensive experience gained through years of project accomplishments. Let our experience work for you. With a record of successful projects, we can expedite the project planning and the wetlands permitting process, saving you both time and money.

Wetland Delineation

Our experience includes identification and documentation of wetland soils, hydrology, and vegetation in accordance with federal methods, including the United States Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual and the applicable regional supplements. Most states require use of the 1987 ACOE methodology; however, some states require use of the 1989 Federal Interagency methodology. In those states we utilize methology in accordance with the 1989 Federal Interagency Manual.

Where water resource impacts are below a certain size threshold (i.e. de minimis), regulatory agencies rarely allow monetary payment to a state fund set aside for wetland creation on other sites
In instances where impacts to water resources have already been impacted by unpermitted activities, mitigation has to be implemented to address notices of violations of issued by the regulatory agencies for violation of the Clean Water Act. This activities include rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment

OUR APPROACH TO BOTANICAL SURVEY

PSR's botanists have performed many botanical surveys to determine the presence or absence of state and federally listed threatened and endangered species of plants for projects in Pennsylvania and adjacent states. Sometimes, the botanical surveys will be conducted in conjunction with wetland delineation. Occasionally, habitat assessment within the project area can resolve the presence/absence of a plant species of concern in a project area, thus avoiding the seasonality requirement for most botanical surveys. We have developed mitigation alternatives when occurrences of plant species of special concern are found in a project area. As part of the required environmental review process for commercial and residential site development, for gas well and pipeline development and for other types of utility projects, we or the client submit inquiries to the state reviewing agencies, and occasionally the US Fish and Wildlife Service, regarding the potential for the presence of rare, threatened or endangered species in the project area. The federally listed species are listed under Section 7 of the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the applicable state regulations (e.g. PA, Chapter 45 of the Pennsylvania Code). Not infrequently the agencies will indicate that potential impacts to threatened or endangered plant or animal species could occur due to the proposed construction activities at a site and will request that a qualified botanical consultant be hired to review the project area to determine if the plant species of concern is present in the project area. We work with the client, project coordinators and designers, to help our clients identify options to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to plant species of concern, and find cost effective solutions for their project

Experienced staff identify and document all required criteria to identify potentially jurisdicitonal wetlands on-site.

Mitigation

The PA DCNR requested mitigation for an impact to a population of Pennsylvania Rare Species, Short’s sedge which PS&R documented along a proposed gathering gas pipeline project in Washington Co., Pennsylvania. PS&R successfully relocated a portion of small population of Shorts sedge, and conducted monitoring that demonstrated the sedge transplanting was successful.

Bushy Bluestem

PS&R documented large populations of Bushy bluestem, a Pennsylvania rare species, along a proposed gas transmission pipeline in Cambria Co., Pennsylvania

Small Whorled Pogonia

PS&R documented Small whorled pogonia, listed as federally threatened, along a proposed highway corridor in Tucker Co., West Virginia.

Tall Larkspur

Pennsylvania endangered species Tall Larkspur documented near a proposed sewage treatment plant site in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Northern Bulrush

PS&R performed a successful survey for Northeastern bulrush, listed as federally endangered, along a proposed gas transmission line project in Cambria Co., Pennsylvania.

Environmental Services