USACE Galveston District awards small business contract for routine testing of dredged material

By Mr. Isidro Reyna (USACE)November 13, 2013

GALVESTON, Texas (Nov. 13, 2013) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, awarded a contract to Sol Engineering LLC, an 8(a) small business, in the amount of $49,220.82 for environmental services to include chemical and grain size analyses of water and sediment samples from the federally-maintained Houston Ship Channel.

Routine testing allows staff to analyze and evaluate shoal material to determine whether unacceptable impacts would result from dredging operations prior to maintenance of the channel.

"The Corps routinely conducts chemical analysis on maintenance dredging projects throughout the Galveston District in order to evaluate for a range of analytes including pesticides and metals," said Lisa Finn, a physical scientist with the USACE Galveston Environmental Section. "Through sampling analysis, we are able to review data to make certain we remain in compliance with multiple federal regulations, including the Clean Water Act."

The USACE Galveston District employs an environmental management framework to provide structure and accountability within its business processes to help enhance and expand the positive impacts of its mission, while reducing, mitigating or eliminating potential negative impacts.

According to Finn, work is expected to begin November 2013 with an estimated completion date of January 2014.

The USACE Galveston District was established in 1880 as the first engineer district in Texas to oversee river and harbor improvements. The district is directly responsible for maintaining more than 1,000 miles of channel, including 250 miles of deep draft and 750 miles of shallow draft as well as the Colorado River Locks and Brazos River Floodgates.

To learn more about dredging along the Texas coast, view our four-minute video, http://bit.ly/KLZQBM.

For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston.

Related Links:

Dredging along the Texas Coast (VIDEO)

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