In a comment letter issued on the Final EIS,
the EPA wrote that the public participation process used
for this EIS should serve as a model for port development projects
throughout the U.S.
Water resources modeling
is an integral part of today's decision making process for
engineers, regulators and planners. Complex environmental problems
require state-of-the-art technologies to provide comprehensive and
cost effective solutions.
ATM has offered water resources modeling as a core service since the
firm's inception in 1984. Our modeling experts are proficient in the
use of a broad range of tools that simulate all aspects of the
hydrologic cycle to address clients' needs. ATMs technical
professionals have decades of combined experience in developing and
applying models for both public and private sector clients. ATM provides modeling support
services for environmental impact evaluations, Environmental Impact
Statements (EIS), NPDES permitting, TMDL development, stormwater
master planning, water and wastewater design, coastal erosion
studies, waterfront design, and municipal consumptive supply. Our
experts can supply practical and timely solutions to address any
water resources issue.
Increasing
pressures on surface water resources have created the need
to accurately simulate the fate and transport of pollutants
of concern. This is particularly important for areas with
significant numbers of permitted dischargers or instances of
illicit discharge.
ATM provides modeling support services for pollutant
transport and water quality assessments in rivers, lakes,
reservoirs, estuaries, coastal embayments and open water
using 1-D, 2-D, and complex 3-D models.
Models utilized include:
WQMAP
EFDC
POM
WASP
CE-QUAL-RIVI
CE-QUAL-W2
CE-QUAL-ICM
QUAL2E
SMS
CORMIX
HEC series
RECEIV-II
WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
Hydrodynamic model
predictions of tides, currents, circulation and transport
form the foundation of quantitative pollutant transport and
water quality modeling studies. Currents, circulation,
scour, deposition and flushing analyses are also important
tools for marine and freshwater environment habitat
assessments, and are used for design-build projects, ranging
from marinas and resort development to large scale ports.
The ATM Modeling Team develops and applies cutting-edge
hydrodynamic modeling systems to predict circulation and
transport in the coastal and estuarine marine environments,
as well as freshwater river, lake and reservoir
environments. Modeling studies are performed in concert with
monitoring programs or data gathering efforts to validate
model predictions.
Examples of hydrodynamic models used:
WQMAP
EFDC
POM
NWS-FLDWAV
COE-HEC series
RIV1
ADCIRC
RMA
RESERVOIR & LAKE SIMULATIONS
Increasing populations and the associated demand for potable
water continually tax urban reservoir supplies. Along with
natural processes such as evaporation, sedimentation, and
infiltration, potential reservoir breaches can also cause
significant damage, property loss, and hazards to humans
through flood inundation.
ATM uses state-of-the-art hydrodynamic reservoir operations
modeling software, such as the Army Corps of Engineers'
HEC-5 model, to assess available consumptive reservoir
yield, downstream flow, and reservoir elevation impacts for
existing and future conditions. The NWS BREACH and FLDWAV
models are used together with GIS and topography models to
assess dam breaches, dynamic flood routing, and inundation.
WATERSHED HYDROLOGY & LOADING TMDL STUDIES
The implementation
of the TMDL program under the Clean Water Act and other
stormwater pollution prevention programs has necessitated
the evaluation of non-point source loading to water bodies.
Loading evaluation is a key aspect of watershed planning and
management. Such evaluations can determine pollutants
generated from current and future land use, as well as the
effectiveness of existing and planned BMPs.
ATM provides both steady-state and dynamic evaluation of
watershed hydrology and pollutant loadings. Models utilized
by ATM include SWMM, HSPF, SWAT, PLOAD, and BASINS.
NATURAL RESOURCE
IMPACT MODELING
Changes in water
quality catalyze subsequent changes in surrounding
ecosystems. This can result in population booms among
certain species, while alternatively affecting other
species.
ATM's ecological modelers use GIS-based technologies
(including ArcInfo, ARCVIEW and ERDAS) to create ecological
extensions to standard water quality models. Analyses are
based on extensive field observations and geospatial
analyses that define the biotic community structure and its
underlying interrelationships with water quality. The result
is a powerful, integrated approach to environmental system
assessment.
COASTAL PROCESSES
Coastal waves and
currents generate potentially destructive forces and
dynamics, increasingly resulting in problematic erosion to
the coastal ecosystem. The loss of beachfront has a negative
impact on available habitat, property value, tourism
revenue, and storm protection offered by the beach face. The
wave environment also impacts the durability of structures
along open coastlines and within harbors. Understanding
these processes is critical to successful project
implementation.
ATM assists coastal communities and resource managers by
developing models to analyze the local wave climate and
resulting forces, evaluate potential erosion problems, or
optimize the design of structural applications or beach
nourishments. We work with clients to effectively predict
storm impacts, quantify project benefits, design protective
features, and determine potential environmental impacts of
the project. Models utilized include CGWAVE, REFDIF-S,
STWAVE, RCPWAVE, GENESIS-T, DNRBS, and SBEACH models.
SEDIMENT TRANSPORT
Sedimentation
patterns vary widely based on the geology, hydrodynamics and
structures present at a location. For most navigable
waterways, this contributes to the expected and continuous
need for maintenance dredging, and can also impact an area's
natural resources.
ATM uses sediment transport models to understand and predict
an area's sedimentation dynamics. These models allow us to
quantify and minimize required dredge volumes and associated
costs for design and maintenance projects, as well as
evaluate potential environmental impacts resulting from
dredging operations. Models utilized include EFDC, SSFATE,
STFATE, LTFATE and MDFATE, as well as custom applications of
sediment transport formulas.
THERMAL DISCHARGES
Thermal effluent
from power generation and other industrial facilities has
the potential to impact receiving waters by raising the
local and mean temperatures, and by altering dissolved
oxygen levels. For design purposes, or to determine whether
observed environmental conditions result from anthropogenic
or natural influences, an evaluation of the impact of heated
effluent on the environment should be incorporated into any
permitting process or alternative cooling system analysis.
Through a combination of monitoring and modeling studies,
ATM experts provide quantitative estimates of thermal
effluent impacts on temperature and dissolved oxygen levels
in the receiving water. Models used for thermal analyses
include WQMAP, EFDC and CORMIX.
MIXING
ZONE DETERMINATIONS
Accurate assessment
of the mixing zone for discharges to waterways is essential
for the permitting process. Factors such as ambient
hydrodynamics, water quality conditions, and tidal
influences must be taken into consideration to produce an
accurate model.
ATM applies numerous near-field mixing models in support of
projects such as NPDES permitting and wasteload allocations.
Models utilized by ATM for mixing zone determinations
include CORMIX and PLUMES.
HURRICANE
WIND, WAVE, & STORM SURGE MODELING
A wind, wave and
surge simulation of Hurricane Andrew moving through the Bahamas...
For more information, please contact:
Steve Swann, M.E., P.E., Director, Environmental Engineering &
Sciences
ATM provides modeling support
services for environmental impact evaluations, Environmental Impact
Statements (EIS), NPDES permitting, TMDL development, stormwater
master planning, water and wastewater design, coastal erosion
studies, waterfront design, and municipal consumptive supply. Our
experts can supply practical and timely solutions to address any
water resources issue.
