ENGINEERING AROUND
ENDANGERED SPECIES
The Endangered Species Act, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service, affects
every construction project in the country. That’s why Ayres Associates’ Jan Ash
remained cognizant of the environmental impacts of the Captiva project every
step of the way.
Ash made sure to take the proper steps by conducting surveys and assessments
of the aquatic habitat to determine an innovative solution to install the power
cables on North Captiva Island that would allow endangered species, like the
small-tooth sawfish and manatees in the area, to live in peace with each other.
Due to continuous coastal development, both the small-tooth sawfish and
manatee population have declined dramatically. Since one of the main threats
to endangered species is loss of habitat, it is vital that engineers minimize
environmental impacts so that threatened/endangered wildlife populations can
recover or maintain their populations.
instance, at one point early in construction, the directional drilling contractor
inadvertently damaged surrounding mangroves.
“Ayres promptly addressed the issue with the agency and generated a
mitigation plan that would satisfy the requirements of the USACOE,” said
Varlam Molina, senior standards and material specifications engineer of Lee
County Electric Cooperative.
Ayres’ mitigation plan was able to promptly fix the issues of the impacted area,
outlining the planting of compensatory quantities and the size of mangroves.
Meanwhile, the state of Florida was in a state of emergency in response to the
year’s excessive red tide – a harmful algal bloom in the ocean and in Pine Island
sound – which caused worker discomfort and delays in the project.
Despite these obstacles, Ayres tackled every hurdle head on and made sure
to keep the project moving. Construction for the alignment cables is now
complete, and the project is currently in its final stage of monitoring. In the
end, the project will provide residents and businesses with a reliable power
source for the next 50 years.
“We were very satisfied with Jan Ash’s professionalism. She always kept us
abreast of project progress, and when we had an unforeseen situation in
the field, she handled it with care and promptitude,” Molina said. “Ayres’
professionalism, and having Jan Ash on your team, was a wonderful
experience. We look forward to working on another project together.”
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