Standard Field Issue: Camera and Fishing Rod
By Chip Ryther, Operations Manager CR Environmental
Whether sampling contaminated sediments in the heat of the summer from U.S. EPA Superfund sites in New Bedford Harbor, MA, and Lake Onondaga, NY, or pounding though the swells at an offshore dredged material disposal site in winter, environmental survey work can be challenging. It's important that every once in a while there are jobs where standard field issue for a CR Environmental field scientist or technician is a camera and fishing rod. CR's operation manager and senior hydrographer usually volunteer for these projects. The New York City reservoir system is the largest unfiltered surface water supply in the world. Everyday, 1.3 billions gallons of water from this vast system is delivered to eight million New York City residents. Over the last decade CR has worked on New York City's reservoirs. Vessel and technical support were provided to GZA GeoEnvironmental on an extensive four month geophysical and sediment characterization project at seven of the City's reservoirs the Cannonsville, West Branch, Schoharie, Pepacton, Ashokan, Rondout, and Neversink in the Catskill Mountains. Field crews
CR Environmental surveying near Hoover Dam. (Photo Credit: CR Environmental)
spent a memorable summer living in a log cabin home, enjoying numerous wildlife hikes in the mountains, and canoeing and flyfishing in the pristine local streams. This winter, CR Environmental returned to the Kensico Reservoir in Valhalla, NY. The Kensico is the last stop for the NYC water supply before it is conveyed through two aqueducts to the city's distribution system. Using CR's customized-designed
aluminum survey vessel, Lophius, bathymetric, sub-bottom, ADCP flow measurements, underwater video, and vibracore operations were performed to determine the accumulated sediment and sediment chemistry. An 11-lb. brown trout was caught in the Kensico last summer. CR scientists are looking forward to returning to the Kensico in May to collect benthic samples for macroinvertebrate analysis and sampling the large population of rainbows, browns, and lake trout. Last spring, the Central Park Conservancy, requested bathymetric and sediment mapping surveys at The Lake in Central Park to aid in park restoration efforts as the Lake has become very shallow and eutrophic. The field
CR Environmental performing a side scan sonar survey in Chattachoochee River north of Atlanta, GA. (Photo Credit: CR Environmental)
18 MTR
April 2007
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