MBC APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

RECENT PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Since its inception, MBC has conducted numerous ecological studies, biological assessments, and habitat restoration programs on the West Coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in Alaska . These studies have resulted in the production of over 1,000 environmental reports and have greatly enhanced the staff's knowledge of ecological relationships and of the regulatory climate in which such studies are required. Some of MBC's more recent project experience is described below. More detailed descriptions for many of these projects are available from MBC.

2009         Conducting a multi-year ambient water characterization of water quality and water chemistry parameters throughout Long Beach Harbor during dry-season and wet-season sampling events for the Port of Long Beach to determine the presence of contaminants present in the harbor complex

2009         Conducted sediment, eelgrass, and Caulerpa surveys in Mission Bay, San Diego for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

2009         Determined potential impacts from increased wastewater discharge resulting from a proposed development in Playa Vista, CA

2009         Multi-year eelgrass mitigation project for SCE in Del Mar Boat Basin, Camp Pendleton, CA

2009         Conducted chronic toxicity testing for multiple clients in Santa Monica Bay

2009         Conducted surveys in Long Beach Harbor for the presence of the invasive algae Caulerpa prior to dredge and construction projects for the Port of Long Beach

2009         Provided environmental support and crew training for the ocean transport of replacement steam generators for Southern California Edison

2009         Provided third party CEQA/NEPA review and special studies for several proposed projects in the Port of Los Angeles

2009         Providing ongoing scientific support services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southwest Fisheries Science Center

2009         Provided seawater intake consultation and design to the Aquarium of the Pacific

2009         On-going annual kelp bed surveys and reporting on the status of the kelp beds for the Region Nine Kelp Consortium and the Central Region Kelp Survey Consortium

2009         NPDES and Radiological Environmental Monitoring for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station including fish, benthic, and water quality surveys

2009         Conducting a multi-year (1977-present) biology, water quality, and sediment NPDES compliance monitoring program for coastal generating stations Huntington Beach, Alamitos, and Redondo, operated by AES Corporation; coastal generating stations El Segundo and Long Beach, operated by NRG Energy; and coastal generating stations Mandalay and Ormond Beach, operated by RRI Energy

2009         Conducting a multi-year (1991-present) biology, water quality, and sediment NPDES compliance monitoring program for three coastal generating stations (Scattergood, Haynes, and Harbor) owned and operated by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

2009         Conducting numerous water quality studies for dredging projects in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors

2009         Conducting a multi-year (1989-present) NPDES effluent sampling and toxicity testing program for Southern California Edison Company's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

2009         Conducting a multi-year non-point source water quality monitoring program for the Port of Long Beach to determine the presence of contaminants entering the harbor complex from stormwater discharges

2009         Conducting multi-year (1979-present) fish impingement/heat treatment monitoring studies for coastal generating stations owned by NRG Energy, RRI Energy, AES Corporation, and Southern California Edison Company

2009         Conducting an ongoing (1997-present) black-crowned night heron nesting colony relocation monitoring program for the Port of Long Beach 

2009         Conducting a multi-year (1978-present) bioassay testing program for numerous laboratories and confidential clients throughout southern California

2008         Environmental support for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Joint Outfall System Master Facilities Plan

2008         Conducted (1998-present) mitigation projects for loss of eelgrass habitat due to construction, including kelp bed restoration and least tern habitat restoration for TDY Industries

2008         Provided expertise on the effects of several desalination projects on the marine environment for local government agencies

2007         Entrainment/impingement studies for seven coastal generating stations for 316(b) studies

2007         Conducted a life history assessment of four common nearshore marine fish species. Juvenile/adult and larval parameters studied including age and growth, fecundity, and spawning seasonality. Funded by California Energy Commission through WISER Program.

2007         Provided the U. S. Dept. of the Interior, Minerals Management Service multi-year (1982-2007) support for conference planning. Recent workshops have included Surface Current Mapping using High Frequency Doppler Radar; Traditional and Scientific Knowledge of Arctic Cisco Subsistence Fishery on the North Slope of Alaska, Information Transfer Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska; and an Information Update Meeting held in Barrow, Alaska

2007         Conducted a multi-year (1995-2007) NPDES toxicity testing program for the Chino Basin Municipal Water District to assess the toxicity of wastewater samples collected at the District's wastewater treatment plants

2007         Entrainment/impingement studies at AES Huntington Beach Generating Station in compliance with CEC power plant licensing requirements in 2006-2007

2004         Entrainment/impingement studies for four coastal generating stations in preparation for 316(b) studies

2004         Eelgrass habitat restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Upper Newport Bay and the Santa Ana River, California

2004         San Gabriel River studies for Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power

2003         Provided marine biology section for EIR for the proposed Mitsubishi LNG terminal in Long Beach Harbor

2002         Conducted a 18-month environmental monitoring program for a dredging project at Pier T in Long Beach Harbor for the Port of Long Beach

2002         Conducted a five-year program (1998-2002) for the City of Long Beach to monitor water quality, currents, fish and invertebrate communities, resident and migratory bird populations, and salt marsh vegetation in the newly created Golden Shore Marine Reserve, Long Beach Harbor

2000         Conducted a multi-year (1995-2000) dredge monitoring and eelgrass restoration program for the City of San Diego 's Mission Bay Shoreline Stabilization Project

2000         Conducted a multi-year (1995-2000) field sampling and toxicity bioassay testing program for stormwater samples collected in Chollas Creek and San Diego Bay

2000         Conducted a multi-year (1995-2000) riparian vegetation mapping study of the riverbed along the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino County in order to assess impacts due to discharge of tertiary-treated effluent from the new Colton-San Bernardino joint wastewater treatment facility

1999         Conducting a "light/dark" study of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Stations fish return system for Southern California Edison Company

1999         Conducted a three-year biological monitoring program (1996-1999) for the Irvine Ranch Water District to assess the effects of discharged reclaimed wastewater on the benthic infaunal and fish communities in San Diego Creek and the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve

1999         Conducted an environmental monitoring program and eelgrass restoration study for construction repairs to the Balboa Bridge in Newport Beach for Dokken Engineering

1998         Conducted an assessment of biological resources in Elderberry Reservoir and Castaic Lake for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in order to determine potential impacts to the existing resources due to maintenance activities at Castaic Dam and Elderberry Forebay

1998         Conducted surveys of nesting black-crowned night herons at the closed Long Beach Naval Station and assisted the Port of Long Beach in preparing a mitigation plan to relocate existing colonies

1998         Conducted sediment sampling for the 1998 Regional Survey (Southern California Bight sampling) coordinated by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP)

1998         Conducted an extensive (5.6 acre) eelgrass restoration and monitoring program for Teledyne Ryan at Convair Lagoon in San Diego Bay as mitigation for habitat loss due to capping of contaminated sediments

1998         Conducted survey of eelgrass beds offshore of Tidelands Park , City of Coronado , in San Diego Bay for the Port of San Diego in order to determine the best location for siting an accessible boat dock and pedestrian ramp

1998         Conducted a multi-year (1994-1998) biological baseline study, EIR biological assessment, and mitigation monitoring program of marine biological conditions within Long Beach Harbor for the City of Long Beach's Queensway Bay Development Plan

1997         Designed a dredge monitoring plan for the proposed marine terminal at Pier T on the old Naval Station at Long Beach to protect endangered California least terns and the California brown pelican

1997         Assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board with design and implementation of a dredge monitoring plan to minimize ecological impacts due to the Queensway Bay Development and Construction Project in Long Beach Harbor

1997         Provided Marathon Construction Company with environmental monitoring services for a dredge project to upgrade the Patrol Coastal Pier on the Naval Amphibious Base in San Diego Bay

1997         Provided Tierra Data Systems with technical biological expertise on marine issues for San Diego Bay in conjunction with the preparation of an Integrated San Diego Bay Natural Resources Management Plan for the U.S. Navy Southwest Division and the San Diego Unified Port District

1996         Designed a mitigation and monitoring plan for the proposed Chula Vista Access Channel Dredging Project to mitigate loss of soft-bottom and eelgrass habitats

1996         Conducted a multi-year (1991-1996) benthic sample sorting and identification effort in support of the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County 's NPDES monitoring program

1996         Conducted a multi-year (1994-1996) sediment characterization study of Channel Two in the Port of Long Beach to determine spatial trends of contaminants throughout the channel

1996         Conducted a multi-year (1993-1996) dredge monitoring program for the City of Long Beach to assess potential impacts on water quality due to dredging operations

1996         Prepared the Biological Assessment and appropriate biological resource sections for the U.S. Navy's EIS to evaluate the potential impacts of disposal and reuse of the Long Beach Naval Station as part of Navy's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action

1995         Prepared two biological assessments for the Irvine Ranch Water District's Wetlands Water Supply Project, which analyzed the potential effects of temporary and permanent stream diversions from San Diego Creek to wetland ponds

1994         Conducted a fish census and composition study of Upper Peters Canyon Reservoir, Orange County, to determine the possible effects of the County's proposed use of the reservoir for the storage of reclaimed water

1994         Provided multi-year (1993-1994) vessel, logistical, and technical support to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the capture and relocation of sea otters from San Miguel Island to Monterey Bay

1994         Conducted field studies for Tidelands Oil Production Company to assess the impacts of oil spilled from a failed injection well line on the marine environment in the Consolidated Slip, inner Long Angeles Harbor

1994         Conducted fish and invertebrate trawls for the first Southern California Bight Pilot Program coordinated by the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project to (SCCWRP)

1993         Conducted field studies and designed a monitoring program for the EPA's dredged materials ocean disposal site (LA-2) off Los Angeles

1993         Conducted an eelgrass restoration project for the U.S. Navy, Southwest Division, at the Navy's Marine Mammals Training Center in San Diego Bay

1993         Assisted Parsons Engineering Science, Inc. in preparing a Predischarge Baseline Monitoring Program for the International Boundary and Water Commission' s South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant ocean outfall

1993         Prepared a biological assessment of Orange County shoreline and coastal habitats for inclusion in the Orange County Coastal Oil Spill Contingency Plan

1993         Conducted a multi-year (1991-1993) eelgrass restoration and monitoring study off the south arm of the Embarcadero Marine Park, San Diego Bay, to determine impacts of Japanese mussels on eelgrass growth and propagation