Seasonal Emergent Pond with Standing Snag
Seasonal Emergent Pond - Conducting Vegetation Monitoring
Hydroseed Sprouting Around Seasonal Pond, Irrigation Piping
Large Wood Habitat Structure and Newly Installed Plants with Mulch Rings
Seasonal Emergent Pond with Large Downed Wood and Standing Snag
Hydroseed Sprouting Around Seasonal Pond
Seasonal Emergent Pond with Large Downed Wood and Standing Snag
Seasonal Emergent Pond with Standing Snags
Seasonal Emergent Pond with Standing Snag, Irrigation Sprinkler in the Background
Upland and Wetland Habitat with Brush Shelters and Large Woody Habitat Structures
Live Willow Stakes Putting on Growth
bp Cherry Point Refinery Wetland Advance Mitigation Project 4
Award-winning advance wetland mitigation project.
GeoEngineers supported bp’s fourth Advance Mitigation Project (AMP4), part of the company’s ongoing efforts to construct sustainable advance wetland mitigation at its refinery near Bellingham, Washington. The project was designed to compensate for bp’s future wetland and buffer impacts associated with refinery activities. GeoEngineers has worked with bp on Advance Mitigation projects since 2014, providing wetland delineation, mitigation design, permitting support, construction support, as-built documentation and 10-year post-construction monitoring.
Preliminary work on this specific project began in 2019 and construction was completed in May of 2023. According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, it was the largest advance mitigation project in the state at the time. As a result of our efforts, the team, lead by bp, was awarded the 2023 Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) Distinguished Project Award for Innovation & Achievement in Sustainability. GeoEngineers is currently providing 10-year post-construction monitoring.
Approach
- Verification of wetland boundaries and existing conditions survey
- Investigation of shallow soils to evaluate suitability for wetland rehabilitation and creation, looking for permeable sand layers that could convey groundwater and affect site hydrology
- Design of mitigation features including seasonal ponds, filled ditches, and hydrologic/topographic modifications
- Removal of manmade fill and restoration of natural site contours
- Installation of large wood habitat features and native vegetation
- Construction observation, groundwater monitoring, and post-construction vegetation and hydrology modeling
Results
- Successfully created 10 acres of wetlands, rehabilitated 43 acres of wetlands and enhanced 38 acres of upland terrain
- Created 5 acres of seasonal ponds
- Installed more than 82,000 native trees, shrubs, and emergent plants
- Improved groundwater and surface water connectivity across the site.
- Increased overall habitat diversity, supporting a wider range of insect, amphibian, mammal, and bird species
Awards
2023 Northwest Construction Consumer Council (NWCCC) Innovation and Achievement in Sustainability
