Water Resources Management

BURLESON has completed several water resources projects for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Beale Air Force Base (AFB) and municipal and industrial clients. Projects have focused on surface water quality, groundwater recharge, and Section 404 permitting for construction projects that occur in streams and wetlands.

Burleson led a team to design a pilot oxygenation system for Upper Klamath Lake (UKL), Oregon under a Reclamation contract. The oxygenation system consists of a U-Tube reactor with 3-miles of diffuser pipe along the lake bottom. Shoreline components include a pump, liquid oxygen and fuel above-ground storage tanks (ASTs), and controls. Water levels at UKL
  were maintained at higher
  levels than previous
  drought year elevations in   2001 based on biological
  opinions issued by the
  U.S. Fish and Wildlife
  Service (USFWS) and the
  National Marine Fisheries
  Service (NMFS) to protect   Endangered Lost River
  and Shortnose suckers in
  the lake.

  The Burleson team
  coordinated a Limnology
  and Fisheries Technical Work Group consisting of governmental agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USFWS, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Klamath Tribe representatives, and the Klamath Water Users Association representing local farmers. A workshop was held in which the goals, hypotheses, and objectives of the pilot oxygenation project were finalized. Burleson also conducted Stakeholder and Public meetings throughout the project.

Burleson conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Farmington Groundwater Recharge Project under a USACE contract. Long-term groundwater pumping for irrigation and industrial uses has dramatically lowered groundwater levels in the Stockton, California area and allowed saltwater intrusion onto portions of the aquifer. The Farmington project discharges excess surface water to designated land parcels to improve groundwater availability and quality. Burleson assisted with the design of the waste conveyance system and evaluated recharge water sources.

Burleson coordinated a survey and design team for a piping conveyance system for the El Dorado Irrigation System Sly Park Campground. Burleson prepared 30 percent of the design drawings and an Microcomputer Aided Cost Engineering System (MCACES) cost estimate for this project.

Burleson is currently developing a Section 404 Regional General Permit (RGP) for Beale AFB under a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP). The SAMP prioritizes wetland avoidance by developing a watershed-specific permitting program that targets the conservation of high integrity aquatic resources while allowing streamlined permitting in low integrity aquatic resource areas. Burleson is working closely with Beale AFB and the USACE to complete the SAMP EA and RGP.