Replacement of 1920s-era dam creates a more aesthetically pleasing and safer water-level-control feature

The Albert Lea Lake low-head dam and access bridge were originally installed in 1922 and in desperate need of repair. Barr helped the Shell Rock River Watershed District develop a conceptual design and secure $1.1 million in funding in 2012 to replace the fixed-crest dam with a more natural, aesthetically pleasing, rock-arch rapids and concrete drawdown structure to control water levels and improve dam safety. The project also included an electric fish barrier to control upstream movement of carp and other invasive aquatic species.

Barr conducted hydrologic and hydraulic modeling to determine impacts to flood elevations and lake surface elevations. We designed the micropile foundation system and guided the design of a rock-arch ramp and stop-log drawdown structure that would replace the existing dam and permit manipulation of future water levels to achieve District and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) objectives for shallow lakes.

Our permitting assistance helped obtain Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) authorization, a DNR Work in Public Waters and Dam Safety Permit, and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ letter of permission authorization.

Barr developed construction drawings and specifications, assisted with construction contractor bid selection, provided construction administration, and prepared documents for submittal to state agencies.

The project was completed in 2015.

In 2016, a confidential client asked Barr to complete a permitting evaluation for a petroleum refinery that planned to blend soy oil into its crude oil feedstock. At that time, Barr determined that no air-quality permit would be required for co-processing the soy oil. The client later decided to fully convert the refinery to renewable diesel production. As the first full conversion of its kind, there were multiple iterations of the process design and equipment selection, resulting in three separate permit applications. Barr evaluated the air quality regulatory and permitting implications of the new feedstocks, processes, and equipment for each iteration and prepared applications for revisions to the air quality permit to construct.

The plant conversion resulted in a change in the significant industrial user classification, which required a revision to the plant’s North Dakota Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPDES) wastewater pretreatment permit. We evaluated the impacts on pollutants in the discharge, updated the plant water and chemical balance, and determined the implications for the pretreatment permit. Then we worked with the client and state and city authorities to identify new discharge limits and prepared an application to modify the pretreatment permit.

Production of renewable diesel began in late 2020. Barr continues to provide ongoing support with permit and regulatory compliance, testing, and training.

In 2014, the North Dakota Pipeline Company (NDPC) wanted an assessment of the aggregate resources along a proposed pipeline route. Some landowners along the route were claiming the pipeline would impinge on their ability to access minable sand and gravel. NDPC, a subsidiary of Enbridge, needed assistance with its negotiations with landowners through North Dakota and Minnesota, so it hired Barr to evaluate the potential resource volume and marketability of the aggregate resources on roughly twelve parcels along the corridor. 

Barr performed a limited desktop geological study for each parcel to identify the likelihood of resource presence. This study included the review of several digital information sources such as surficial geological maps, Natural Resources Conservation Services soil mapping, state well log databases, topographic and aerial photographic maps, digital elevation maps, and wetland maps. The topographic, aerial, and surficial geological maps were used to develop an understanding of the potential for glacial deposits, which are known to be high in aggregate content.

Barr’s assessment helped verify whether sand and gravel resources existed on each parcel, inform of the feasibility of mining and the marketability of the product, estimate the volume of marketable material, and run market-based valuation scenarios to assess the valuation of the deposit.

We performed our desktop study for a fraction of the cost of field investigations at each parcel. To date, NDPC has been using Barr’s limited desktop study to successfully negotiate the easement right-of-way through parcels for its pipeline.

For over 40 years, Sweeney Lake homeowners operated a year-round artificial bubble-aeration system intending to oxygenate the water, improve conditions for native fish, and reduce the buildup of phosphorus and harmful algal growth in the impaired deep lake. However, water quality in the lake continued to decline, with notable improvements only during periods when the aerators were turned off. This raised concerns that the aeration system might be contributing to water quality issues rather than resolving them. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency added Sweeney Lake to the impaired waters list in 2004 and the 2011 TMDL study identified the need to reduce internal and external phosphorus loading by 55% and 15%, respectively.

In response, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) engaged Barr Engineering Co. to investigate. Beginning in 2020, Barr collaborated with the BCWMC and the City of Golden Valley to evaluate the aeration system’s impact, develop educational factsheets, and facilitate stakeholder engagement to explore potential solutions.

Another approach to limiting in-lake cycling of nutrients was reducing common carp access and spawning in waters upstream of Sweeney Lake. Schaper Pond, located immediately upstream of the lake, was identified as a likely spawning and nursery area for carp. Barr conducted water-quality treatment-effectiveness monitoring, bathymetric surveys, and carp assessments. The results confirmed that carp activity was degrading the pond’s treatment performance, indicating a need for fish removal and consideration of passage control.

With federal grant funding secured by the commission, Barr and its subcontractors implemented a comprehensive restoration strategy to significantly reduce total phosphorus and improve water quality in Sweeney Lake. Our adaptive management approach involved multiple facets:

These actions addressed the final, critical sources of internal and external phosphorus loading, helping to meet the lake’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets and achieve both state and watershed goals for water quality improvement. Sweeney Lake was removed from the impaired waters list in 2024.

In northeast Michigan, habitat fragmentation due to dams and perched, undersized, and/or misaligned road- and stream-crossing structures ranks as one of the most critical natural-resource issues to address through restoration work. Huron Pines, a nonprofit organization, works with landowners and other partners to improve habitat connectivity, often by replacing culverts with larger structures.

The South Branch River, a designated trout stream, is a tributary of the Au Sable River located in the Huron National Forest in Michigan’s northeastern Lower Peninsula. At the river’s crossing of Rollway Road, a large culvert presented a barrier to aquatic organism passage during most flow conditions due to the shallow, high-velocity flow exiting the structure. The size of the existing structure and depth of fill made replacement unfeasible and called for innovative solutions to enable passage.

On behalf of Huron Pines, Barr designed a series of boulder structures to reduce flow velocity and increase water depth within the structure. The natural materials and varied flow conditions will reestablish passage for brook trout and other aquatic organisms across a wide range of river flows—especially low flows, which are common during trout spawning periods. Our services included survey, wetland evaluation, detailed design, hydraulic modeling, permitting (including evaluation of floodplain impacts), and construction observation.

Aqueous-film-forming foam (AFFF), containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), has long been used for fire-suppression and firefighter training at the Bemidji airport, as it has at many airports across the country. The PFAS have migrated into groundwater and are being captured by the city’s drinking-water-supply wells. In 2017, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) updated the health-based advisory values (HBVs) for two types of PFAS. The city asked Barr to identify immediate and short- and long-term response actions to keep their water supply in compliance with the new HBVs.

After developing well-pumping modifications and groundwater modeling to help predict how quickly the water quality would change due to the modified pumping scheme, we then worked with the city to help plan and implement near-term actions while long-term solutions were evaluated.

Barr helped facilitate a granular activated carbon (GAC) accelerated column test and a single-pass ion exchange pilot test to evaluate the most effective PFAS treatment technology and to identify if iron and manganese removal would be needed to facilitate effective PFAS treatment. Barr also assisted the city in forming a technical advisory committee to consult with the MDH on the long-term approach to managing PFAS-impacted drinking water.

We ultimately designed a 2.2 million-gallons-per-day drinking water treatment plant consisting of greensand filtration for iron and manganese removal, followed by GAC treatment for PFAS removal. We prepared plans and technical specifications, cost estimates, and public bidding documents. Barr also helped obtain more than $20 million in bonding and related funding for the project. Our assistance included helping present the project to the Minnesota senate finance committee for inclusion in a state bonding bill.

Construction began in July 2020, and Barr provided full-time construction observation and administration services leading up to the plant’s start-up in early 2021. Bemidji is now benefiting from water that is not only PFAS- and iron-free but also free of manganese, another contaminant of concern identified by the state.

Learn more about our PFAS engineering and environmental capabilities.

The Nine Mile Creek Watershed District wanted to repurpose a large home on a five-acre wooded parcel into a regional watershed education and outreach center, new district office, and native-landscape restoration demonstration site. 

For the new outreach center (known as Discovery Point), Barr developed a natural-resources and landscape master plan to display landscaping and green-infrastructure practices that could be easily replicated by visitors on their own properties. The plan included site grading and drainage; a parking lot and entrance drive; electrical, water, and sanitary utilities; retaining walls; and stormwater features such as an interactive cistern, rain gardens, and permeable-pavement structures. Barr also developed a native-plant-community regeneration plan to provide education on invasive species control as well as the process and economics of native-plant-community regeneration. Native prairie and savanna have been established where invasive woody species once dominated the parcel.

In 2020, a confidential fuels client was beginning the process of converting their refinery from petroleum to renewable feedstocks. A key objective of the conversion was to significantly reduce the lifecycle generation of greenhouse gas emissions. Barr’s team was asked to step in quickly to provide permitting support based on our long history working with the client on air permitting for the refinery, the urgency of the project, and a lack of progress from another contractor.

Our environmental experts were able to submit the air permit application on time, just two months after getting authorization from the client. Our unique expertise across several areas, including federal air quality rules for both petroleum refineries and chemical plants, local Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) rules, the facility’s emissions and regulatory requirements, and the proposed permitting process allowed us to quickly evaluate the changes, develop the application, and submit it. The air permit application included over 100 new, modified, or altered pieces of equipment.

Following submittal, Barr staff also supported the client’s negotiation with the BAAQMD for permit terms in addition to the application and negotiation of a significant revision to the facility’s Title V operating permit.

Production of renewable diesel begin in 2023, and Barr continues to provide ongoing support of permit and regulatory compliance efforts, testing, and training.

In early 2020, Flint Hills Resources (FHR) decided to improve its energy efficiency by building a $75 million solar farm at their Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. They turned to Barr for early strategic consulting on how best to navigate key environmental and social considerations such as land use and zoning; threatened and endangered species; wetlands impacts; construction stormwater management; and restoration planning. We also completed wetland delineations, led protected species surveys, and developed the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).

Barr also completed a geotechnical investigation and site evaluation for the project. This included collecting and analyzing soil borings and soil samples for general laboratory testing, standard penetration testing, field electrical resistivity testing, and thermal resistivity testing. We also conducted pile load testing to evaluate the performance of shallow-driven pile foundations that would support the solar panels, including axial tension, axial compression, and lateral load testing at nine locations selected by FHR. We provided design recommendations for the solar panel foundations based on our results, and in addition to our geotechnical investigation, we performed infiltration testing to assist with stormwater basin design.

Helping streamline the environmental aspects of an acquisition

Barr has been providing environmental support to Marathon and companies it has acquired since 2002. In 2018, Andeavor Logistics (now Marathon Petroleum Corp.) purchased the Wamsutter Crude Oil System and asked Barr to help integrate the new assets into Andeavor’s environmental management systems and processes. Barr worked directly on various environmental programs and activities for multiple crude oil storage facilities. Specific tasks included:

To help ensure seamless transition and asset integration, we prepared a Compliance Action Plan for each facility, summarizing applicability of environmental programs, identifying and summarizing compliance obligations, and clearly describing responsibilities for environmental, operational, and management staff.