To help the City of Edina understand flood risk for its community better, Barr assisted in updating the city’s comprehensive water resources management plan and conducted a stormwater system vulnerability assessment for 25 specific flood areas.  As part of the assessment, the city’s XP-SWMM models were updated to reflect increased NOAA’s Atlas 14 100-year precipitation frequency estimates. The models  were used to identify storm-sewer-capacity limitations for a range of rainfall frequencies. Revised 100-year flood-inundation areas were mapped based on the modeled flood elevations using a customized GIS tool, then used to identify and prioritize areas where critical roadways and structures are impacted by flooding. Barr is currently evaluating the highest-priority flood areas to identify options for reducing flood risk and associated costs and benefits.

A large aggregate producer was concerned that it was running short on available resources at its existing quarry. Unfavorable geologic conditions were appearing in the field, creating uncertainties about the amount of product that could be mined and used at its ready-mix and asphalt facilities. The company hired Barr to develop a geologic model for its existing quarry to estimate the amount of resource available at the quarry and develop a life-of-mine plan that was practical, economical, and safe.

To model the site’s geology, Barr logged previously drilled core samples. The model was then used to develop a set of mine plans that were discussed with the site manager and revised to fit the company’s needs and production goals.

The quarry’s expected life of mine was used to help support permitting efforts for opening a second quarry. Barr was asked to create a geologic model and mine plan for the second quarry, similar to that for the existing operation. The two plans were combined so that company operations could prepare for the transition.

In 2011, a Minnesota refinery hired Barr to assist with a broad range of environmental permitting and compliance activities, including air quality construction and operating permitting, routine air quality and emergency planning compliance reporting, onsite staffing support, wastewater and stormwater permitting, and regulatory tracking.

When the refinery operated as an independent without a corporate environmental group, Barr served in a similar role by providing guidance on key environmental issues and advice on the strategies and tactics used across the refining industry.

(Stock photo is shown above.)

To help track progress toward total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation for water quality impairments and to assess the design of capital improvement plan projects, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission hired Barr for a watershed-wide update of its water quality model. We used the commission’s existing water-quality models, current topographic data, storm sewer data, and pond and wetland storage data to provide total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) loading estimates for approximately 600 ponds and wetlands. The updated model was tested for calibration against the Metropolitan Council’s watershed outlet monitoring program (WOMP) data using estimates of watershed precipitation, water-quality and flow monitoring, and TP and TSS loading.

Because the watershed model is consistent with the model used for approved TMDLs, it has been used to evaluate the effect of proposed projects. The model output was used to demonstrate how cities in the watershed can use the model to target and evaluate individual best management practices (BMPs), determine treatment effectiveness for permit requirements, and prioritize BMP maintenance in their jurisdictions.

Barr documented the model update results and calibration process in a technical report. For all modeled watersheds, we described the methodology, developed stormwater hotspot mapping to target the highest pollutant-loading subwatersheds for future BMP implementation, and created prioritized lists and mapping to help cities target basins that combine effective pollutant removal with high sedimentation-filling rates. Barr continues to maintain and update the revised model, which is available for the commission‘s communities to use.

Greater Minnesota Transmission, LLC (GMT) and Xcel Energy proposed the construction and operation of a new natural-gas-pipeline transmission and distribution system to serve primarily the Prairie Island Indian Community in Goodhue County, Minnesota. The new pipeline runs from an interconnection point near Miesville in Dakota County to the Prairie Island Indian Reservation, located about 35 miles southeast of the Twin Cities. Barr was retained to review routes, complete field studies, prepare environmental and cultural-resources-impact reports, and guide the project through the federal and state regulatory processes required to obtain environmental approvals. The original preferred route crossed an Indian burial-mound area that Barr and a subconsultant investigated with ground-penetrating radar. The final route, although it circumvented the burial-mound area, crossed a state wildlife-management area (WMA) that receives funding from the federal government; the project also needed an easement from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to cross the Prairie Island Reservation. The WMA license and the BIA easement both required federal environmental review and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 approval. Barr played a major role in negotiating and implementing an environmental review process with the state, federal, and tribal governments that allowed the project to move forward on time. Barr’s previous work with and good relationships within the Prairie Island Indian Community also helped facilitate communication on the project. Federal and state approvals were granted in June 2013, construction took place from July through September, and the pipeline was in service on October 1, 2013.

Rochester is projected to experience population growth of over 40 percent by 2040. Currently, the city’s water supply is sourced entirely from groundwater with the majority coming from two aquifers.

In 2013, Rochester Public Utilities hired Barr to evaluate the long-term sustainability of the aquifers serving the city’s drinking water system to help ensure that future water demand can be met in a sustainable manner. To be considered “sustainable,” a proposed groundwater use must not adversely affect the aquifer’s long-term supply, harm ecosystems, or degrade the aquifer’s water quality. The proposed use also must ensure that the aquifer maintains a water level accessible to existing wells.

The area of most concern is the potential impact of future pumping on stream flows and calcareous fens in the Rochester area. Barr conducted groundwater modeling to evaluate the potential impacts of proposed future pumping, field studies to fill data gaps, and an evaluation of potential new well sites. We also participated in regular meetings with state regulators to ensure all parties are working together to address potential issues related to Rochester’s water source sustainability, and evaluated alternative water sources.

Barr is identifying data gaps associated with deeper aquifers in the area and will refine and improve the groundwater model as those gaps are filled and new data is obtained. The model will help assess potential impacts to streams and fens, assist RPU in selecting locations for new wells, and help minimize the wells’ potential impacts to the ecosystem. Barr and RPU continue to meet periodically with state regulators.

In June 2011, the Mouse River flooded, causing the evacuation of more than 11,000 people and over $700 million in damages. The flood occurred in the midst of a housing shortage, and the community needed to quickly establish a plan for preventing a similar disaster in the future so that property owners could decide whether to relocate or rebuild.

In the immediate aftermath, Barr and a team of subconsultants worked with local, state, and federal stakeholders to develop an enhanced flood-risk management plan for North Dakota’s Mouse River valley. The plan defined preliminary alignments for levees and floodwalls designed to allow river flows (comparable to those seen in 2011) pass through safely. The engineering team worked nearly 6,000 hours to release a draft alignment in less than a month. After only five months, the Barr team delivered its preliminary engineering report that described a comprehensive plan with 21.6 miles of levee, 2.8 miles of floodwall, river diversions and closure features, 30 transportation closure structures, 33 interior pump stations, highway and railroad bridge modifications, and floodplain buyouts.

Barr’s team has continued to support the region through the design, permitting, and construction of individual project phases identified in the preliminary plan.

In 2020, a confidential pipeline client contacted Barr to request assistance procuring environmental and right-of-way (ROW) permits for 36 cathodic protection projects proposed along a natural gas pipeline in Michigan. In response, Barr completed a desktop review for each project site to identify potential impacts to sensitive environmental resources, such as wetlands, streams, country drains, floodplains, and protected species, and ROWs.

Several of the project sites required visits to evaluate the presence of wetlands, streams, drains, and protected species habitats. Barr cataloged field and permitting data for each project site using a tracking log so the client could develop and update construction schedules as needed. Based on the results of the field reviews, we coordinated with the state, railroad, and local agencies to confirm jurisdictions and prepare the permit applications. We also developed avoidance measures to protect eastern massasauga rattlesnake, bald eagle, Kirtland’s warbler, and Indiana bat species during construction. After securing the required permits, we communicated permit requirements to the project team using project clearance notifications for each site, and as a result, the client was able to complete the cathodic protection project work.

Barr prepared a report titled Detailed Assessment of Phosphorus Sources to Minnesota Watersheds in conjunction with University of Minnesota researchers, Dr. David Mulla and Dr. Prasanna Gowda, and LimnoTech, under the TMDL (total maximum daily load) master contract for the MPCA. Concerns from the State Legislature and other parties about the phosphorus content of dishwasher detergents resulted in legislation requiring a study of all of the sources and amounts of phosphorus entering publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and Minnesota surface waters. The MPCA retained the Barr team to assess and inventory the sources (point and non-point) and amounts of phosphorus entering: 1) surface waters for 10 major watershed basins and for the entire state during low (dry), average, and high (wet) flow conditions; and 2) three different sizes and categories of POWTs. The assessment also examined statewide variations in these annual loadings. Barr also looked at the effect of source-reduction options on receiving-water quality and wastewater-treatment-facility performance. 

The assessment found that, under average flow conditions, the point-source total phosphorus contribution was 31 percent of the loadings to surface waters statewide, while non-point sources represented 69 percent. It also found that, statewide, 43 percent of phosphorus entering POTWs was from human waste and 57 percent was from non-ingested sources—with only 2.8 percent of that from automatic dishwasher detergents. The detailed report, including study description, findings, and recommended concepts for lowering phosphorus amounts, can be found on the MPCA’s website at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/phosphorus

To emphasize its role as a steward of the land, the College of Saint Benedict hired Barr to use an ecological approach to develop a landscape master plan. Through the process of creating the master plan, the college and Barr:

Compared to traditional landscapes, this approach reduces the use of gasoline, irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides; the time spent on consumptive management practices that waste natural resources; and maintenance costs, all while bringing the campus to an ecological harmony and fulfilling the core aspects of Benedictine values.

The resulting master plan establishes a beautiful and comfortable place to study, live, and work as well as a landscape better able to adapt to extreme climate conditions.