Projects

Location:

• Virginia

Scope:

Through an iterative process, final survey locations were established at a variety of intertidal and subtidal sites and our team of experts conducted seasonal surveys for each of the identified parameters.

Project Details

Versar performed complicated wildlife surveys simultaneously at multiple, geographically separated installations and produce detailed reports of results and management recommendations, along with accurate geodatabases.

Versar compiled a team of fisheries, marine mammal, and other specialists to conduct a series of field surveys from spring 2016 to winter 2017 within the nearshore and marine environments. The purpose of the surveys was to characterize the nearshore community and marine environments documenting the floral and faunal species composition, shoreline type and anthropogenic features, and water quality information.

Specifically, the seasonal surveys were designed and executed to record data and analyze:

• Fish and invertebrate community assessment, including state and federally listed threatened and endangered species
• Benthic habitat, species, and sediment characteristics
• Nearshore water quality conditions
• Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)
• Intertidal flora and fauna
• Marine mammals and sea turtles

American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates). Vulnerable / Watchlist species for breeding population in VA and MD.

Location:

• Indian Head, Maryland

Scope:

This project presented the opportunity to accomplish the full cycle of services to support an ecological restoration project from concept to design, permitting to construction, and finally through to delivery. This successful project restored 250 linear feet of stream channel and created two small seasonal pools that are providing water quality and wildlife habitat benefits.

Project Details

NAVFAC Washington awarded Versar a Cooperative Agreement to prepare a design package and secure necessary permits to implement 250 linear feet of voluntary stream restoration and wetland creation at 2 locations on Naval Support Facility Indian Head (NSFIH) located in Charles County, Maryland.

The stream restoration site was south of the terminus of Nitramine Way in the Agile Chemical Facility. The site had a degraded perennial stream channel with areas of unstable stream geometry and eroding banks. The stream reach received input from an existing storm drain upstream of the site and flowed to the east to the forested wetland floodplain of Mattawoman Creek. There were signs of previous efforts to stabilize the left bank perhaps associated with construction work in the vicinity. If left unaddressed, the unstable eroding stream banks would have continued to release sediments to Mattawoman Creek, which was listed by the EPA as impaired under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for excess nutrients, sediment, and loss of living resources. Restorative measures in this watershed would help reduce these impairments.

Location:

• Texas and New Mexico

Scope:

Natural Resource Project Support on Fort Bliss Military Reservation

Project Details

Versar supported large-scale natural resources surveys, monitoring, and management efforts on over 1.1 million acres of land on the Fort Bliss Military Reservation in the northern Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and New Mexico. Versar continued monitoring surveys, which have been in place for nearly two decades, for two sensitive plant species, Hueco Rock Daisy (Perityle huecoensis) and Organ Mountains Evening Primrose (Oenothera organensis).

Other surveys include, vegetation community identification for over 260,000 acres of land and 400 linear miles of arroyo/riparian areas per year. Each year, Versar also surveyed over 600 miles of Fort Bliss roads for invasive plant species such as African Rue (Peganum harmala), Malta Starthistle (Centaurea melitensis), and Salt Cedar (Tamarix spp.). Lastly, Versar leads management efforts to control African Rue via mechanical and chemical means and has helped slow the spread of this noxious plant through cooperation on the state and federal level.

Location:

• Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Scope:

IDIQ contract to provide monitoring and other programmatic support services to Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works in support of meeting their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) discharge permit requirements.

Project Details

Since 2012, Versar has supported Anne Arundel County, Maryland in complying with its NPDES MS4 Stormwater Permit. Versar provides a variety of NPDES services including watershed monitoring and assessment, illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE), and annual report preparation. Tasks support the County in meeting its current MS4 permit requirements and Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation.

Versar conducts monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater controls in Church Creek watershed, particularly associated with redevelopment of the Annapolis Towne Centre site, and in Picture Spring Branch watershed, which includes various recent and ongoing development projects. Versar conducts biological and physical habitat monitoring in Church Creek and Picture Spring Branch, as well as detailed geomorphic surveys at monumented cross-sections and longitudinal profiles. Monitoring in Church Creek watershed also includes storm event and baseflow monitoring of water chemistry at instream and outfall locations. Versar prepares annual watershed monitoring reports for the two study watersheds.

Versar conducts IDDE screening at 150 sites per year and conducts surveys for upland pollutant sources in priority areas. Field screening includes documentation of dry weather flows and testing for key parameters indicative of pollutant sources. Versar's detection and prompt reporting of problems has enabled County inspectors to work with property owners to address and resolve issues (e.g., sewer cross-connection to the MS4).

Versar also coordinates with County staff to prepare the MS4 Annual Report to Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), including geodatabase submittals.

Location:

• Sanford, FL

Scope:

Sanford Dry Cleaners, Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, Remedial Design, and Remediation Action Construction Oversight

Project Details

Versar provided ecological services for remediation of contaminated soil, GW, and indoor air on two contiguous parcels located in the historic section of downtown Sanford. The project objective was to complete a RI/FS, RD, and RA at this site contaminated with PCE/TCE. All work performed was under the regulatory authority of EPA and the FDEP. Versar implemented a dynamic, optimized field investigation using the Triad approach to complete a cost-effective site characterization. Several high-resolution site characterization (HRSC) strategies and technologies were used, including MIP, CPT, DPT GW profiling, onsite laboratory analyses, DPT hydraulic conductivity profiling, and multi-level MWs, to develop a detailed 3D characterization of site contamination and hydrogeology. 3D modeling of analytical data was used to dynamically update the CSM and optimize the selection of additional sampling locations.

The phased field investigation included characterization of the nature and extent of soil, GW, pore water, surface water, soil gas, and indoor air contamination, as well as evaluation of VI. Versar synthesized all of the information collected during the field investigation into a comprehensive RI Report. The HHRA identified unacceptable risks from soil, GW, and indoor air contamination. Versar completed an FS to develop a range of cleanup alternatives including soil excavation, SVE, in situ bioremediation, in-situ thermal treatment, and pump-and-treat. The selected remedy included soil excavation with offsite disposal, SVE, and in situ bioremediation. We assisted EPA with preparation of the PP and ROD. Versar conducted bench-scale and pilot-scale treatability studies to support design of the selected remedy. Bench-scale testing was performed to select effective in-situ bioremediation amendments to treat contaminated GW. In-situ bioremediation and SVE pilot tests were performed to evaluate site-specific technology effectiveness and design parameters.

Location:

• Harford County, Maryland

Scope:

Provide Ecological Assessment services to Harford County, Maryland, supporting the County's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.

Project Details

For this contract (and a previous, five-year contract), Versar partners with the County in support of meeting their MS4 permit monitoring, assessment, and annual reporting requirements. Tasks include storm runoff monitoring, evaluating the effectiveness of a stream restoration project through water chemistry monitoring and geomorphological assessment, and implementing the illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) program.

On an annual basis, Versar conducts geomorphic monitoring, including surveys of longitudinal profiles, riffle and bend cross sections, reach-wide and riffle cross-section pebble counts, and monitoring of bank pins and scour chains to assess bed and bank stability, using standard, Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund methods.

Versar works with Harford County to select and screen 100 outfalls annually for illicit discharges from a subset of the County's outfall database, as required in their MS4 permit. The screening effort follows standard protocols developed by Center for Watershed Protection.

Since 2010, in conjunction with State and County monitoring efforts, Versar has supported Harford County's storm runoff monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of specific and overall restoration and stormwater retrofit measures in a priority watershed. The stream also serves as the County's primary watershed to satisfy its NPDES monitoring requirements for the assessment of controls. Versar currently operates and maintains automated storm runoff chemistry, flow rate, and rainfall data collection equipment at three monitoring stations.

Location:

• Afghanistan

Scope:

Versar's 500 Engineers, Managers, and Professionals provided construction phase support services under nine task orders for all USACE projects in Afghanistan at over 550 construction projects, US military bases, Afghan National Army Bases, and Afghan National Police Bases totaling over $4 Billion in construction value.

Project Details

Versar provided comprehensive construction phase and management support throughout Afghanistan. Versar's strong and long-standing symbiotic relationship between corporate Versar professionals and its Afghan counterparts was highly valued by USACE and was critical to the success of this contract. The heart of Versar's support was providing onsite Quality Assurance Representatives with degreed Afghan engineers. Versar supplied USACE with QARs and Engineers at every USACE construction project in Afghanistan. When security allowed, Versar's personnel worked alongside USACE Engineers but typically Versar's personnel were the only USACE assets onsite for months Versar's Afghan Engineers worked side by side with USACE Engineers, providing design submittal review across northern Afghanistan. Versar's personnel's professional knowledge of the locally available materials and equipment, and capabilities of Afghan skilled workers was key to accomplishing the design element changes.

Versar's professionals were the trusted subject matter expert and their evaluations and comments of RFIs were highly valued by USACE. Versar's team of Afghan subject matter experts reviewed Value Engineering Change Proposals (VECP) proposals from Afghan contractors alongside their American USACE counterparts and often collaborated with the contractors on revised VECPs that incorporated some elements from USACE/Versar expertise and some elements from the contractor's expertise. Versar's remarks were routinely incorporated into the final USACE responses for projects across the northern half of the country.

Versar also provided critical management support services across Afghanistan, including USACE administrative, safety, and programming support at the District, Area and Resident offices. Our team included a Full-Time onsite Program Manager combined with two corporate Vice Presidents spending more than 4 months collectively in Afghanistan to ensure work was implemented successfully. Versar's Safety Officers enforced USACE Safety Policies throughout Afghanistan by reviewing site specific safety plans and conducting thousands of field safety visits. USACE teamed with testing laboratories in Afghanistan. Versar's QARs would assist the testing technicians on site to gain access to the projects and then to collect samples, with our personnel routinely traveling to the testing labs in Kabul to witness testing procedures, inspect their equipment, and verify calibrations. QARs and engineers would review the results and provide them to USACE for inclusion in the contract files.

Versar established regional offices to house and provide workspace for its team when more than five personnel worked at the same location. These offices were equipped with satellite uplinks for internet connectivity, VOIP phones, office space and equipment, and then billeting for the team members. Versar maintained SPOT generated LOAs and military base access badges for all personnel.

Client Satisfaction

"The [Versar's] oversight of USACE construction projects is exceptional. Versar is responsive to the volatile environment in which this contract is performed... Versar's Program Manager is exceptional. Not only is he actively engaged in the management of this contract, he is more than responsive to any unusual requirement that may occur. Versar is skilled at orchestrating personnel movements within a dynamic environment."

(Jean Todd, USACE Contracting Officer)

Location:

• Annapolis, MD

Scope:

Ecological Studies; Chemical Sampling and Analysis; Preliminary Site; Assessment; Mitigation/Ecosystem Restoration; Multi-agency Regulatory Review; Project Assessment Reports

Project Details

Versar has provided support to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) since 1974. For nearly 45 years, Versar has been evaluating the effects of power generation and transmission facilities on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and conducting research relating to power generation and transmission. Versar supports the state in preparing site assessments and Project Assessment Reports (PAR - similar to federal impact assessments) as part of state licensing for proposed facilities; in regulatory proceedings before the Maryland Public Service Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); by supporting permitting and permit renewal processes (e.g., National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, 404 wetlands, water quality certification, water appropriations); and in assessing the ecological effects of existing and proposed facilities. Versar conducts a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic field surveys, laboratory studies, statistical analyses, and modeling efforts.

One specific project example was collection of benthic community habitat data in the State's Atlantic Ocean waters in preparation for potential offshore wind energy development. PPRP partnered with DNR's Chesapeake and Coastal Service (CCS) with Versar. The team identified nearshore benthic mapping and biological inventory surveys as a high priority because little is known about nearshore benthic habitats off Maryland's Atlantic coast. The project combined the data collected from a comprehensive sonar mapping survey conducted by Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) in Maryland ocean waters north of the Ocean City Inlet with benthic invertebrate and fish data collected by Versar to develop spatially explicit characterizations of coastal habitats and associated living resources.

Location:

• Annapolis, MD

Scope:

Environmental Studies; Chemical Sampling and Analysis; Preliminary Site; Assessment; Mitigation/Ecosystem Restoration; Multi-agency Regulatory Review; Project Assessment Reports

Project Details

Versar has provided support to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) since 1974. For nearly 45 years, Versar has been evaluating the effects of power generation and transmission facilities on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and conducting research relating to power generation and transmission. Versar supports the state in preparing site assessments and Project Assessment Reports (PAR - similar to federal Environmental Assessments) as part of state licensing for proposed facilities; in regulatory proceedings before the Maryland Public Service Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); by supporting permitting and permit renewal processes (e.g., National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, 404 wetlands, water quality certification, water appropriations); and in assessing the ecological effects of existing and proposed facilities. Versar conducts a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic field surveys, laboratory studies, statistical analyses, and modeling efforts.

One specific project example was collection of benthic community habitat data in the State's Atlantic Ocean waters in preparation for potential offshore wind energy development. PPRP partnered with DNR's Chesapeake and Coastal Service (CCS) with Versar. The team identified nearshore benthic mapping and biological inventory surveys as a high priority because little is known about nearshore benthic habitats off Maryland's Atlantic coast. The project combined the data collected from a comprehensive sonar mapping survey conducted by Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) in Maryland's ocean waters north of the Ocean City Inlet with benthic invertebrate and fish data collected by Versar to develop spatially explicit characterizations of coastal habitats and associated living resources.

Location:

• Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait..

Scope:

USACE-TAM CPSS project Task Order 28 scope included construction phase support services including demolishing, renovating, and re-constructing the pier, breakwater, control tower, and harbor and, management support for the US and Kuwait Navies.

Project Details

Versar partnered with Parsons to be the Prime Contractor JV for the pier and breakwater renovations support services for USACE-TAM CPSS at the Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait. USACE heavily relied on the JV team's specialized services, particularly with the team's thorough knowledge base of marine engineering. The team's Project Engineer. a Civil/Marine Engineer was the only USACE representative onsite with a marine engineering background to review the technical details of the contract including design submittals. When faced with difficult onsite challenges such as degraded foundation blocks, the JV's Project Engineer was an active participant in developing sound solutions.

Working on Marine Engineering projects is very dynamic, due to the changing topography, weather, and seabed. At the Kuwait Naval Base, many issues were not addressed in the initial design, such as the condition of foundation blocks above and below the sea level and how to sequence the breakwater sea wall so winter waves would not crash over during construction. The JV's Project Engineer provided USACE the technical expertise to address concerns posed by the construction contractor through the formal RFI process. He and the USACE COR drafted responses and provided answers to the contractor. And, with such a heavy reliance on reinforced concrete in a harsh, marine environment, the JV's QA and PE witnessed field testing, concrete placements, and field sampling. The JV's Project Engineer also analyzed VECP's submitted by the construction contractor to ensure final design standards and expectations were met while delivering the new solutions faster and cheaper.

Always keeping efficiency top of mind, when the JV team noticed progress slipping, they arranged meetings through the USACE COR with the contractor to discuss ways to increase productivity. The JV's staff worked closely with USACE and the construction contractor to align work schedules, including working night shifts to ensure there was adequate CPSS oversight while major activities were occurring.

A key part of the Task Order 28 was providing onsite Quality Assurance Services by its QAR and Project Engineer. The team covered day and night shifts with a heavy focus on interacting with the Quality Control and Safety Teams to ensure requirements were met the safest way possible. The JV's management team established a reach back PMO in the USA to monitor and control CPSS activities. The PMO conducted daily review of the onsite staff's work products then held weekly coordination events through conference calls or emails to ensure the JV was meeting all aspects of the task order SOW and were meeting expectations of USACE personnel in Kuwait.

Location:

• Ashburn, VA
• Clarksville, VA

Scope:

NNew technologies and business requirements facilitated the need to modernize core network infrastructure. These efforts included the use of new cloud technologies, minimize the impact on the planet, modernize the infrastructure, and enable innovative IT capabilities through Cloud Computing, virtualization, and Software Defined Networking. Core infrastructure moved to a facility that provided both an interconnection platform and data center co-location services with a presence on the East Coast and West Coast.

Project Details

Location:

• Doylestown, Bucks County, PA

Scope:

Due to the migration of contamination of approximately 250 acres, we implemented a process to mitigate ongoing contamination using groundwater extraction and treatment with air stripping, ultraviolet oxidation, ion exchange, and both vapor and liquid phase carbon adsorption, among other unit operations. To ensure prompt goals, immediate staffing changes were made to onsite support, management, vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors.

Project Details

Location:

• Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH
• Air Force Plant 85, Columbus, OH
• Grissom ARB, Kokomo, IN
• Minneapolis-St. Paul ARS, Minneapolis, MN

Scope:

The objective was to move sites as close as possible to site closeout under a reasonable business case analysis. The task order included sixty-five restoration sites in various stages of completion ranging from preliminary assessment/site inspection to long-term monitoring. The sites included landfills, low point drain boxes, underground storage tank systems, bulk fueling areas, former munitions sites, industrial areas, contaminated ground water units, spill sites, a critical ground water treatment system, oily water separators, contaminated sewers, and other waste sites. Contaminants included petroleum products, chlorinated solvents, munitions constituents, and other wastes. Forty-four of sixty-three sites had a performance objective of a regulatory closure to support future site reuse and reduce life cycle costs.

Project Details

Location:

• Hanscom AFB, MA
• Westover ARB, MA
• New Boston AFS, NH
• Niagara Falls ARS, NY

Scope:

The contract requirements included health and safety plan, uniform federal policy for quality assurance project plans, work plans, chemical sampling & analysis, electronic data deliverables, and comprehensive data management.

Project Details

Location:

• Washington, D.C.

Scope:

Assisted in enabling the sharing of information across components, to include shared internet, intranet, and extranet services. Aid in the architecture, design, engineering, Tier 3 operations support, maintenance, and management of the network infrastructure. They supported infrastructure encompassing the components considered part of a technical architecture, including WAN components and devices. The goal of the project is to quickly, efficiently, effectively, and economically provide and maintain a standard information technology platform and infrastructure to support employees in meeting mission including the following:

Receive under a performance-based arrangement, reliable and secure engineering services and support that meet or exceed customer requirements and expectations.

Continuously seek ways to apply information technology to improve performance.

Throughout the period of performance, demonstrate improved performance, reliability, security, and reduced cost of delivered services.

Project Details

Location:

• Multiple

Scope:

Assist in modeling services including a range of data modeling, consequence analysis, and other information technology services in support of their risk management framework. These services include, but are not limited to, data warehouse and business intelligence activities; data analysis; data mining; database administrator support; database creation; administration support; project lead and business intelligence architect support; dashboard and model development; data integration, extraction and transformation; geospatial and geographic information systems implementation; and business intelligence prototyping and consulting to assist the government in the rapid prototyping of forecasting and predictive modeling tools.

Project Details

Location:

• Lenexa, KS

Scope:

Development of 116 dynamic Conceptual Site Models based site-specific plans. Project management used a custom cost reporting management information system developed by Versar to monitor costs and small business utilization.

Project Details

Location:

• Grand Island, NE

Scope:

Project addressed extensive groundwater contamination in subdivision. Task was to design and develop site, support planning and testing to address health and safety concerns.

Project Details