Professional Environmental Associates (PEA) has extensive training and experience in wetlands studies, beginning in the MID 1970’s and has been recognized as a major leader in this field. They have worked on projects in a multitude of states including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Members of PEA’s staff have successfully assisted clients through the maze of Federal and State Freshwater and Tidal Wetlands Regulations including the New Jersey Freshwater and Tidal Wetlands Protection Regulations, Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act Rules and Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan.
The services provided include:
- Wetland Identification and Classification
- Wetland Delineation
- Wetland Functional Value Assessment
- Wetland Impact Assessment
- Wetland Mitigation including Creation and Enhancement
- Field Supervision of Wetland and Upland Habitat Creation
- Wildlife Studies
- Contamination/Toxicology Studies
- Regulatory Permits and Approvals
- Expert Testimony
WETLAND IDENTIFICATION & CLASSIFICATION
PEA staff includes botanists, zoologists and field biologists highly knowledgeable in vegetation and wildlife taxonomy, habitat preferences and functional assessment. They are very familiar with the multitude of existing wetland definitions and classification systems and have worked in freshwater, estuarine and marine environments.
WETLANDS DELINEATION
David L. Poling, President of Professional Environmental Associates, began delineating wetlands/upland boundaries in 1977, for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in complying with regulatory requirements of Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act. He worked on a multitude of Interstate and Intrastate Highways, having also secured necessary permits and approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACOE), mostly Individual Wetland Permits. When the projects of private individuals and companies came under the Federal Wetlands Regulations (in approximately 1986), PEA was well experienced in wetlands delineation, to assist clients in multiple states with delineations and regulatory compliance, specially either securing permits or resolving enforcement actions. With promulgation of the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act in 1988, PEA grow in size and began conducting hundreds of wetlands delineations per year and applying for and obtaining wetlands permits for development under these regulations or resolving enforcement actions. PEA was well prepared to assist private and public clients upon NJ promulgating additional environmental regulations having wetland components including:
- Water Quality Certification
- Flood Hazard Area
- Child Care Center Licensing
- Site Remediation and Management
- Highlands Water Quality Protection and Management
- Pinelands National Reserve
Because of the many years of conducting wetlands delineations and working in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, PEA has utilized a multitude of wetlands manuals including 1) the 1987 U.S. Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACOE) WETLANDS DELINEATION MANUAL 2) the REGIONAL SUPPLEMENTS to the U.S. ACOE WETLANDS DELINEATION MANUAL and 3) FEDERAL MANUAL FOR IDENTIFYING AND DELINEATING JURISDICTIONAL WETLANDS (1989).
WETLAND FUNCTIONAL VALUE ASSESSMENT
These are available several methods for assessing Wetland Functional value, all of which the staff of PEA are intimately familiar with and have used in the past. The most widely used ones include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Habitat Evaluation System (HEP), the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Method for Wetland Functional Assessment, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET), all of which have been applied by the staff of PEA. In fact, in the early 1980’s, David L. Poling (President of PEA) was the most experienced in utilizing the FHWA’s WET on a multitude of major New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) projects, having published articles and given presentations on Wetlands Functional Value Assessment
WETLAND IMPACT ASSESSMENT & STATEMENTS
PEA’s staff has extensive experience starting in 1970, in assessing the impact of development projects, operations, other activities and contamination/pollution on wetlands, including aquatic and marine ecosystems. They have pioneered in the development of innovative evaluation and analytic techniques to identify and quantify effects on wetlands including the aquatic and marine ecosystems. PEA has been retained by private and public clients to assess impacts of developments varying from one single-family residence to 1,500 acres of residential/commercial development to major waterfront or coastal development to a 24-mile long interstate highway.
WILDLIFE STUDIES
A major function of wetlands is providing wildlife habitat. PEA’s staff has extensive experience in conducting wildlife inventories by such methods as visual and audible observations of presence or signs of presence, mammal trapping, aquatic biota sampling, fish netting and shocking, hand collection, and other methods including scuba. Often our wetlands studies have required assessing the value of the wetlands for providing wildlife habitat including for Endangered or Threatened Species.
AQUATIC & MARINE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES
PEA’s staff has extensive experience in 1) determining the zoological, botanical and physical characteristics of aquatic and marine systems of minor and major waterbodies and 2) assessing environmental quality/habitat value and project or contamination impact. Inventories are conducted by such methods as visual and audible observations of presence or signs of presence of animal life, aquatic biota sampling, fish netting and shocking, hand collection, and other methods including scuba.
CONTAMINATION STUDIES
PEA’s staff has conducted ecosystem contamination/toxicological studies, especially in aquatic and wetland environments and Baseline Ecological Evaluation (BEE) for contaminated and Brownfield sites. This has included 1) identifying sensitive ecological receptors, 2) determining the extent of contamination of vegetation, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic organisms, sediment and the water column, 3) assessing acute or chronic toxicological impacts to specific organisms, 4) evaluating existing and potential alterations in food chains, food webs or the ecosystem on the whole, and 5) determining the extent and pathways of bioaccumulation.
REGULATORY PERMITS & APPROVALS
Almost every PEA project has required one or more permits or other approvals under 1) Section 404 and 10 the Federal Clean Water Act, 2) New Jersey’s regulatory programs including a) Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, b) Waterfront Development Act, c) Tidal Wetlands Act, d) Highlands Water Quality Protection and Management, e) Pinelands Protection Act, and f) Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) and 3) other States’ regulatory programs. They have proven success in obtaining such permits and approvals including Individual Permits, and resolving enforcement actions when an individual or client acted without seeking and obtaining required permits or another approvals.
Publications:
David L. Poling and Eugene T. McColligan, Jr. “The Use of the FHWA’s Wetland Functional Assessment Methodology in New Jersey” In: Proceedings: National Wetlands Assessment Symposium. June 17-20, 1985, Portland Maine. Association of State Wetland Managers Inc.
David L. Poling and Michael Kaminsky “Feasibility Studies For Replacement of Impacted Wetlands” in “Gambling with the Shore” Proceedings of The Coastal Society Ninth Annual Conference (1986).
David L. Poling Presentations:
“Water Resources and Pollution in Sri Lanka”. Columbia University, New York City, University Seminars on Environmental Issues, January 23, 1991.
“Mercury Contamination in Water, Sediments and Aquatic Organisms In and Adjacent to Berry’s Creek, Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey”. Columbia University, New York City, University Seminars on Water Pollution and Water Resources, October 1989.
“Contamination of Berry’s Creek and Its Potential Ecological Impact”. Fairleigh Dickinson University, College of Science and Engineering, Hackensack River Symposium III (October 1989), Symposium II (September 1988) and Symposium I (September 1987)
“The Wetlands Law and Implementing the Wetlands Law”. February 1989, Conference 89, New Jersey Society & Professional Land Surveyors; Speaker and Workshop Moderator.
“Freshwater Wetlands”; Conference ’88, February 1988, N.J. Society of Professional Land Surveyors; Speaker and Workshop Moderator.
“Replacement and Enhancement of Freshwater Wetlands – Case Histories in New Jersey”. The 13th Annual Conference in Wetland Restoration and Creation, May 15-16, 1986, Tampa Florida.
“The Use of the FHWA’s Wetland Functional Assessment Methodology in New Jersey”. National Wetlands Assessment Symposium, June 17-20, 1985, Portland Maine.
“The Effect of Contaminated Sediments on the Regeneration and Molting of the Fiddler Crab (Uca minax).” Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Fifth Annual Meeting; November 1984.
“Feasibility Studies For Replacement of Impacted Wetlands.” The Coastal Society Ninth Annual Conference, Atlantic City, New Jersey, October 1984.