Digitizing Environmental Permitting for Successful Restoration Projects
Environmental data and permitting are the vital first steps for construction projects of all kinds. The digitization of these processes enables greater efficiency and shorter project timelines, and allows environmental consultants to visualize, organize, and analyze data for robust project planning. Award-winning engineering, planning, and consulting firm Freese & Nichols, Inc. (FNI) is best known for creating major infrastructure across the country, but the firm also works to restore vital wetland and stream habitats. The City of Beaumont, TX contracted the firm to survey a site, secure permits, and restore wetland functions to Lawson’s Canal, a defunct water supply canal that had been filled for an emergency equipment staging area. Prior to FNI’s involvement, the City had received a Section 404 violation for creating the canal in existing wetlands. Facing an aggressive schedule that had been stymied by regulatory hurdles, FNI sought to assess and plan corrective action due...