512.326.8880 v 512.326.8881 f Austin, Texas, est. 1987
Representative engineering projects
Glenrose Engineering, established in 1987, is woman-owned engineering enterprise based in Austin, Texas. Glenrose Engineering provides engineering and consulting services in these project areas:
The following are representative environmental, engineering, and investigative projects performed by Glenrose Engineering staff.
Glenrose Engineering reviewed all available surface, groundwater, and soils data within the area which contributes flow to Barton Springs. Relevant hydrologic information: rainfall, evapotranspiration, runoff, wind speed, solar radiation data for the Austin area was obtained and utilized. The project included estimation pollutant loads from urban stormwater runoff, septic system, and undeveloped lands and conceptual designs for water quality controls throughout the Barton Springs Zone.
As part of a project team, proposals for remediating contaminated soil and groundwater at Bergstrom Air Force Base prior to transferring the property to the City of Austin are reviewed. This review includes all aspects of the field and analytical work to develop background standards. The clean condition of background wells was established. Background wells that were uncharacteristic of the overall site were identified. More appropriate procedures for determining concentration standards were recommended and subsequently adopted by the remediation consultant.
A sampling program was designed to detect chromium contamination in soils. The program achieved a specified reliability to detect hot spots of a minimum size.
Glenrose Engineering staff was a principal investigator in a 1984 project to assess the potential environmental consequences of closed landfills in the Austin vicinity. The project involved field and geologic investigations of 66 sites. Twenty nine of the sites were determined to have potential environmental consequences and their size, probable content, geologic and topographic setting were assess for chemical migration potential. Soil samples were collected and monitoring wells installed at some locations.
Glenrose Engineering principal, Dr. Lauren Ross, was a member of the City of Austin Environmental Board during the 1993-1994 term. As part of her board responsibilities, Dr. Ross was required to be familiar with City of Austin development regulations.
As water quality engineer for the City of Sunset Valley, Dr. Ross reviews development proposals. As part of her review, she has assessed whether proposed projects comply with City regulations and whether design, construction, and maintenance will be efficient and effective. Dr. Ross also provides mitigation recommendations for variances and technical recommendations for ordinance and criteria changes.
Glenrose Engineering staff experience in site remediation includes:
Relevant Project Areas: |
|
Monitoring plan design |
Data collection, management and analysis |
A statistically-based monitoring program was designed for an $115,000 litter survey. Stratified random sampling was used to select sites to meet a target reliability goal for litter accumulation rates on all Texas roadways. The study surveyed 75,327 individual litter items and a data base was developed and maintained to meet quality assurance/quality control standards for more than 13,000 unique data records. Final accuracy of the entire data base was within 0.065% (less than 1/10 of 1%) of the true values.
A groundwater and soil investigation was conducted as part of a Phase I environmental site assessment
Glenrose Engineering participated in the water quality design for this development under the City’s SOS water quality ordinance.
The migration of water and waste constituents from a petrochemical wastewater impoundment were simulated using a 3-dimensional finite difference computer code. The simulation incorporated the spatial variability of aquifer parameters using geostatistical kriging techniques.
The existing quality of a groundwaterdrinking water supply was characterized based on well quality measurements. Potential pollution threats were identified and recommendations were presented for future water supply alternatives.
The potential threat of groundwater and soil contamination from adjacent refineries was evaluated for a neighborhood in Corpus Christi, Texas. Maps of oil storage tank farms, pipelines, waste storage, treatment, and disposal and refinery process units were used to identify likely sources of contamination. The direction of groundwater flow and the rate of contaminant migration were estimated from boring logs and well water level measurements. The potential for the presence of free-phase hydrocarbons above the groundwater was assessed.
A test well was located, designed, and installed to monitor for free-phase hydrocarbons and groundwater contamination. All procedures, including well construction, completion, development, sample collection, preservation, handling, and analyses were conducted using procedures and standards suitable for court evidence.
The total mass of petroleum hydrocarbons in a shallow aquifer from a leaking tank were estimated. Recover wells were designed and installed. Optimum pumping rates in a tidally-influenced groundwater system were calculated.
Glenrose Engineering staff, as a subcontractor to AnalySis, Inc., has sampled numerous physical media for different chemical constituents. These samples have included the following:
Extensive sampling was conducted at the Fort Hood Army Base (Corps of Engineers) for PCBs: surface wipe samples; destructive concrete samples; transformer oil samples; soil and spill samples.
Five Texas Department of Transportation highway bridges were sampled for lead paint.
Custom software is being developed to provide a direct interface between a PC computer running the Windows operating environment and field water monitoring instrumentation. The interface is designed to allow the user to accomplish these tasks:
The benefits of the software include substantial reductions in the time and cost to manage data and enhanced quality control functions.
Relevant Project Areas: |
Field Services: instrumentation, calibration, and telemetry |
Custom software is being developed to provide a direct interface between a PC computer running the Windows operating environment and field water monitoring instrumentation. The interface is designed to allow the user to accomplish these tasks:
The benefits of the software include substantial reductions in the time and cost to manage data and enhanced quality control functions.
A recovery wells system with more than 25 individual wells was installed and continues to be maintained to remediate groundwater contamination associated with semiconductor manufacturing in the Austin area. The system included pumps, motors, and automatic controllers based on ground water levels.
Pumps were installed for solvent-contaminated groundwater recovery at Carswell Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Pumps were installed to remediate contaminated groundwater at the Alamo Cement Company in San Antonio, Texas.
Relevant Project Areas: |
|
Hydrologic engineering |
Computer Modeling |
Water migration below septic systems in the Austin area was predicted using computer simulation. Local information regarding soil composition and depth, temperatures, wind velocity and solar radiation were inputs to the model. Daily calculations of water movement incorporated rainfall records from 1976 to 1993. Long periods with no water migration through deep percolation, and critical periods during which migration to the subsurface occurred were identified.
Potential pollutant loads from septic systems to the Edwards Aquifer were estimated by modeling the soil/plant/waste system above the karst limestone. Local information regarding soil composition and depth, temperatures, wind velocity and solar radiation were inputs to the model. Daily calculations of water and nitrogen transformation and movement incorporated rainfall records from 1976 to 1993. Long periods with no nitrogen migration through deep percolation, and critical periods during which migration to the subsurface occurred were identified. The modeling results were used to recommend septic system improvements to reduce nitrogen loads to the aquifer.
An environmental monitoring program for surface water, soils, and subsurface water was designed to measure the potential migration of chemical constituents from six City of Austin golf courses. The program recommended monitoring locations, parameters, optimum monitoring times based on predicted flow conditions, and detailed descriptions of required field equipment and procedures.
An extensive soil sampling program was designed, conducted and analyzed to determine whether soils beneath a petroleum land treatment unit were contaminated from the application of waste. The analysis included a characterization of the physical and chemical soil properties and the natural variability of metals in soils at the site.
Installation and start-up operation of a soil vapor extraction system was supervised. The system removes hydrocarbon contamination from the vadose zone and includes thermal destruction of organic vapors. The system is located at a major refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas.
A similar system was installed at a petroleum refinery in El Paso, Texas. Soil gas pressures were measured in several soil zones. Measured pressures were adjusted for ambient temperature and barometric pressure and used to evaluate the effective range of the vapor extraction system.
Mr. Tony Spinelli, of Glenrose Engineering, provided technical expertise to install, calibrate, operate and maintain approximately 20 stormwater monitoring stations for the City of Austin from 1985 through 1988. Each station incorporated flow metering equipment, water quality samplers and a rain gauge. Stormwater flow was measured using theAmerican Digital Systems (ADS) “Quadrascan” flow metering system. This system could be operated based on pre-set programming or controlled from an off-site computer via telephone modem.
Ultrasonic depth and velocity sensors were used to establish flow rates and volumes. Temporary data storage occurred at the monitoring site with regular data retrieval by the central controlling computer. Flow measurements were used by the micro-processor-driven system to collect flow-proportioned water quality samples using the Manning S-4400 water quality sampler.
Mr. Spinelli was also responsible for all site work at each monitoring location. This work included design and construction of flumes or weirs for flow measurement of events as large as the 25-year flow event. Mr. Spinelli also designed and construction shelters to withstand tampering and vandalism, and installed solar panels and circuitry to maintain battery power at each site.
Mr. Spinelli conducted routine system calibration and maintenance including:
Relevant Project Areas: |
Field Services: instrumentation, calibration, and telemetry |
data collection, management and analysis |
Mr. Tony Spinelli, of Glenrose Engineering, provided technical expertise to install, calibrate, operate and maintain approximately 20 stormwater monitoring stations for the City of Austin from 1985 through 1988. Each station incorporated flow metering equipment, water quality samplers and a rain gauge. Stormwater flow was measured using theAmerican Digital Systems (ADS) “Quadrascan” flow metering system. This system could be operated based on pre-set programming or controlled from an off-site computer via telephone modem.
Ultrasonic depth and velocity sensors were used to establish flow rates and volumes. Temporary data storage occurred at the monitoring site with regular data retrieval by the central controlling computer. Flow measurements were used by the micro-processor-driven system to collect flow-proportioned water quality samples using the Manning S-4400 water quality sampler.
Mr. Spinelli was also responsible for all site work at each monitoring location. This work included design and construction of flumes or weirs for flow measurement of events as large as the 25-year flow event. Mr. Spinelli also designed and construction shelters to withstand tampering and vandalism, and installed solar panels and circuitry to maintain battery power at each site.
Mr. Spinelli conducted routine system calibration and maintenance including:
Glenrose Engineering staff has experience with all phases of the design and installation of state-of-the-art stormwater sampling stations, including selection of accurate and cost-effective equipment, field installation, construction of tamper-resistant shelters, construction of flumes and weirs for flow monitoring, instrument calibration, programming and software design for micro-processor-controlled sensors, remote data collection and telemetry, and equipment maintenance.
Glenrose Engineering staff is also experience in the analysis of stormwater monitoring data, including statistical data analysis, data base management, and in the design of water quality controls.
Measurements of nutrients, sediments, metals, and organic chemicals were used to characterize the groundwater quality of an existing municipal drinking water supply. Potential sources of pollutants were identified. Recommendations were made based on the projected quantity and quality of water required by the community; and its availability from the Edwards Aquifer source.
Software was developed and integrated to connect field water monitoring equipment and a lap-top PC computer running Windows. The system allows remote dial up of the field monitoring instruments. Data can be stored through the connection in either simple ASCII format or in a format which can be dynamically viewed and graphed using Microsoft Excel. The software also plots simple trends of each water quality variable versus time.
Relevant Project Areas: |
Field Services: instrumentation, calibration, and telemetry |
Software was developed and integrated to connect field water monitoring equipment and a lap-top PC computer running Windows. The system allows remote dial up of the field monitoring instruments. Data can be stored through the connection in either simple ASCII format or in a format which can be dynamically viewed and graphed using Microsoft Excel. The software also plots simple trends of each water quality variable versus time.
Glenrose Engineeringhas experience in waste, lead, and PCB site investigation, including the following:
Relevant Project Areas: |
Field Services: instrumentation, calibration, and telemetry |
Glenrose Engineering staff installed, operated, and maintained flow measurement equipment at 14 locations for Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio for water use and reuse evaluation. Data generated by the monitoring program was used to validate flow estimates from permanently installed flow monitoring equipment. The following types of flow monitoring equipment were installed, calibrated, and used for measurement:
Relevant Project Areas: |
data collection, management and analysis |
Environmental monitoring data were statistically analyzed to determine what data indicated regarding the quality of water in Barton Creek and Barton Springs:
The results of the statistical analyses were used to identify potential cost savings for future monitoring.
Dr. Ross is assessing the City of Austin regulations and technical criteria associated with the three Drainage Utility Department missions: flood control, erosion prevention, and water quality protection. Dr. Ross is compiling and evaluating related regulations from selected communities across the United States. She is also developing screening protocols to identify changes in the City code and criteria that will most effectively achieve the Utility goals.