Nutter & Associates assisted International Paper in the permitting, design, and implementation of a project involving the application of highly treated papermill effluent to an approximately 1,400 acre wetland system located in Pensacola, Florida.  An average daily flow of 23.5 MGD was removed from Elevenmile Creek and transferred to the receiving wetlands via a 10 mile gravity fed pipeline.  In addition to the 1,400 acre wetland effluent area, a land management and monitoring plan for approximately 1,200 acres adjacent to the site will be utilized to restore and protect rare community types and associated state and federally listed plant species.  As a part of this plan, prescribed burning will be utilized to restore and enhance hydric pine savannah and long leaf pine communities.

As a part of the project, Nutter & Associates implemented pre- and post-effluent distribution monitoring, including diel water quality, analytical water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, vegetation community demarcation and species inventory, threatened and endangered species, groundwater quality, soil chemistry, and wetland hydrology.  Data collection, assessment, and reporting will be utilized to satisfy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Florida Department of Environmental Protection division compliance monitoring requirements, as well as in the development of Site Specific Alternative Water Quality standards.

Project Highlights

  • Developed and implemented a multi-faceted monitoring plan assessing wetland vegetation, water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, and soil characteristics.
  • Implemented a land management plan to restore and enhance rare vegetative community types and habitat for threatened and endangered species.
  • Modeled water quality constituent and hydrology across the project area.
Client

International Paper, Pensacola, FL

Date

2000-Present