BCI Engineers and Scientists

St. Johns River Water Management District’s (SJRWMD) Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) program, mandated by state water policy, establishes minimum flows and/or levels for lakes, rivers and streams, wetlands and groundwater aquifers. MFLs define the magnitude, frequency and duration of high, average, and low water events necessary to prevent significant ecological harm to aquatic habitats and wetlands from permitted water withdrawals. The MFLs program is subject to rule and  provides technical support to the District’s regional water supply planning process and the consumptive use permitting program.

BCI has been providing comprehensive field and technical services to the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for several years. Our work has involved on-site support to nearly ten SJRWMD project managers on a full-time basis.

BCI was retained to perform all environmental monitoring and eporting services to support Plaza Materials' Environmental Monitoring Plan and Water Use Permit (WUP). For six years BCI conducted wetland assessments in accordance with the Wetland Assessment  Procedure (WAP) format provided by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) in June and October of each year.

BCI was retained to perform all environmental monitoring and reporting services to support the City of Plant City's Environmental Monitoring Plan and Water Use Permit (WUP) for three years. BCI began this project by collecting and collating existing data  provided by the City including, but not limited to, historical monitoring data, photographs of wells and staff gage locations, ecological monitoring data, and calculations supporting previous permitting.

Gilshey Branch is a tributary to the Peace River at a Central Florida surface mining operation. The mine operator, The Mosaic Company, tasked BCI to design a complete reconstruction of 4.3 miles of natural stream channel, its roughly three square mile basin, and the surficial aquifer system from the available loamy mine spoil and sand tailings. BCI also provided hydrogeomorphic design of 400 acres of floodplain forest, freshwater marsh and wet prairie.

This project incorporates an alternative mitigation strategy for wetlands impacted during construction of the Polk Parkway.  Rather than replace impacted wetlands in a disjointed setting, BCI was contracted to replace the wetlands in extensive, adjacent habitats managed for long-term viability and protection. Eighty-seven acres of forested wetlands and thirty-seven acres of herbaceous wetlands will be built in the northernmost sub-basin of the Peace River Watershed.

BCI was contracted to perform environmental mapping of Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) along the FDOT-maintained right-of-ways along Interstate 75 and Interstate 275 in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties, Florida in the Fall of 2006. The mapping was performed using Trimble

BCI was retained by E.R. Jahna to develop a new 15,000-acre sand mine in the Green Swamp. The Green Swamp is an area of critical environmental concern. The development of the new mine required comprehensive environmental assessments as well as significant wetland assessment. To begin the project, BCI developed detailed, thematic GIS coverage to determine the amount of hydrologic, environmental and mine/reclamation planning needed. In addition, comprehensive geotechnical evaluations were conducted to establish the extent and characterization of the resources available.

Curtis Peterson Park serves as a popular recreational facility for local residents as well as a host for several annual athletic tournaments. The park is located on   previously mined phosphate land and fronts on Lake John. Park design and construction were complicated by adverse conditions;  peat depths were in excess of 60 feet and the park is the receiving point for runoff of approximately 8,000 acres. Because of soil stability conditions, a special geotextile foundation material was incorporated into the design to ensure stability for the park entrance  road and parking area.