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Forensic Analysis of Stormwater Flooding of a Residence
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A residence in Jackson MS experienced repeated nuisance
flooding during high rain events. The owner sued the city of Jackson as well as
the neighboring property owner, claiming that modifications to the neighbor’s
fence and landscaping contributed to the flooding. EOE was hired as an expert
witness by the defendant to determine the controlling factors for the flooding.
Physical analysis included the topography, hydrography, and hydraulic
infrastructure of the area, and a detailed site assessment. Document analyses
included Federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing stormwater
management, infrastructure records of the city of Jackson, and reams of
discovery documents. An analytical
model of the neighborhood was developed and used to simulate several
hypothetical flooding events. EOE determined that impacts of the neighbor’s
fence and landscaping were likely immaterial in the modeled flooding events and
that lack of maintenance of culvert entrances was a principal factor.
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Small-Scale Living
Shoreline for an Exposed, Rapidly Eroding Coast - In 2013 a client asked EOE to solve an erosion problem for a rapidly
eroding, exposed property on Mobile Bay, AL.
Living shorelines are gaining favour as a sustainable response for
shoreline protection, but projects at exposed sites are often
impractical because of the significant breakwaters required to
control erosion and protect shoreline vegetation.
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Impacts of
Hurricane Katrina on MS and LA Coastal Structures - In addition
to its massive physical impacts, Hurricane Katrina engendered many
disputes between policy holders and insurance companies over the
agent and timing of damages to covered structures what became
known as the wind vs. flood question.
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Living Shoreline
Bank Stabilization - Localized erosion was threatening a roadway
on Eglin Air Force Base. FL. The client's RFP was for a sheet pile
or rock retaining wall, but Emerald Ocean Engineering's bid for a
novel marine mattress revetment came in at half the cost of these
traditional approaches.
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A High-reliability
System for Capturing Hurricane Wave Data - The Corps of
Engineers required measurements of extreme waves in Lake
Pontchartrain to study wave run-up which could overtop the lakefront
hurricane protection structures which protect the city of New
Orleans from inundation.
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Hydraulic Analysis
of St Joseph Bay - St Joseph Bay is formed by a curving, rapidly
eroding sand spit with the prominent Cape San Blas located at its
southern tip. A narrow section of the peninsula at a site called
Stump Hole will likely breach in the near future. The new inlet will
bisect the only road available to peninsula residents and visitors
to St Joseph Peninsula State Park.
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Engineering
Services for Project Greenshores - Greenshores is an
award-winning habitat restoration effort that will create emergent
and submerged saltmarsh vegetation along ~ 1 mile of urban shoreline
on the northwest shore of Pensacola Bay, FL. The primary objective
was to create a highly visible, habitat-rich, educational shoreline
restoration project to serve as a model for other disturbed areas of
shoreline.
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Shore
Protection for Seaside - Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina caused dramatic bluff erosion to
Seaside, a unique coastal development. EOE developed an equally
unique plan to stabilize the dunes using a novel tensile curtain
retaining wall that was invisible in place and required minimal
disruption to the dune system.
Client:
Town of Seaside, FL
Reports:
Proprietary |
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Coastal Engineering
Services for Escambia County, FL - Provide planning, analysis,
design, monitoring, and measurement of coastal processes, coastal
structures, and coastal habitats, and consultation and advice as
required on coastal engineering issues of concern.
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3-Dimensional
Hydraulic Physical Model Evaluation for the Los Angeles/Long Beach
Harbor - Recent topographic surveys of the breakwaters for Los
Angeles/Long Beach Harbors revealed an average crest elevation of
the San Pedro Breakwater of approximately 1.5 ft below the design
crest of + 14 ft MLLW. Of particular concern is the potential for
impacts on Port operations from increased low frequency wave energy
levels at various terminals inside the harbor.
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Hydrodynamic
Climate/Extremal Analysis of Santa Rosa Island, FL - This
project provided hydrodynamic climate for use in selecting design
conditions for a planned Underwater Marine Sanctuary as part of the
Navarre Beach State Park.
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Underwater Remote
Sensing Survey of Naval Station Pascagoula - A review of the
past cultural environment and an underwater remote sensing survey of
proposed expansion at Naval Station Pascagoula, including a
multi-beam bathymetric survey, a sidescan sonar survey, and a
magnetometer survey.
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Solar-Powered Boat
- Emerald Ocean Engineering is consulting on the next generation
of a solar-powered boat, the successor to the STEVI Solar
Technology Electric Vessel Integration. STEVI 2 is planned as a
solar-assisted, alternative-fuel passenger ferry operating in
Pensacola Bay, FL. |
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Characterization of Coastal Erosion
Management by the Gulf States -
A report characterizing the manner in which each Gulf of Mexico
state (FL, AL, MS, LA, & TX) treats problems arising from coastal
erosion and regulates methods to mitigate such problems, considering
the integrated meaning of pertinent laws, regulations, and written
policies together with the application of such to specific
permitting decisions, lawsuits, or other visible actions.
Client: US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf of Mexico Program
Reports: Technical Report 21 |
Statewide Coastal Engineering
Services Task Order - Provide professional Coastal Engineering
services as part of a statewide continuing services contract, for
projects including beach erosion, control structures, marine
structures, dune restoration, etc.
Client: Department of Environmental Protection, Division of
Recreation and Parks |
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Various Marina and Harbor Studies - Emerald Ocean Engineering has provided design, permitting, and/or
evaluation studies in support of the following projects: Los Angeles
Harbor, San Pedro, CA; Sunset Marina, Pensacola, FL; Ventura Harbor,
Ventura, CA; City Small Boat Harbor, Pensacola, FL; Santa Rosa Yacht
Club, Pensacola, FL; Sabine Marina channel, Pensacola Beach, FL;
Pegasus Marina, Perdido Key, FL; Windward Cove Marina, Pensacola,
FL; Sea Horse Marina, Pensacola Beach, FL. |
Expert Witness
Designation - Mr. McGehee has been designated as an expert
witness and been deposed in several cases of litigation. In every
case, the parties reached a settlement without going to court after
his testimony.
- Forensic analysis of defective SCUBA equipment and its role
in a diving fatality
- Interpretation of consistency of Florida Department of
Environmental Regulation permits with Florida Statures and FDEP
Regulations
- Littoral impacts of unpermitted coastal construction on
adjacent shorelines
- Forensic analysis of hurricane wind and surge effects to
storm-damaged structures
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