Nationwide Highlighted Projects

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MTS conducted site evaluations, construction monitoring, habitat mapping, and telemetric data collection of two salt-marsh restoration areas and two upland restoration areas. MTS provided construction monitoring reports during construction and site monitoring reports during the plant establishment period. MTS was also responsible for establishing and maintaining two telemetric tide monitoring stations and one time-lapse photographic station. MTS supported its client, AECOM, with annual reporting elements relating to eelgrass mapping, salt-marsh channel sedimentation monitoring, and tidal monitoring.

MTS provided diver services at Landing Cove for the wharf replacement at Anacapa, CA. MTS conducted a thorough biological survey for fish, invertebrates, kelp, and non-kelp algae within the vicinity of the wharf replacement. The goal of the survey was to identify pre-construction conditions to support the construction planning and environmental review being performed by Anchor QEA and the National Parks Service. 

MTS is contracted to provide on-call eelgrass monitoring services to the Port of San Diego. Under this contract, MTS provides ongoing eelgrass mitigation site monitoring for multiple eelgrass mitigation sites in San Diego Bay. MTS has also been called upon to implement eelgrass transplanting to support eelgrass mitigation for construction related impacts. Finally, MTS has provided services for eelgrass construction monitoring at multiple project sites in San Diego Bay. 

MTS is contracted by Anchor QEA to provide vessel support services for water quality monitoring in support of the Harbor Toxics TMDL Compliance Monitoring Program. The program evaluates the water quality, chemistry and bacterial condition offshore of the Palos Verdes Peninsula as well as in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach following storm events. 

MTS has worked with Anchor QEA to provide multiple environmental support services for sediment and site remediation efforts at Tow Basin. MTS provided a vessel and personnel to complete vibracore sampling of sediments within the water lease areas. Cores were processed by Anchor QEA and contracted laboratories to determine the chemical composition of cores collected by MTS.  Additionally, MTS performed side-scan sonar and diver surveys within the Former Tow Basin to map eelgrass resources. The goal of the eelgrass survey was to assess the extent of eelgrass within the project boundary and to determine any impacts to eelgrass related to the proposed remediation effort.

MTS provided support services to Anchor QEA involving the collection and analysis and water and sediment samples in San Diego Bay Shipyards using a double Van Veen. MTS provided a sampling vessel, one vessel operator and support staff for sediment sample collection. MTS was responsible for sorting all benthic infaunal samples and reviewing organisms for taxonomy. MTS provided all results to the client in a benthic community analysis. Additional sampling is anticipated.

MTS has provided underwater pipeline inspection services for multiple clients from Southern California to Alaska. The work has included diver video inspection of pipeline integrity, evaluation of ballast condition, remotely operated vehicle inspections, clearing of diffuser ports, removal of fouling organisms, evaluation of cathodic protection of metallic structures, replacement of zinc anodes, hardware and valve replacement, and tissue analysis for chemicals of concern through collection of fouling organisms. MTS relies on its qualified team of SCUBA and rebreather divers to complete underwater tasks in a variety of environments.

MTS provided staff to fulfill field and report writing needs for monitoring of 8 coastal lagoons on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. MTS monitored various environmental parameters including fish, water quality, periphyton, infauna, and water and sediment chemistry. Fish were sampled for tidewater goby and other species using  beach seines, dip nets, minnow traps, square enclosures, and snorkeling. Water was collected via an extendable water collection device. Sediment and infauna were collected via a petite Ponar grab sampler. Sediment was stored in accordance with laboratory requirements. Infauna was sieved through a 1 mciron mesh sieve and preserved for sample analysis at a later date. MTS performed sorting and taxonomy of all infauna samples. Water quality was collected via an AquaTroll 600 water quality sonde. Water chemistry was collected in accordance with laboratory standards and was provided to a chemistry testing lab for analysis. Results of all data were analyzed by MTS and reports summarizing these results was provided to the client quarterly and annually. 

MTS has been contracted directly by California State Lands or as a subconsultant to Merkel & Associates since 2014 to maintain the telemetric water management system at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The system was originally designed and installed by Dr. Mooney. The system monitors surface and groundwater conditions at multiple locations.  The monitored conditions result in programmatic control of pumps and gates to diver and control water levels within the restoration site to prevent flooding and maintain habitat for sensitive species. 

MTS provided personnel and equipment to complete a side scan sonar and diver survey for eelgrass along the west trail within Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay, CA. MTS provided a summary of the baseline eelgrass survey along with an Essential Fish habitat assessment to support project permitting and planning.  

MTS provided personnel and equipment to complete a side scan sonar and diver survey for eelgrass resources in the east basin of Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, CA. The project seeks to combine harbor sediment management with beach replenishment at the Surfers Beach Pilot Restoration Project.  MTS provided a summary of the baseline eelgrass survey along with an Essential Fish habitat assessment to support project permitting and planning.  MTS continues to support efforts for harbor-wide eelgrass management to support multiple dredging efforts.

MTS provided its 30-foot sediment sampling vessel, vibracore equipment, and support staff to collect core samples in the deep draft reaches of the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River. The data are used to inform the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of sediment quality for beneficial re-use or disposal relative to the Inland Testing Manual under Clean Water Act, Section 404.

This benthic assessment was conducted to address specific permit requirements for multiple agencies for sand mining in San Francisco and Suisun Bays within existing California State Lands Commission lease areas for Hanson Marine Operations  and Lind Marine, Inc.  Sand mining is conducted within multiple lease areas in Central San Francisco Bay, Middle Ground Shoal, and Suisun Bay. Sand mining is conducted using a suction drag head to dredge sand to a barge for eventual use as construction material throughout the Bay Area. The objective of the study was to determine the resulting effects of sand mining on benthic communities within representative lease areas and evaluate whether the disturbance has any potential impacts on habitat function relative to foraging by higher trophic species.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintain a deep ocean dredged material disposal site (SF-DODS) just south of the Farallon Islands west of the mouth of San Francisco Bay, California. The site is used to receive dredged material from San Francisco Bay.

MTS has been involved in providing expert box core staff for this ongoing monitoring at SF-DODS for decades. MTS Staff have been on over 10 cruises from the 1990’s through the 2000’s for four different prime contractors. MTS’ main role has been box core specialist, but has assisted with all tasks on deck and in the wet lab aboard the vessel. 

MTS is supporting the restoration of Taylor and Tallac Marshes with invasive species monitoring and management. MTS designed protocols for diver and shallow water surveys and performed 5-m resolution transect surveys of marsh and stream environments within the Taylor and Tallac systems to delineate the extent of aquatic invasive plants. The team worked diligently to ensure precise recording of invasive extent for proper treatment. MTS is currently working to help finalize project permits and prepare the site for the first phase of the restoration. During the first phase of restoration MTS will control aquatic invasive plants through installation of benthic barriers over approximately 17 acres. MTS completed a Containment and Eradication Plan, and Multi-Year Monitoring Plan to kickoff the project. Implementation of invasive control methods is set to start Spring 2021 and continue for several years. 

MTS performed  aquatic invasive species (AIS) surveys and mitigation in Meeks Marina. The work required biologists to remove Eurasian watermilfoil upon identification within the watershed. Removal methods included benthic barriers, diver assisted suction, and hand removal dependent on location and severity of infestation. Diver surveys are completed periodically to ensure barrier health, perform barrier repairs, and complete hand removal of any new plant growth. Once barriers are removed, MTS will implement routine monitoring  to prevent reestablishment of invasive plants. 

MTS provided a vessel and dive team for the Asian clam control effort in partnership with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. In June 2017, the MTS dive team installed 2.7 acres of pond liner and secured the material to the bottom of the bay with rebar and gravel bags. Materials were transported onsite using a forklift onshore and by a 30' Chinook Pontoon boat working offshore. 

The MTS dive team relocated pond liners several times throughout the life of the project to cover additional areas and provided the agency with drone footage of the installation. The team worked efficiently even in the harshest weather conditions to ensure the project was completed on time and within budget. In May 2020, the MTS dive team removed all barriers from the project site. A post-project survey was completed in June 2020 to determine status and inform future treatment requirements. 

MTS performs aquatic invasive species (AIS) mitigation offshore of the Tahoe Keys. The work requires biologists to remove Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed upon identification from entrance channels and the nearshore environment. Removal methods include benthic barriers, diver assisted suction, and hand removal dependent on site location and severity of infestation. After initial treatment, sites are surveyed and re-treated as necessary to prevent invasive plant reestablishment. 

MTS performs invasive species surveys and treatment at multiple sites in the Lake Tahoe basin. The work requires biologists to remove aquatic invasive plant species such as Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed upon identification. Removal methods include installation of benthic barriers, diver assisted suction, and hand removal dependent on site location and severity of infestation.  After initial treatment, sites are surveyed and treated as necessary to prevent reestablishment.  

Surveillance and Treatment Sites Include:  Baldwin Beach, Burke Creek, Camp Richardson, Crystal Shores Marinas, Eagle Creek, Elks Point Marina & Rock Cribs, Emerald Bay, Fleur du lac, Friday Reservoir, General Creek, Glenbrook Estates, Lakeside Beach, Lakeside Marina, Nevada Shoreline, Pope Marsh, Round Hill Point & Rock Cribs, Ski Run Marina, Star Harbor Marina, Sunnyside Marina, Tahoe Beach Club & Pond, Tahoe Vista Marina, Timber Cove Pier, Truckee River Above Dam, Truckee River Below Dam, Upper Truckee River Marsh, Wovoka Estates

MTS provided a vessel to transport materials and topside personnel to assist in installing a coffer dam as well as turbidity curtains around the worksite. The site was de-watered and the sewage pipe was hand dug and then replaced. MTS worked with local agencies to monitor and control water quality concerns throughout the project. Upon completion, the site was restored to better than existing conditions. All materials as well as preexisting debris were removed. 

MTS provides design and build services for bubble curtain installation at various sites within the Tahoe Basin to control the spread of invasive plant fragments. Current project locations include Elks Point Marina and Tahoe Keys East Channel.

 MTS provides a certified confined space dive team with specially cleaned equipment to survey, clean and repair fresh-water storage tanks.  

MTS has installed, removed, repaired and replaced multiple underwater structures for homeowners and agencies. Recent work has included replacement of freshwater intake pumps and pipelines for irrigation as well as removal old derelict pipelines and infrastructure. MTS has also removed underwater debris to maintain habitats and navigation and installed buoys to denote special status areas. 

MTS was responsible for supporting contaminated sediment studies at the Albina Turning Basin Superfund Site. MTS provided personnel, a sampling vessel, and a vibracore to sample benthic sediment. MTS provided horizontal and vertical control for precise collection of data with centimeter accuracy. This sampling was in the Portland Harbor and was managed by the US. Environmental Projection Agency with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   

MTS was responsible for providing personnel, a sampling vessel, and a vibracore to sample benthic sediments at the Post Office Bar Superfund Site. MTS provided for accurate station sampling locations and depth of penetration for collected cores using RTK corrected GPS to ensure data quality. Chemicals of concern were collected in sediments and processed by MTS with support from the US. EPA with analysis performed by the U.S Environmental Projection Agency. 

The Coos Bay North Jetty (CBNJ) Major Maintenance Project is located on the north side of the Coos bay entrance, Oregon. An attendant feature of the CBNJ is the Log-spiral Bay (LSB), located near the landward root of the jetty. Over time, the LSB has gradually lengthened and enlarged toward the Coos Bay North Spit and the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to repair critically damaged sections to the North Jetty and to fortify the LSB with sand from the federal navigation channel (FNC) in order to maintain stable deep-draft navigation through the entrance to Coos bay and to prevent breaching of the CBNS during storm events. The purpose of the study was to characterize the LSB habitats to better quantify impacts that would result from fortification (filling) approximately 18 acres of the bay with clean sand from the FNC. 

MTS staff provided expertise, equipment and staff to support the successful habitat characterization of LSB aboard a MTS research vessel in 2016. MTS was responsible for managing sampling operations and providing reports detailing the results of the assessment. 

MTS was contracted by MWH Americas, Inc. and Stantec to execute and complete pre-construction ecological studies at Holden Mine, an inactive mine in Washington State.  The work was part of a larger, multi-million dollar remediation project designed to address past environmental problems. MTS provided stream benthic invertebrate sampling, sorting and taxonomy, electrofishing field surveys, tailed frog and trout surveys using snorkel, vegetation surveys, avian surveys, and herpetological surveys.  

Over the past 40 years and counting, MTS has provided the Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company with multiple services including bathymetric surveys, debris surveys, underwater port facility inspections, underwater pipeline repair, confined space diving, and environmental monitoring.  Environmental monitoring is performed by sampling animal tissue and sediment chemistry parameters as required by National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. 

In 2016, MTS was additionally contracted to help the HGCMC evaluate sediment transport due to vessel berthing operations and how that transport might be distributing sediments that were contaminated as part of an ore spill at the ship loading facilities in 1989. MTS designed a real-time water quality monitoring system to sample water at multiple points and depths during berthing operations so that the HGCMC could investigate whether berthing operations were suspending sediments in adjacent shallow waters where the spill occurred. Additionally, MTS designed a sampling program to investigate the extent to which contaminated sediments may have been transported down slope into deeper waters of the fjord where the port facilities are located. The sampling required MTS rebreather certified divers to collect sediment samples at depths ranging to 250 feet. 

Since 2015, MTS has been responsible for sorting benthic infauna samples for the City of San Diego. The MTS laboratory team ensures timely processing of infauna samples and performs quality assurance on sorted samples. Laboratory protocols are in place to include recording the number of individual specimens per species, and counts for each major taxonomic group, while ensuring consistency across samples and with regional standards.   

The Humboldt Open Ocean Disposal Site (HOODS) is an Ocean Dredge Material Disposal Site located 3 nautical miles offshore of Humboldt Bay in Northern California. The HOODS was permanently designated by EPA Region 9 in 1995 and has been actively used for dredged material disposal operations. 

MTS was responsible for infaunal invertebrate sorting, taxonomy, analysis, and reporting. MTS received infaunal samples collected by Battelle. MTS performed both the sorting of infauna from the samples and provided taxonomic classifications in accordance with regional protocols and species lists. MTS identified 294 taxa among more than 42,000 individual organisms within 25 samples. After providing the taxonomic identifications of organisms to the lowest practical taxonomic classification, MTS was tasked with performing data analyses to determine whether or not the benthic infaunal community within the HOODS was similar to a nearby reference area. Additionally, the study sought to determine the potential impacts associated with expanding the HOODS. 

As part of the cleanup of the EPA Superfund site at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, benthic marine infaunal taxonomy was used to monitor the sediment cleanup. A sediment treatability pilot study was implemented to study the performance of two activated carbon amendments for in situ treatment of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated sediments in the south basin of Parcel F. The goals of the study are to follow the physical stability and longevity of the amendments, determine effectiveness of amendments in controlling contaminant bioavailability, and response of the benthic community to amendments. 

MTS was contracted by CH2M Kleinfelder to support the studies relative to evaluation the benthic marine communities. MTS sorted marine organisms from debris and sediment and then performed taxonomic identifications of all sorted organisms to the lowest practical taxonomic level (generally species). The study involved performing benthic infaunal identifications prior to the use of amendment and then 6, 12, and 18 months following placement of amendment. 

MTS was responsible for sorting of infaunal organisms at Mares island.  For each replicate sample, MTS counted the number of individual specimens per species, and tracked results relative to major taxonomic groups. Results were analyzed using RIVPACS and mAMBI models for sediment quality objectives.