Between 2010 and 2012, ECORP performed biological and environmental compliance monitoring on Riverside County Transportation Department’s Indian Canyon Drive/Interstate 10 Interchange Project in Palm Springs, California.
Working under the construction management team of Mendoza and Associates, ECORP made weekly site visits to document compliance with best management practices and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) requirements as specified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ECORP developed and refined a reporting process between our company staff, Mendoza and Associates, and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) to provide timely updates with an internal Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process. Weekly look-ahead emails summarized anticipated needs for monitoring, and monthly reports were prepared for RCTC to summarize the past month’s activities.
Staff from our biological resources department also provided endangered species monitoring services. We prepared and delivered regular Worker Environmental Awareness Trainings which covered the listed species in the area, reasons for their rarity, biology, habitat requirements, regulatory status, and fines and penalties for violating state and federal laws pertaining to listed species.
Particularly, our biologists and monitors performed preconstruction monitoring services surveying the project site for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizards. We acquired the required recovery permits for the species, monitored the installation of Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) fencing, and moved the lizards away from the project site. Problems encountered with the Indian Canyon Drive/Interstate 10 Interchange Project were few and limited to weather-related upkeep of ESA-fencing.
