Although ESI does not have the staff to complete entire environmental impact assessments, we have assisted environmental engineering firms with the aquatic ecology and endangered species sections for these documents.

Casino Development Environmental Assessment, Missouri River,

St. Charles Riverfront Station, Inc., St. Charles, Missouri, 1992.

St. Charles Riverfront Station, Inc. is planning a riverfront development that will include riverboat gambling, restaurants, and parking within the Missouri River floodplain in St. Charles County, Missouri. ESI was contracted to assess the project's effect on the aquatic biota in the Missouri River.

PARA-DICE is planning on developing an area along the Mississippi River as a hotel and riverboat casino. ESI was contracted to assess the project's effect on the site's terrestrial and aquatic habitat and biota.

Parson’s Engineering Sciences, Inc. is preparing an environmental impact assessment for chemical warfare training at Fort Leonard Wood. ESI was contracted to identify and analyze aquatic invertebrate samples from several sites on the Big Piney River and Roubidoux Creek using Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP) metrics. It was determined that the aquatic insect communities at most sites were diverse and contained intolerant taxa; which is reflective of good water quality, habitat heterogeneity, and habitat suitability.

Unionid and Fish Habitat Survey in the Mullet River, Wisconsin,

The State Historical Society of Wisconsin (SHSW) proposes reconstructing a water-powered sawmill at Wade House State Park, located in Greenbush, Wisconsin. Two unionid species, Venustaconcha ellipsiformis and Alasmidonta viridis, which are threatened in Wisconsin occur in the project area. Fish distribution in the area was largely unknown. Unionid and fish communities, and their habitat, were characterized in the Mullet River from downstream of Glenbeulah dam to Mullet Marsh to facilitate project design, impact evaluation, and mitigation development. Sampling was conducted between 15 and 31 July 1997. Twenty-two species of fish were collected, including Etheostoma nigrum, a host fish for Venustaconcha ellipsiformis and Alasmidonta viridis. ESI worked with engineers at Woodward/Clyde and SHSW to develop a construction and operation plan that would serve the project purpose, yet minimally affect the stream and its biota. The impoundment needed to drive the sawmill turbines will be constructed to the side of the river to minimize in stream disturbance, fish passage will be provided around the dam structure, and a re-regulation pool downstream of the dam should dissipate the effects of flow pulses.