Marcellus Shale Industry Services

Allied Biological offers several services designed to assist companies and communities in the Marcellus Shale areas of New York with their environmental protection and compliance. Our specific areas of expertise are:

• Invasive Species Surveys and Management
• Water Quality, Toxicity and Biological Assessment and Monitoring
• Surface Water Volume Mapping for water withdrawal

Invasive Species Surveys

The Draft EIS for Marcellus Shale extraction, section 7.4.2, calls for the survey for the presence of invasive species to identify the types of invasive species that are present at a project site, as well as a map of the locations and extent of any established population.

Specifically, the DEC draft states: “…. the Department proposes to require that well operators submit, with the EAF Addendum for a single well or the first well proposed on a multi-well pad, a comprehensive survey of the entire project site, documenting the presence and identity of any invasive plant species. The survey should be conducted by an environmental consultant familiar with the invasive species in New York.”

Allied Biological has conducted numerous plant surveys in New York with focus on invasive species, and has regularly submitted plant maps and reports documenting invasive species, which were accepted by DEC. As specified in the draft EIS, our surveys include:

• Baseline measure of percent aerial coverage
• Plant species identified on the Interim List of Invasive Plant Species in New York State.
• GIS based map showing all occurrences of invasive species within the project site
• Field notes, photographs and GPS equipment to document any occurrences of invasive species
• Identifying all invasive species occurrences in the field with signs, flagging, and/or stakes prior to any ground disturbance.

Allied Biological has also been providing invasive species control services for more than 20 years, and is the recognized leader in wetland invasive species control in the tri-state area. Our staff has the experience to control, remove and dispose of invasive species infestations using mechanical and/or chemical means. Contact Steve Wilson, Northern NY Manager at steve@alliedbiological.com or 607-286-7257 for a site visit and estimate.

Water Quality, Toxicity and Biological Monitoring

Allied Biological has been managing surface waters for more than 30 years, and has well-established protocols and expert staff for surface water quality monitoring. Allied Biological performs field collection and in-situ analysis, and works with certified laboratories for necessary chemical analysis. The firm performs water quality analysis for more than 100 freshwater sites each year.

In situations where toxicity is suspected, Allied Biological offers the IQ-Tox test for rapid, broad spectrum toxicity testing at an affordable cost. The IQ-Tox test uses the effect of surface waters on Daphnia magna to assess general toxicity. Allied Biological can perform the test on site in as little as 20 minutes to determine if toxicity concerns are present and more comprehensive testing is justified.

In addition to water chemistry, Allied Biological has expertise in biological assessment of aquatic systems, including phytoplankton and zooplankton, macro-invertebrates, aquatic plants, and fisheries. The firm’s staff of biologists and environmental scientists regularly survey aquatic species for lake communities, corporate clients, municipalities, private landowners and water suppliers.

Contact Chris Doyle, Water Quality Supervisor at doyle@alliedbiological.com or 908-850-0303 to discuss a monitoring program for your site.

Surface Water Volume Mapping

Water withdrawals from surface water bodies may require accurate mapping of the volume of the waterbody, including determination of layer volumes and drawdown exposure areas. Allied Biological, with its software partner The Mapping Network, provides highly accurate and detailed mapping of surface water bodies using a GPS data collector linked to a fathometer, with a point collection frequency of one datapoint/two seconds. This provides a detailed map of water depths and area, which is then used to compute total and layer volumes and drawdown limits. The system operates effectively in a range of <1 acre to 500 acres. Various sample maps are shown below.

Contact Steve Wilson, Northern NY Manager at steve@alliedbiological.com or 607-286-7257 for more sample maps, questions and an estimate.