BESI SOQ

HOW
CAN SUPPORT THE
CONTINUING SUCCESS OF
YOUR COMPANY
Benchmark Ecological Services Inc.
Statement of Qualifications

Benchmark Introduction
Benchmark is a Texas based environmental and archeological consulng firm offering a range of services including:
Wetland surveys,
Threatened and endangered species (TES) surveys,
Cultural resource surveys,
Benthic surveys,
Drone surveys,
Hydrographic surveys, and
Environmental sampling (water, sediment, soil, ssue, sludge, etc.).
Benchmark is supported by a group of highly experienced environmental sciensts and archaeologists that have been
developing, managing, and conducng projects for more than 25 years.
Benchmark sciensts specialize in wetland assessments; TES surveys; sediment, soil, and water analysis; and habitat
assessment, mapping, and migaon. Port Houston presented Benchmark with the Environmental Small Business of
the Year Award in 2007.
Benchmark sciensts draw on years of experience and ecological training to delineate wetlands, map ecologically sensive
habitat, and conduct TES surveys. Benchmark sciensts are also recognized as experts in the ecology of wetland
wildlife (e.g., waterfowl, shorebirds, small mammals, and reples) and aquac biota (e.g., amphibians, fish, mollusks,
crustaceans, and aquac insects).
Benchmark’s cultural resource services department has directed archaeological projects in 20 U.S. states as well as
Japan and Mexico. With over 30 years in the profession, Benchmark archaeologists have established a reputaon for
providing research and management soluons to complex projects. Benchmark has worked with a variety of state and
federal agencies and private companies including energy, transportaon, engineering, and development firms to develop
survey plans and guidance to move projects forward.
Benchmark has an excellent safety record, with no reportable or recordable injuries in the company’s 22-year history.
Benchmark field personnel are 40-hour HAZWOPER trained and hold current cerficates for First Aid and CPR. All
Benchmark field employees have been approved by the U.S. Government for work in restricted segments of Ship
Channels and have TWIC cards.
How do the services listed above support your company?
Benchmark services are necessary to support perming whenever Port Houston expands or builds a new facility,
constructs or conducts maintenance on pipelines, or dredges a new or exisng terminal. If a spill or release occurs
on or near a Port Houston facility over land or water, Benchmark has the experience and equipment to immediately
monitor, delineate, evaluate, and provide guidance for Port Houston team members to clean‐up impacted areas.
Benchmark understands that ‘Time is Money’ and has the experience to develop work plans that can be presented
to and approved by state and federal agencies in a mely manner. In addion, Benchmark has the equipment and
experienced personnel to start and complete field surveys and sampling events as soon as possible. Benchmark GIS
technicians and experienced professionals are able to manage, summarize, and evaluate field data and develop reports
to present to clients, state agencies, federal agencies. Our quick response me and experience will help keep
your projects on or ahead of schedule.

Wetland Services
Federal regulations prohibit the net loss of jurisdictional wetlands and the degradation of other types of natural habitat.
Benchmark scientists are trained wetland delineators with experience in intertidal zones, upland habitat, forested
wetlands, riparian zones, and herbaceous wetlands. Wetland delineations are usually conducted to identify and
quantify habitats that must receive special consideration when a site modification is proposed. Wetland data are
used to maximize the use of uplands and avoid sensitive habitat. Benchmark scientists develop accurate, georeferenced
habitat maps which can be used to calculate size, elevation, and location relative to other habitats.
Wetland Permitting
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regulates the discharge of dredged and fill materials into wetlands and
other waters of the U.S. under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.
Benchmark scientists have experience in preparing Individual Permits and General Permits (regional and nationwide)
for work in jurisdictional wetlands.
Wetland permit and delineation regulations are constantly evolving. Benchmark scientists take pride in their ability
to provide services that reflect the current interpretation of the law. Benchmark works with their clients to facilitate
permitting, project planning, and monitoring with applicable federal and state agencies. Over the past 29 years,
Benchmark scientists have developed excellent working relationships with many state and federal agency representatives.
Benchmark routinely works with regulators from EPA, NMFS, NOAA, USACE, USFWS, TGLO, TCEQ, TPWD, and
TXDOT. Project development and execution are always enhanced by the experience and credibility of Benchmark
scientists.

Threatened and Endangered Species
Threatened and Endangered Species
Over the past 20 years, Benchmark scientists have developed excellent working relationships with many state and federal
agency representatives regarding management of Threatened and Endangered Species (TES). Benchmark routinely
works with scientists and engineers from EPA, NMFS, NOAA, USACE, USFWS, TGLO, TCEQ, TPWD, TSU, and TXDOT to
develop unique TES avoidance approaches.
Benchmark currently holds valid permits to handle many of the listed species in the State of Texas and Louisiana.
Benchmark biologists and scientists are experienced with TES impact mitigation, developing and executing comprehensive
standard operating procedures to minimize construction and industrial impact on threatened and endangered
species. Our experience allows us to work closely with state and federal agencies to facilitate permitting.
TES Monitoring During Construction
Benchmark personnel provide support during construction projects for avoidance of listed species. Initial site visits
are conducted to survey areas proposed to be disturbed in order to relocate listed organisms that may be present.
Additional avoidance steps include barricading the workspace with silt fencing and other methods to prevent organisms
from entering the site. Benchmark personnel monitor the site prior to work being conducted each day and relocate
organisms should the project pose a threat.

Cultural Resources
BESI provides cultural resource consulng services to help you plan your project around archaeological sites, historic
properes, tradional cultural properes, and other cultural resource constraints. Our extensive experience and connecons
with regulatory agencies and tribes allow us to help our clients navigate around potenal problems and ensure
that projects stay on track. Our services include:
Desktop Review of Preexisng Cultural Resources
Historical and Archival Research
Field Survey, Tesng, and Migaon (Phase I, II & III Invesgaons)
Secon 106 and NEPA Integraon (EAs and EISs)
Naonal Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Assessments
Construcon Monitoring
Public Coordinaon & Parcipaon
Emergency Discovery Response and Regulatory Coordinaon
Extensive experience in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (BLM)

Benthic Surveys
Benchmark provides unique services to support perming for projects where oyster habitat, submerged aquac vegetaon,
and/or other sensive benthic habitats may be impacted. Services include the use of low frequency sonar,
side scan sonar, patent oyster tongs, unmanned aerial vehicles, divers, and underwater remotely operated vehicles.
These services allow Benchmark biologists to confirm the presence or absence of sensive habitats. If sensive
habitats are idenfied, Benchmark can delineate habitat boundaries and conduct quanficaon surveys suitable for
presenng to state and federal agencies to support permit applicaons and, if necessary, migaon.

Aerial Drone Services
Benchmark drone pilots are licensed by the Federal Aviaon Administraon to conduct commercial drone surveys in
applicaons including land surveying, habitat mapping, and photo documentaon.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles oen guide the survey process in large‐scale projects such as pipeline delineaons. Having a
bird’s‐eye view of the survey area oen leads to discoveries of subtle land features that could be overlooked at ground
level.
Our state‐of‐the‐art drones can collect high‐resoluon aerial photos, 4K video, and sub‐meter GPS data. Using this
cung‐edge technology, Benchmark delivers our clients new perspecves on the obstacles of each project.
Drone Services include:
3D mapping and modeling
High‐resoluon orthorecfied aerial imagery
Elevaon models
Volume and area calculaons
Wildlife surveys
Site assessments
Wetland locang followed by ground truthing

Hydrographic Surveys
Hydrographic surveys provide an invaluable source of data to support marine studies. Benchmark conducts sonarbased
surveys employing a variety of methods and technologies to appropriately invesgate condions beneath the
water’s surface. Side scan, single beam, sub‐boom, and Acousc Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP) technologies are
employed to collect a variety of datasets in support of dredging projects, submerged habitat delineaon and conserva‐
on, and contaminant dispersal determinaons. A robust understanding of geographic and vercal datums as well as
acousc physics is paramount to the success and integrity of our surveys.
Bathymetric Surveys
Bathymetric surveys measure submerged features and sediment elevaons to calculate water depths and volumetric
cuts to support engineers, researchers, and sciensts. Before marine construcon or dredging operaons can begin,
bathymetric surveys are conducted to map the surface of submerged sediments. Benchmark has conducted bathymetric
surveys to support numerous projects including beach erosion studies, marine infrastructure construcon, frac water
sourcing, pipeline trenching, and maintenance or new‐work material dredge events.

Environmental Sampling
Benchmark personnel develop and conduct innovave sampling programs that are cost efficient and provide accurate,
reliable results. Benchmark specializes in the following types of Environmental Sampling: sediment, soil, surface
water, fish, and wildlife sampling.
Environmental sampling programs include:
Aquac Toxicology Studies
Bioavailibility Studies
Biodiversity Studies
Chemical Spills and Contaminant Evaluaons
Dredge and Pre-Dredge Characterizaon
Post-Dredge Monitoring
Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessments
Effluent and Stormwater Tesng
Fate and Transport Studies
Phase I and Phase II Site Assessments
Superfund Invesgaons
Over the past twenty-plus years, Benchmark sciensts have collected and processed environmental samples within
many lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and along the
Houston Ship Channel,
Sabine Neches Waterway,
Texas City Federal Channel,
La Quinta Channel,
Corpus Chris Channel,
Freeport Federal Channel, and
Brownsville Ship Channel
Environmental samples have included sediment, water, biota, pore water, and soil samples for Port Authories, privately
owned commercial docks, in support of oil and gas operaons, other industrial clients, USEPA, and USACE.

Environmental Sampling
Sediment Samples
Sediment sampling studies have been conducted in support of pre‐dredge evaluaons and human health and environmental
risk assessments associated with potenally contaminated areas and Superfund Sites. Benchmark sciensts
have developed hundreds of sampling and analysis plans and collected, processed, and analyzed over a hundred thousand
sediment grab and core samples using a variety of equipment and sampling plaorms. Benchmark rounely collects
sediment samples in water depths from 0 to ‐50 .
Water Samples
Surface water sampling events have been conducted in support of pre‐dredge evaluaons and human health and environmental
risk assessments associated with potenally contaminated areas and Superfund Sites.
Tissue Samples
Benchmark Sciensts have developed sample plans, conducted sample collecon and processing events, and developed
field summary and analycal evaluaon reports for ssue and sediment studies associated with Superfund Sites
listed below.
Alcoa Lavaca Bay Superfund Site (Point Comfort, Texas)
Malone (Texas City, Texas)
Patrick Bayou (Pasadena, Texas)
San Jacinto Waste Pits (Channelview, Texas)
Gulfco (Freeport, Texas)
Brakes Bayou, (Beaumont, Texas)
Vince Bayou (Pasedena, Texas)