USDA Dam Safety Contracts Use Some Stimulus Funds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded dam safety contracts to AMEC, Black & Veatch, Gannett Fleming, HDR, Kleinfelder and URS, according to a press release from Kleinfelder.
The combined total value of the contracts is a maximum $60 million and is funded in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
Kleinfelder will execute its portion of the contract as part of a joint venture with Golder Associates and Freese and Nichols, Inc.
A project management and engineering firm, Kleinfelder will provide services related to design, oversight and planning associated with the assessments, designs, design reviews, and/or construction management of selected new or rehabilitated dam or other water resources projects. The company’s contributions will include technical reports, plans and specifications, drawing review, technical analysis, engineering evaluations, studies, consultations, and surveys.
The five-year contract, including options, involves projects requiring repair, modification, replacement or upgrade of existing USDA, NRCS structures throughout the United States
Disciplines under the tasks to be awarded by NRCS will include civil, structural, agricultural, hydraulic, hydrologic, environmental, and geotechnical engineering, as well as geology and construction management.
Because the project is partially funded by the ARRA, Kleinfelder will report on how many jobs were created or stabilized because of the project. The funding also requires that the project be fast-tracked, requiring that consultants be ready to start work within 10 days of the contract being awarded, complete dam assessments within six months and finish design reviews within six weeks.
The NRCS leads a partnership with the country’s landowners and managers to conserve soil, water and other natural resources. They also provide technical assistance under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act and the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.