North State Environmental by North American Constructors Journal

North State Environmental, Inc. | 2

North State Environmental, Inc.:

Going with The Flow

North State Environmental, Inc. of Winston-Salem, NC has earned its reputation as a premier provider of restoration and mitigation services to waterways across North America.

Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

www.nsenv.com

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www.nsenv.com

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stablished in 1994 by Darrell Westmoreland, North State Environmental, Inc. of Winston-Salem, NC has certainly earned its reputation as a premier provider of restoration and mitigation services to waterways across North America. “Our goal is to restore our waterways, streams and rivers back to their proper function and stability and to provide habitat and supply our estuaries. Erosion puts a lot of the strain on our rivers,” says Westmoreland, the company’s CEO. His wife Stephanie is NSE’s President. The company provides stream restoration, wetlands restoration, dam removal, ecological restoration and bio-engineering services. It averages approximately $18 million annual revenue and maintains its’ national reputation across the United States including the Rocky Mountains States. It employs approximately 70 individuals encompassing nine field crews and office personnel.

The company has been honored with several industry awards, including:

NSE’s reach is nationwide, having executed projects nationwide for landowner clients including Federal, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, universities, and private owners in many geographical provinces.

Award of Excellence for Risk Control 2018: Presented by the National Contractors Insurance Program for superior performance in risk control efforts as demonstrated by effective safety programs, favorable claims experience and experience in risk control workshops and other loss prevention activities.

“Wherever the work is, we go,” Westmoreland states.

Illinois River Environmental Excellence Award 2012: NSE

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received the Oklahoma Conservation Commission Environmental Excellence award from “Keep Oklahoma Beautiful” for planting 10,000 trees, improving 6,000 feet of streambank and keeping 900 tons of sediment out of the Illinois River.

Some Key Projects Linville River Phase 4: This project restored more than 1,000 linear feet of the Linville River flowing through Gill State Forest in western North Carolina. The project used NRCS Western North

Carolina Stream Initiative Funding and was designed and constructed to re-instate flood plain connectivity by utilizing aquatic structures that maintain the depth and width of its stable state. A Dec. 12, 2019 post to The Resource Institute web cited Westmoreland with implementing the project: “Because the river acts like a conveyor belt, it’s constantly moving the gravel and material that you see on the bottom. What had happened with this specific Linville River project was it had gotten

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North State Environmental, Inc. | 6 shallow, and shallow water does not support trout very well,â&#x20AC;? says Darrell. Stone Mountain/East Fort Roaring River Project: The project located in Stone Mountain State Park, Wilkes County, NC, was implemented in May 2017, to improve water quality and aquatic habitats. It was funded by a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund with partner support provided by Trout Unlimited, NC Park Service, and Resource Institute. Designed by Jennings Environmental and implemented by NSE, the 400-linearfoot restoration project included channel realignment, floodplain grading, in-stream log vane structures, toe wood revetments, riffle/pool

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creation, and native riparian vegetation. Buckhorn Dam Project: Completed in 2009 for Progress Energy Service Company, LLC. The Buckhorn Dam Removal consisted of the removal of a 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powerhouse, a large wing wall and several other smaller buildings for the safety of the surrounding community. Once all the rubble from the dam was removed and disposed of properly, realignment of the main steam of the channel ensued to ensure that the pre-existing sediment that was stored behind the dam was handled properly. Vegetation was installed along the channel and the adjacent riparian zones to assist with rapid establishment of native vegetation. This project was a success by reaching the main goals

North State Environmental, Inc. | 7 of restoring the river back to a natural channel that allows fish passage and proper habitat. Little Stewart Creek Restoration Project: Located just outside of Two Harbors, MN, Little Stewart Creek was negatively affected by the 2013 flood. Funded by Minnesota TU as a Design/Build project, the main goals and objectives were to realign the aggraded stream bed to its natural profile and dimension along with maintaining fish passage and habitat

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stability and to serve as in-stream aquatic habitat. The transplanting of willows aided with vegetation establishment and stability.

What They Do While working with a wildlife biologist for the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Darrell and Stephanie discovered a shared passion for stream restoration. “In 1994 we started focusing on erosion

“In 1994 we started focusing on erosion control. Part of stream restoration is to limit erosion. The streams began to blossom, so we started taking specialized training to position ourselves to do this kind of work.” - CEO Darrell Westmoreland

for the native Steelhead. Onsite trees were utilized within the design and construction methods to assist with reestablishment of necessary biomass. Ryan Ranch Bank Stabilization Project: Completed in 2015 in Saratoga, WY, the private project was designed by the NRCS to stabilize a riverbank on the North Platte River that was losing 40 feet of bank each year during Spring runoff. The design featured four 100-foot boulder structures to assist in turning flow regimes in high flows. Toe Wood was installed in the spacing between the boulder structures to also ensure bank

control. Part of stream restoration is to limit erosion. The streams began to blossom, so we started taking specialized training to position ourselves to do this kind of work,” he recalls. Darrell oversees field operations, stream restoration and wetlands projects for the company. Stephanie researches and prepares bids and prequalification packages; handles human resource issues related to EEO and Affirmative Action policies; and manages insurance, payroll and billing. “The job changes a lot and it changes

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North State Environmental, Inc. | 8 Ecosystem Restoration Services

Stream and wetland restoration • Dam removal • Fish passage Mitigation banking • Permittee-responsible mitigation • In-lieu fee mitigation

Partners like North State Environmental work with CEC on the most demanding projects. CEC’s aquatic ecologists, geomorphologists, wetland scientists, botanists, agronomists, and engineers work together to create functional, self-sustaining stream and wetland systems. Whether devising special restoration techniques specific to each site or developing innovative mitigation credit options that are considered models for complex mitigation projects, we truly push the limits on what can be done from a restoration design standpoint. CEC also provides turnkey design-build and construction management services for restoring ecosystems. By developing realistic, ecologically relevant and measurable performance standards, as well as post-restoration monitoring programs to determine compliance with state and federal permits, CEC is specialized in delivering self-sustaining projects that provide an ecological uplift to watersheds.

Offices nationwide 800.365.2324 www.cecinc.com

every day. There are days I’m in the office helping with estimates, hiring, scheduling and reviewing projects. There are a lot of conferences, presentations and site walks with clients for new projects, days when I’m out in the field all day. It’s certainly not boring,” Darrell explains. The company employs subcontractors as needed, primarily for seeding for erosion control. “We take references, we vet them, and we give them the opportunity to see if they are a fit for what we do. Some have grown into long-term relationships,” he says. NSE has a reputation of retaining employees for a long while.

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“I’ve been here 16 years. I began at the entry level, not knowing much about the industry. I came here for a job and I found a career,” says Brandon Spaugh, Project Manager for Business Development. “Not only do I find what we do rewarding but the culture here is great. Darrell and Stephanie are great to work for, a really strong team.” The company also owns Atlantic Reef Maker in Wilmington, NC and a Heavy Civil Division in Winston-Salem.

Looking Ahead With a quarter century of experience behind it, a reputation as one of the industry’s premier providers and an

North State Environmental, Inc. | 9 abundance of work, NSE is just getting started. The company is perfectly positioned for a bright future. “It has been a wonderful, wonderful ride and the employees have been everything for us. They’re friends and

we spend time outside work with them,” Westmoreland says. “They’re hard-working and they always have a smile on their faces, and we do too. And that goes for the clients as well. That’s the biggest part, the people; it’s not just a job, it’s about the relationships you build.”

“It has been a wonderful, wonderful ride and the employees have been everything for us … They’re hard-working and they always have a smile on their face, and we do too.” - CEO Darrell Westmoreland www.nsenv.com

North State Environmental, Inc. | 10 North State Environmental’s Core Competencies To learn more, visit: www.nsenv.com Stream Restoration: A comprehensive program to reestablish the structure and function of an ecosystem, including its natural diversity and aquatic habitats. Methods to control land surface features to prevent erosion by surface water or precipitation runoff. Stream restoration requires a complex understanding of stream function and the diverse habitats that are in and surround the stream. It requires that ability to see the vision of the end goal and still meet the requirements of the landowner, designer, etc. Wetland Restoration: Watering or dewatering of protected wetland areas to promote regeneration of native flora. Wetlands are like our stormwater treatment wetlands, but on a larger scale and are used to provide a flood plain and allow storage during a flood event. They provide habitat for a large array of animals and insects and are a natural buffer to our streams and rivers. Wetlands can also be used to treat stormwater runoff. Water can be treated and released slowly back into the water shed. Dam Removal: Dams dramatically

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alter a river’s flow regime by blocking a river’s passage, storing water in both large and small artificial reservoirs, and disrupting the cycles that many aquatic organisms depend upon. We offer a turnkey service of removing a dam of any size and complexity and replacing it with the necessary revetments to maintain a proposed grade control, to reestablish the river’s natural pattern, profile, & dimension. Ecological Clearing: North State Environmental now has the capability to perform an ecological approach to tree removal. Using a Shinn Grinding System installed on a CAT 321 Excavator, we can grind any size tree into mulch where it stands. This approach alleviates the cost of debris removal from a project site or a burn pile. It also allows the root system to stay in place for bank stability where needed. Bio-Engineering Services: Applying engineering processes to change sediment transport, geomorphology, bank failure mechanisms and flooding by using vegetation to help stabilize stream banks, slopes, and wetlands areas. Reintroducing the design plant diversity and type back into the system in such a way that it will provide stability and habitat for the restored area. Also, reintroducing native plant types that were loss due to land use, changing climate, etc.

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