Previously eroding at a rate of over 50 feet annually, the 4-mile lightweight aggregate breakwater reduces the quantity and severity of waves hitting the shoreline, while gaps allow organism, water and sediment movement between the gulf and marsh. The Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization Project for Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority protects one of the country’s most productive marshland research laboratories.
Completed on budget and on schedule, the project marks a critical restoration point for the tribe and the region’s biological and cultural heritage. The new weir is less intrusive, capable of handling increased flow throughout the hydrograph, simplifies debris management, incorporates worker safety in a remote environment, and blends perfectly into the scenic area of the Sawtooth Mountain Range. For the first time, juveniles and adults are safely trapped and counted to help tribal biologists gather population data to provide a healthy future for Sockeye. The Shoshone Bannock Tribe's Pettit Lake Creek Weir rectifies a 30-year-old flawed design that restricted safe, effective ways to capture, trap and count endangered Snake River Sockeye Salmon during migration. A panel of nearly 30 judges selected this year’s most outstanding engineering accomplishments from nearly 200 entries, in what’s known as the “Academy Awards” of the engineering industry. HDR received four Grand Awards, which are in the running for the Grand Conceptor and will be recognized at ACEC’s 55th Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on May 24. The projects represent a wide range of disciplines and regions across the United States. The American Council of Engineering Companies has recognized 28 HDR projects with national awards.