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Expertise: Environmental

ACEC Oregon Award Winners 2024

Otak is proud to announce some recent accolades from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Oregon. The ACEC Oregon Engineering Excellence Awards celebrate the best of the best in the engineering world, acknowledging firms that demonstrate innovation, technical expertise, and a commitment to delivering exceptional projects.

View the project page for each award winner below and be sure to watch the videos that accompany them for direct insight into what makes each project special.

Cedar Crossing at Johnson Creek – Small Project Award

Check out how Otak’s approach to stream restoration design returned a critical juncture of Johnson Creek at Cedar Crossing to it’s natural features, ensuring that one of the last creeks where salmon actively spawn in Portland, OR is viable for generations to come.

Ash Creek (F Street) Bridge – Honor Award

See how Otak involved the community of Independence, OR to replace an ailing bridge on Ash Creek, providing critical infrastructure through quality survey, geotechnical, roadway, bridge, hydraulic analysis, and environmental permitting work.

The Restoration of Wade Creek Wins Two Awards!

More award wins at Otak! We’re happy to share that this fall the Wade Creek Restoration project was the recipient of two awards!

Otak would like to thank the City of Estacada, Greenworks, and Pacific Habitat services for their partnerships on delivering this project to the benefit of the community of Clackamas County.

Read more about the project and the awards below!

Image of the Wade Creek team accepting the State Land Board Award for stream restoration.What Were the Awards?

State Land Board Award – Stream Category

Led by Greenworks, the restoration of Wade Creek was at the heart of the city’s multi-year effort to address problems with the pond while also creating better connection with the surrounding community. Work included restoring the historic course of the creek to provide improved passage for salmon species throughout their life cycle, adding native plants along the bank to shade and cool the creek, and eliminating steep slopes to create a working floodplain.

The restoration project also added accessible walking trails and a boardwalk to the adjacent park and public library, an amphitheater and community gathering space, stormwater rain gardens, and a pollinator garden. Along with benefiting the environment surrounding the creek, these crucial additions and improvements to accessibility increased the area’s overall sense of community.

John Van Staveren of Pacific Habitat Services was integral to both the completion of the project and the submittal of the Land Board Award, so we would like to extend special thanks to him and the greater firm for all his work advocating for the project.

You can read the press release on the Land Board award win from the Oregon Department of State Lands here.

Oregon ASLA – Honor Award

Also submitted and led by our partners at Greenworks, architects tapped Wade Creek as a Project of Honor at the annual Oregon American Society of Landscape Architects awards banquet for the collaborative and environmentally conscious What method in which it was delivered..

Read more about Wade Creek on our project page, and we’re pleased to have worked on such a transformative and community-driven project.

 

Lower Big Quilcene Riverscape Restoration and Bridge Replacement

Critical infrastructure updates and subsequent restoration of the surrounding floodplain eliminate county road flooding and improve safety for non-motorized traffic along the lower reach of the Big Quilcene River. A new bridge along with levee removal / relocation are part of a design emphasizing a number of habitat enhancement features. Otak completed baseline environmental documentation to support permit submittals for construction, led the road and bridge design, and supported the riverscape restoration design through detailed geomorphic, sediment transport, and hydraulic analyses.

Updating Critical Infrastructure while Reconnecting a Floodplain

In close collaboration with associated stakeholders, including the Hood Canal Enhancement Group and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, a design focused on integrated floodplain protection replaces an 80-foot-long bridge with a 1,040-foot-long floodplain-spanning bridge. For a channel that had been historically leveed, the Linger Longer Road bridge replacement and associated riverscape restoration allows more area for the floodplain to occupy, decreases sediment impacts to Quilcene Bay shellfish beds, and re-establishes a highly-productive corridor for salmon habitat. The features also improve recreational access to fishing, exploring, and wildlife observation.

Otak Denver Hosts Office Open House!

In Fall of 2022, Otak opened its doors to our brand-new Denver office. We reinforced our presence in downtown Denver for several strategic purposes – including a motivation to deepen our commitments to and strengthen our relationships within the greater Denver metropolitan area.

And what better way to build relationships than to host an Open House! On October 5th Otak welcomed our valued clients, teaming partners, and local community members to Otak’s downtown space in the historic Elephant Corral building.

Collage of images from the Otak Denver office open house.

 

A Variety of Practices Forging New Relationships

At the event, we had the chance for meaningful discussion with local peers in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, water resources, and transportation. With a variety of clients in attendance, it was a fantastic opportunity to get better acquainted with partners and local organizations – some of whom we’ve already partnered with on projects, and others we hopefully will in the future.

Beyond Networking

The energy in the office was uplifting as the Denver community came together to explore the space, enjoy food and drinks, engage in meaningful conversation, and foster connections. The event’s success wasn’t just measured in terms of professional connections, but in the opportunity to engage and recharge together outside of a video call. We were honored to host this event and start dialogue with the potential clients, partners, and friends in attendance.

As we continue to thrive and grow our work in the Rocky Mountain region, Otak remains dedicated to contributing to the communities we serve. We look forward to even more vibrant and interactive events in the future, recognizing that it’s not just about planning and building infrastructure, but also about building bridges between people in our communities for years to come.

 

Collage of images from the Otak Denver office open house.

Dungeness River Bridge and Floodplain Restoration

Once constrained by by a 585-foot-long railroad bridge, the Dungeness River floodplain was restored while reusing that existing trestle structure to design its river-worthy, salmon-friendly replacement. Located on the Dungeness River at Railroad Bridge Park in Sequim, this multifaceted project supports Olympic Discovery Trail and the broader redevelopment of the Dungeness River Nature Center.

Working with a Local Tribe to Repurpose a Bridge, Reconnect a Floodplain, and Enhance Aquatic Habitats

The restoration and structural design was accomplished in coordination with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe with the goal of redesigning multiple features that constrained the floodplain process. Along with the railroad trestle, a parking lot would also be replaced with 350 feet of side-channel and log revetments. Along with levee setbacks, these improvements enhance the local salmonid rearing and spawning habitat. A unique no-rise analysis including two-dimensional hydraulic modeling and large wood stability calculations was used for the dynamic river setting. In utilizing the existing railroad bridge, a unique wishbone approach connects the trails and nature center. From preliminary to final design and preferred alternatives, the Otak team prepared each step of the process including permitting, technical specifications, costs, and bid documentation.

Wade Creek Restoration and Community Building

Wade Creek Park represents the culmination of a 15-year vision to create a library, park, and community meeting space for the City of Estacada. This third phase of development improves the park’s utility and connections to the surrounding environment by adding a multi-use community center and converting an existing pond back to its natural stream.

A Multi-Use Community Center Designed Around a Restored Stream

From an outdoor amphitheater, stage area, and boardwalk to an indoor community room, restroom facilities, and picnic area, a number of amenities improved Wade Creek park while restoring its natural stream and adding wetland areas. The architectural design of the community center also includes a roof that drains into a rain garden featuring native plants and locally-sourced materials for the structure that highlight the local timber industry. Wade Creek meanders through the middle of the park and improving the habitat was important to the City. A geomorphic and hydrologic study determined the restoration design of Wade Creek, focusing on enhanced flood management, tree health, and aquatic habitat diversity.  Multiple alternatives were presented to the public using an online survey in partnership with GreenWorks to engage the community in the design process. A hydraulic computer model was used to evaluate maximum water surface elevations for the design alternatives. The final design includes a riffle, pool, channel complex with riparian plantings, and a new fish passage culvert under Wade Street.

Adams County Veteran’s Memorial

As part of significant development to the surrounding area of Riverdale Regional Park, the Adams County Veteran’s Memorial adds a scaled model of the USS Colorado, a vessel that served from 1923 to 1947 and sustained significant damage during World War II. The development aims to not only provide a park for the community to enjoy but also a place to honor living military members and those who have perished.

A Unique Structure to Serve the Community

With a design that extends into Mann-Nyholt Lake, the veteran’s memorial recreates detailed features of the USS Colorado including everything from the battleship bow to the turrets, cables and smokestacks. An interpretive wall and military panels honor the 43 service members who died – along with 198 injured – when the vessel itself suffered hull damage in the Pacific Ocean. Accessibility is a critical factor in the design to accommodate all abilities and provide easy access to all park amenities. Development to surrounding Riverdale Regional Park include a new roundabout and parking lots that enhance an existing trail all to improve public access. Given its position on the waterfront, no-rise analysis and floodplain development permitting also supported the design process. Multiple Otak teams led the design and supporting services necessary to make this memorial a reality.

Staircase Rapids Trail Bridge

To enhance visitor experiences at Olympic National Park in northwest Washington, this 210-foot pedestrian bridge was designed as an integral component of the trail system near Staircase Rapids. With a design-build delivery method, Otak led the survey, engineering analysis, and ensuing design for the project through construction using unique approaches with partners to accommodate the site’s isolated location.

A Design-Build Structure for a Scenic Trail Site

Spanning the Skokomish River, the Staircase Rapids Trail Bridge is a steel-framed suspension bridge in an old growth area of the Pacific Northwest. Its design included a detailed analysis of vibration with the bridge span due to pedestrian footfall. A computer model of the bridge was compiled and subjected to a battery of dynamic pedestrian loads. A physical model of the bridge was also constructed to model the oscillations and allow the bridge designers to gauge their impact. These findings led to the inclusion of a passive tuned mass damper device – consisting of steel plates suspended on a spring – to reduce vibrations on the bridge, enhancing the experience of crossing for all. The dampers were adjusted through field tests and measurements of the bridge dynamics near the end of construction. Because the project’s location in a wilderness area, all equipment and materials were flown in via helicopter. During construction, two temporary bridges were installed to allow the contractor access from one side of the river to the other. When construction finished, the temporary bridges were flown out along with equipment and unused materials.

WSDOT Fish Passage Program

Along state and interstate highways across the state of Washington, work is being done to remove fish barriers and restore streams to their natural ecological processes. Site analysis is informing designs to reestablish aquatic habitats and honor the right to take fish guaranteed to the Northwest Washington Tribes.

Puget Sound Site Analysis to Restore Streams and Deliver Fish Passage Design

With sites throughout the Puget Sound region, a uniquely assembled team continues work in developing Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Preliminary Hydraulic Design (PHD) on the way to the Final Hydraulic Design (FHD) in restoring fish passage at roadway crossings. Topographic data and survey are being used to build hydraulic modeling – using SRH-2D (H&H analysis) to characterize existing and future conditions in the field. From scour analysis to stream channel slope and alignment, an assessment of prevailing geomorphic processes is central  to the structure design and established construction methods. In restoring aquatic habitat for ESA-listed Salmonids, fish presence and habitat evaluation guides plan for improved wildlife connectivity. As part of a general engineering contract (GEC) team, Otak collaborates closely with all project stakeholders and co-managers, including the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Northwest tribes to develop designs in accordance with Water Crossing Design Guidelines and WSDOT’s Hydraulics Manual.

NE 40th Water Quality Facility

Enhanced treatment of highly-polluted highway stormwater runoff is accomplished across 19 acres with the unique design of this water treatment facility. In developing the city of Redmond’s Basin Surface Water Master Plan, the facility addresses water quality for what flows into its stormwater trunk extension using a custom pump and distribution system.

A Unique Water Treatment Facility Utilizing Bioretention for Highly-Polluted Stormwater Runoff

Located alongside the busy highway, SR 520, a unique pump system diverts stormwater runoff through a custom soil mix and vegetated facility designed for biofiltration before eventually reaching the outfall at Lake Sammamish. The resulting bioretention maintains treatment function over time as a custom steel distribution system spreads flow evenly to optimize the footprint across the facility and prevent scouring. Data collected to inform the Basin Surface Water Master Plan was used to identify the optimal location for capturing polluted runoff while continued monitoring refines the runoff model and better defines pollutants. An integrated approach including landscape architecture focused on urban design led to a facility that resembles a leaf. Otak also supported the city in obtaining an ecology grant for the stormwater retrofit by building a report that demonstrates how the facility would function and how the water quality benefits would benefit the community.