TAMPA, FL (June 26, 2024) — The Western Dredging Association (WEDA) has honored J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) and GEI Consultants with a 2024 Safety Excellence Award for their work on the Third Ward Milwaukee River remediation project. GEI and Brennan accepted the award at WEDA’s Annual Dredging Summit and Expo in Tampa, Florida.

WEDA’s Safety Excellence Award recognizes individual organizations or project teams for exceptional safety performance and for exhibiting a proactive approach to raising safety awareness in the dredging workplace.

J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) overcame significant design challenges to complete a dredging project that involved hydraulically pumping slurry over a long distance of 10.4 miles. Brennan employees designed the dredging system and executed the entire project using Brennan-owned pipeline and equipment. 

Treatability testing uses bench-scale demonstrations and analysis to determine if a material can be effectively treated with a specific chemical or process. At Brennan, we use treatability testing to develop sound technical approaches for dredged material dewatering, in situ or dewatered dredged material stabilization, and water treatment. 

Treatability data can be used to price a job more accurately and find cost savings for our clients. Treatability testing allows us to select chemical and mechanical processes for treatment and evaluate less costly alternatives. Here's how we do it.

Island building and habitat restoration have significant environmental benefits, improving aquatic and land-based ecosystems. Working under LS Marine alongside Ramsey County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Saint Paul District, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Brennan built up islands at Pigs Eye Lake in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The project's master plan features seven islands, sand beaches, marsh habitat, and land plantings. We utilized dredged material from the Mississippi River in an environmentally beneficial way to build the islands. Here's how it happened and why it works!

Sandy Lake Dam is owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Paul District. The USACE identified that the original concrete structure needed repairs and improvements to address immediate safety concerns. Because the dam structure was more than 100 years old, the USACE used this as an opportunity to have Brennan rehabilitate the dam and update many of its operational features.

Our new video shows you how we did it! 

La Crosse, WI — Marine contractor J.F. Brennan Company and its sister company Brennan Marine invite you to honor National Maritime Day on May 22nd.

This special day commemorates the contributions of America's maritime industry and the men and women who serve in it. Our companies employ hundreds of dedicated maritime professionals who work tirelessly to maintain our nation's water-based infrastructure and to keep commodities flowing on the river. 

The 25th anniversary of Women in Construction Week™ (WIC Week™) has a clear theme: Many paths, one mission. The purpose is to recognize the different journeys women have taken to strengthen and amplify the success of all women in the construction industry. We're fortunate enough to feature some of those women, working at Brennan, who have agreed to share their thoughts on starting out in construction, and give advice to women considering joining the industry.

Did you know that more than 800,000 women in America are employed in the construction industry? Please help us honor them by showing support for women in the trades, especially those within the Brennan organization.

Brennan, working under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Chicago District, executed environmental dredging, sampling, capping, and habitat restoration to remediate an Area of Concern near East Chicago, IN. While complex, the objectives were clear: remediate sediment, mitigate oil sheen, and improve the ecological habitat. Successes and lessons learned during this project will influence operations and remediation efforts for the rest of Lake George Canal. 

Brennan worked in collaboration with The Boys & Girls Club of Greater La Crosse (Boys & Girls Club), the Women’s Fund of Greater La Crosse, Wieser Brothers General Contractor (Wieser), and Mathy Construction (Mathy) to organize an annual field trip for local female members. The event offered young women an opportunity to experience working at Brennan and to ask questions about working in the trades. It was a memorable day for all! Watch the video recap below: 

80 years old and 35 years since its last rehab, LaGrange Lock and Dam in Versailles, IL was in major need of rehabilitation. Brennan partnered with prime contractor Shimmick Construction (Shimmick) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rock Island District, along with hundreds of crew members, to execute quality repairs through the existing lock.