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Brennan Awarded for Safety Excellence in Milwaukee River Remediation Project

Posted by Kimberly Walters on June 26, 2024

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.

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Brennan Completes Innovative 10+ Mile Pump Using Dredge System Designed By Employees

Posted by Kimberly Walters on June 18, 2024

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. 

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Portadam Installation at Hydro Dam: Innovative Solutions for a Changing World

Posted by Sam Stemper on March 04, 2024

We were contracted to replace flashboards and perform apron scour repairs at a hydroelectric dam along the Rock River in the Upper Midwest. Our client is a privately owned entity that owns and operates 80+ hydroelectric facilities throughout the United States.

The project’s significant goals involved increasing the dam’s retainage capacity, protecting the existing spillway structure, and providing an aesthetically pleasing spillway for the community's residents. This project was scheduled for the summer months when flow rates are at their lowest, mainly due to the volatility of the Rock River and the need for a slow-moving current to keep our divers safe. 

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What Is Treatability: An Important Asset in Environmental Dredging

Posted by Amber Wilson on February 29, 2024

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.

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Minnesota Power Hydro Dam: The New Era of Renewable Energy

Posted by Kimberly Walters on February 12, 2024

We're at Minnesota Power's hydroelectric dam in Scanlon, Minnesota, to replace 7 of the structure's Tainter gates. Extending the life of this renewable energy source by 50 to 100 years, the Scanlon Dam Gate Replacement Project enables the further creation of clean, renewable power provided to local communities. 

We were pulled into the project very early on during the design phase of the project. Both Brennan and Minnesota Power attribute the project's success to early contractor involvement.

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Dam Rehabilitation and Operational Updates to 100-Year-Old Structure

Posted by Kimberly Walters on August 09, 2023

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! 

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Diver-Assisted Dredging and Capping Used in the Cuyahoga River Improvement Project

Posted by Kimberly Walters on June 15, 2023

The Cuyahoga Improvement Project in Kent, OH, aims to improve future recreation experiences while protecting existing natural resources. The purpose of our work is to remove areas of petroleum-impacted soft sediments that were deposited decades ago from discontinued industrial practices upstream. 

Background on a Burning River

The Cuyahoga River has quite a history: a transportation route; a boundary; an origin for oil, rubber, and steel industries; a power source; and a dumping ground. The river was once 1 of the most polluted in the country. The Cuyahoga has caught fire at least 13 times since the 1860s.

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Brennan Acquires Dredging & Dewatering Division

Posted by Kimberly Walters on February 07, 2023

February 6, 2023 — Specialty marine contractor J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) recently finalized the asset acquisition of the dredging and dewatering division of Infrastructure Alternatives, Inc. (IAI). The purchase brings dewatering, water treatment, and treatability testing services into the organization for the first time.

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3+ Years of Remediation on the Grasse River Conclude With Success

Posted by Sam Crawford, Project Manager on April 19, 2022

Last fall, J.F. Brennan Company, Inc. (Brennan) crews successfully concluded environmental remediation efforts after 3.5 years on the Grasse River in Massena, NY. This project had a challenging scope involving dredging, material processing, water treatment, mussel relocation, capping, and habitat restoration. Through a combination of strong teamwork and outstanding production efficiencies, our team completed every phase of work and executed a safe demobilization. Here’s how we did it.

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J.F. Brennan Company Makes Safety A Priority

Posted by Shelley Byrne on December 14, 2021

Safety starts with putting people first.

It’s not just about checklists, inspections, and meetings, said Steve Skau, vice president of safety and compliance for J.F. Brennan Company. It’s also about everyone on a job having the ability to give feedback and know it will be valued.

“Everything we do at Brennan starts with safety, no matter what scope of work we’re doing,” Skau said. 

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