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!

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) signed a project agreement to remediate contaminated sediment in the “ponds behind Erie Pier,” two ponds surrounded by shallow marsh wetlands in the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC).

The sediment was primarily contaminated with PCBs, PAHs, mercury, and chromium. Here's how we worked with stakeholders to clean up the sediment and the resulting impact of our work.

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. 

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.

The work of a dredge operator is often underappreciated so it's important to take a step back and appreciate the complexity and uniqueness of his or her role in the success of a dredging project. Here, we take a closer look at the essential role of a dredge operator.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies a dredge operator as a person who removes sand, gravel, or other material in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways. In the industry, we call the dredge operator a leverman. This is a historical remnant of the days when the pilothouse, or lever room, was full of mechanical levers that controlled various parts of the dredge. The levers eventually gave way to computerized control systems...