Tectonic performed geotechnical, environmental, civil, and surveying services for the proposed 5 MW ground mounted solar installation on the campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. The details of the provided services are:
Geotechnical Engineering Services – Performed a subsurface investigation and geotechnical engineering analysis for construction site improvements. The purpose was to evaluate the subsurface conditions across the site and develop geotechnical recommendations for the design and construction of the roadway pavement sections and electrical manhole structures.
Civil Engineering Services – Performed civil design for the proposed solar system. Sediment erosion control, SWPPP, grading, and stormwater designs were included for the 5 MW system.
Environmental Engineering Services – Performed a Phase I ESA to characterize the environmental quality of the property through determining the likely presence (or not) of Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs). This was performed in conformance with ASTM Practice E1527-13, in order to identify obvious and likely potential sources of contamination such as hazardous substances or petroleum products and assess general environmental conditions of the property.
Surveying Services – Tectonic was requested to provide additional surveying services because the array geometry and location changed requiring additional areas on the property to be surveyed. A topographic survey was performed for a 5 MW solar ground mount system for the new area required of the solar installation and prepared mapping in AutoCAD format. The mapping showed all visible improvements, roadways, structures, etc. with a 2-ft contour interval, and spot elevations on all flat surfaces and improvements, including rims and inverts on all sanitary and drainage structures. All vertical data was based on the North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
