Christian Kocher

Principal

Christian Kocher Principal

Mr. Christian Kocher is an environmental scientist with more than 35 years of professional experience managing and conducting water and sediment quality investigations and oceanographic studies. His water quality expertise includes the design, management, and implementation of municipal stormwater regulatory compliance monitoring programs, treatment best management practice (BMP) evaluations, total maximum daily load (TMDL) investigations, combined sewer overflow studies, and custom stormwater monitoring instrumentation. He conducts these stormwater studies for municipal clients in California, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), various U.S. governmental agencies, and private industry. Mr. Kocher’s sediment quality expertise includes a wide range of sampling methods, dredge material evaluations, and suitability determinations for reuse/disposal of dredged sediment from federal navigation channels for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Kocher’s oceanographic experience includes Small Business Innovative Research grant work for development of ocean optical instruments, Office of Naval Research projects, current meter studies to support design of coastal engineering projects, ocean outfall 301(h) waiver monitoring, ocean spill investigations, offshore research moorings/buoys construction and maintenance, and federal deep ocean disposal site monitoring.

Christian Kocher

Principal

Stormwater Management

Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit Compliance Monitoring Services, Contra Costa County, California Serves as managing scientist for Contra Costa County’s NPDES municipal stormwater compliance monitoring program. Water quality monitoring projects include pollutants of concern monitoring, source property investigations, low impact development stormwater effectiveness evaluations, outfall trash collection and loadings assessments, methylmercury TMDL monitoring, pesticides and toxicity sampling, receiving waters monitoring, emerging contaminants monitoring (e.g., PFAS), and a public outreach campaign regarding the risk of consuming legacy pollutants that can bioaccumulate in fish tissue. Represents the Contra Costa Clean Water Program in meetings with and presentations to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Participates in Bay Area Municipal Stormwater Collaborative Regional Monitoring Coalition workgroups to collaborate with other Bay Area municipal programs on projects of regional benefit.

Combined Sewer Overflow Monitoring, San Francisco, California Served as project manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the City Attorney’s Office to conduct water quality studies on a variety of permit compliance monitoring projects and special studies. For the Yosemite Slough combined sewer system outfall, designed the monitoring equipment system; installed a fully automated, remote-controlled monitoring and sampling station; and collected discharge composite samples during storm events for pollutants of concern analysis. Directed the manual composite sample collection of storm-driven combined sewer discharges to Islais Creek, Mission Creek, and the Pacific Ocean at Lincoln Way. For a special efficacy study, collected combined sewer samples at the West Side Pump Station concurrent with the automated collection of composite samples during storm-driven discharge from Lincoln Way, Vicente Street, and Lake Merced overflow structures to test the comparability of the pump station water quality to that of discharge from the overflow structures.

Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit Compliance Monitoring Services, Alameda County, California Project technical lead for several of Alameda County’s NPDES municipal stormwater compliance monitoring projects including the operation of a fixed, automated stormwater monitoring station on San Leandro Creek; installation and operation of the Ettie Street Pump Station Diversion Pilot Study in Oakland; principal author of a field guidance manual for watershed stormwater monitoring for use by all regional Bay Area permittees and their monitoring contractors; and low impact development stormwater effectiveness testing of a biofiltration strip in Oakland.

Stormwater Characterization and BMP Effectiveness Monitoring for TMDL Compliance, Central and Northern California Served as subconsultant project manager for the Caltrans design, installation, and operation of automated, flow-weighted composite sampling stations to collect stormwater discharge at BMP influent and effluent stations. Conducted treatment BMP investigations to quantify runoff volume reductions and pollutant removal efficiencies associated with BMP devices, including biofiltration swales and biochar amended media filters. Coordinated flow proportioned grab sample collection for the characterization of TMDL pollutants in locations where treatment BMPs were not present. Provided QA/QC management and analysis of water quality data. Authored site-specific health and safety plans, site reconnaissance technical memoranda, and poststorm technical memoranda.

Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) Stormwater Outfall and Ocean Receiving Waters Monitoring and Reporting, Central and Northern California Served as field operations manager for the Caltrans stormwater monitoring study at noncoupled and coupled outfalls and ocean receiving water sites that are tributaries to areas of special biological significance (ASBS). Locations included Redwoods State Park, Saunders Reef, James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Año Nuevo Point, and Carmel Bay. Sampling was conducted for a comprehensive suite of physical, microbiological, chemical, and toxicity analysis. Monitoring was performed in coordination with the Central and Northern California ASBS Regional Monitoring Groups and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

Industrial Stormwater Permit Monitoring Programs, Hunters Point Shipyard, Naval Station Treasure Island, and Naval Air Station Alameda, San Francisco and Alameda, California Stormwater discharges from all three Navy facilities were conveyed directly into the San Francisco Bay and were subject to the State Water Resources Control Board’s inland surface water, bays, and estuaries receiving water criteria. Served as assistant project manager responsible for the planning, implementation, and management of field investigations, including facilities inspections, stormwater sampling, and illicit discharge monitoring.

Stormwater Treatment

Stormwater Runoff Monitoring Program, Porous Pavement Pilot Study, Santa Nella, California Serves as project manager for this Caltrans stormwater BMPs effectiveness study for open graded, friction course, permeable pavement overlays. Three porous asphalt overlay types are being tested against a newly installed dense graded control station. The test types included rubberized and nonrubberized asphalt and two different gradations of aggregate. Performed site selection, monitoring design, equipment installation, automated flow-weighted composite sampling, and reporting. Prepared a quality assurance project plan and sampling and analysis plan. This project included pollutograph monitoring for emerging contaminants to investigate the effectiveness of porous pavement overlays in reducing emerging contaminat loads to receiving waters. Conducted twice annual in situ permeability tests across a transect of the travel lanes to track the change of porosity over time.

Stormwater Quality and Flow Monitoring for LID Implementation, Hayward, California Served as project manager for this 5-year Proposition 84 grant-funded parking lot BMP study at the Alameda Public Works building on Turner Court in Hayward. This work included implementation of automated, flow-weighted composite sampling, paired influent/effluent sample collection, and data analysis and interpretation. Principal author of interim annual reports and of a comprehensive end-of-project report. Conducted statistical analyses to determine the extent and significance of pollutant removal efficiencies of two low impact development (LID) stormwater treatment features and the aggregate runoff from all parking lot LID devices compared to preconstruction runoff quantity and quality.

LID Hydraulic and Stormwater Water Quality Monitoring, Solano County, California Serves as subconsultant project manager for this Solano Stormwater Alliance treatment BMP effectiveness study at a newly constructed LID facility at the Suisun City Amtrak park and ride. Automated, flow-weighted Influent stormwater samples are collected by applying a modeled approach based on real-time rainfall data. Effluent flow from the facility’s underdrain system is collected by modeling flow rates based on water elevation within the treatment footprint. San Francisco Bay and Delta TMDL parameters are evaluated as well as the emerging contaminant, PFAS.

Clean Watersheds for a Clean Bay EPA Water Quality Improvement Grant Study, San Francisco Bay Area, California Managed the field operations for collection of sediment and water samples for the three major tasks of this EPA Water Quality Improvement Grant study: 1) collected targeted sediment samples on public rights-of-way adjacent to known or suspected source properties of legacy pollutants of concern in old industrial areas of San Francisco Bay; 2) collected vacuum samples of roadway sediments before and after street sweeping operations to test the effectiveness of street sweepers at reducing the presence of pollutants on roadway/curb and gutter surfaces; and 3) collected influent and effluent stormwater samples from various BMP treatment control devices, including bioretention swales and cells, tree wells, hydrodynamic separators, and media bed filters.

San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge Bioretention Pilot Project Stormwater Quality Monitoring and Reporting, Oakland, California Served as subconsultant task order manager for this 5-year Caltrans study providing programmatic and technical support to Caltrans District 4 decision-makers to ensure successful implementation of the monitoring and reporting project. Played a critical role, in consultation with Caltrans managers, to develop solutions to site-specific monitoring, sampling, and analyses challenges that were endemic to the implementation of the study. Successfully installed and operated more than a dozen automated monitoring and sampling stations necessary to test the effectiveness of six bioretention basins to attenuate influent stormwater of a wide variety of physical, chemical and biological constituents.

Open- and Gap-Graded Asphalt Pavements Water Quality Project, Northern and Central California Served as field operations manager for this Caltrans open- and gap-graded asphalt pavements pilot study that was designed to evaluate stormwater runoff quality from open-graded and gap-graded pavements to that of conventional (dense-graded) pavements. The project included three pilot study paired sites that consisted of a test station paired with a control station on a nearby section of the same highway. Responsible for site selection, equipment installation, system operation/remote control, sample collection, and reporting.

Ornamental Roadside Vegetated Treatment Sites (ORVTS) Stormwater Quality Study, San Mateo and Napa Counties, California The purpose of the Caltrans ORVTS study was to evaluate the ability of groundcover vegetation species to provide treatment of highway runoff and to compare treatment potential to existing grasses and other natural vegetation within the Caltrans rights-of-way. Served as project manager responsible for performing real-time remote monitoring and control of stormwater instrumentation and data acquisition. Dispatched and directed field crews for event monitoring and equipment maintenance.

Water Quality Monitoring

Water Quality Monitoring Program, Summit Lake Reservation, Nevada Implemented a monitoring program to establish water quality standards as specified in the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe’s Water Quality Management Plan under Section 106 of the Clean Water Act. This work focused on the protection of human health and the environment of the Summit Lake ecosystem, because the lake constitutes the Tribe’s primary source of drinking water and provides habitat for the Lahonton cutthroat trout, a federally listed threatened species. Provided client contact with the Tribe and EPA and performed six field investigations over 3 years. Provided capacity-building training to the Tribe and provided recommendations to cost-effectively improve their water quality monitoring program.

Construction Environmental Engineering Support Services, Devil’s Slide Improvement Project, California Served as subconsultant project manager for several environmental engineering assistance task orders associated with Caltrans’ tunnel and bridge construction, including stormwater controls monitoring and tracking services related to 401 water quality certifications, stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) compliance, and reports of waste discharge. Performed SWPPP field inspections at the bridge construction and tunneling locations, monitored active treatment system operations, sampled underdrain water quality, and monitored shotcrete waste quantities. Conducted a dilution study to determine whether the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board could justify granting Caltrans a dilution credit for the discharge of dewatering flows from the Devil’s Slide Tunneling Project to the Pacific Ocean receiving water. Fluorescence and ocean current data were analyzed, processed, and plotted, and the resultant dilutions were reported in a comprehensive report to regulators.

Willits Bypass Project, Water Quality Assessment for Outlet Creek Watershed, Willits, California As subcontractor, managed a multiyear baseline during a construction and postconstruction monitoring study for Caltrans to characterize water quality and stream flow rates within the watershed of Outlet Creek in Little Lake Valley, tributary to the Eel River. Coordinated the design, installation, and operation of 20 automated monitoring sites and high-flow stream gauging using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs). These data were used to develop site-specific and watershed flow relationships for development of time-series discharge data sets. Coauthored a comprehensive data comparison report of preconstruction vs. postconstruction water quality results.

Water Quality Investigation Associated with the Capsizing of the Barge Oregon, Kachemak Bay, Alaska Conducted the field investigation and report for this ocean spill of urea fertilizer. The barge capsized in rough seas in Kennedy Entrance and was subsequently towed to Kachemak Bay for salvage. For this mid-winter field investigation, performed water quality monitoring in locations within Cook Inlet where the cargo was presumed to have discharged. Near- and farfield monitoring grids were sampled and a comprehensive report was prepared.

Wastewater, Stormwater, Groundwater, and Hazardous Waste Sampling, Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting, Beale Air Force Base, Yuba County, California Beale Air Force Base owns and operates a wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system, and provides sewerage service to domestic and industrial users. The air base holds two regional water quality control board waste discharge requirements for land-based discharges from the wastewater treatment plant and the groundwater treatment plant. Served as project manager responsible for the safe and successful collection of samples, coordinated with Air Force points of contact, and timely submitted sampling reports.

Dredged Material Management

Dredge Material Sediment Sampling, Characterization, Reporting, and Disposal Consultation Services, Central and Northern California Served as project manager to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District in support of its maintenance dredging operations in federal navigation channels throughout the San Francisco Bay and at harbors up and down the Central and Northern California coast. Following vibracore sediment sample collection, results of laboratory physical, chemical, and bioassay tests were evaluated to determine the channel sediment’s suitability for multiple disposal/placement options. Managed vibracore sediment collection and prepared suitability reports for numerous dredging cycles within Crescent City Harbor, Humboldt Bay, New York Slough, Noyo Harbor, Oakland Inner and Outer Harbors, Pinole Shoal, Redwood City Harbor, San Bruno Shoal, and Suisun Bay. Presented sampling and analysis results report to the San Francisco Bay’s Dredged Materials Management Office for concurrence of suitability determinations.

San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SF-DODS) Sediment Monitoring, Offshore of San Francisco, California Served as project manager and field crew for two, 10-day offshore operations to map the sediment footprint and characterize chemistry and biota associated with placement of dredged material at SF-DODS. Chartered the research vessel Oceanus for each scientific cruise and contracted with various subconsultants for the provision of equipment and operators. This work included 1-m² sediment box cores for benthic community analysis and sediment chemistry. The primary focus of the work involved the deployment of a sediment profile and plan view imaging system (SPI–PV camera) at more than 40 locations in water depths ranging from 2,400 to 3,300 m.

Sediment Sampling, Characterization, and Disposal Consultation Services, San Francisco, California Served as field technical lead for as-needed consultation services to the Department of Public Works to support maintenance dredging and new construction dredging along the City’s bay front. Responsible for vibracore sampling, lithologic core logging, and reference site sediment collection. Project locations included Piers 27 (lay berthing), Pier 35 (cruise ship terminal), and the San Francisco Marina west basin and entrance channel.

NRDA For Oil Spills

Pipeline P00547 Incident, Huntington Beach, California Served as subconsultant project manager for the 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill response. This work included support logistics, planning, and monitoring for both the natural resource damage assessment effort and the assessment of potential contaminants in recreational and commercial fish species for the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Was responsible for overall project coordination and client services for sandy beach surveys, oiled bird surveys, fin fish and bivalve collection, drone survey support, and recreational use surveys.

PFAS/Emerging Contaminants

LID Stormwater Effectiveness Monitoring, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano Counties, California Served as project technical lead for this 4-year study to monitor influent and effluent concentrations and water balance from eight LID biofiltration stormwater treatment facilities in the San Francico Bay Area. In addition to conventional constituent and legacy TMDL pollutants, 40 PFAS compounds were analyzed by the newly adopted EPA Method 1633 at paired influent and effluent sampling points.

Emerging Contaminant Monitoring, Del Norte, Humboldt, Merced, Mendocino, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Counties, California Served as project manager for this 3-year Caltrans sampling program to characterize concentrations of emerging contaminants in roadway stormwater discharges to Caltrans’ fish passage projects. The effectiveness of Caltrans’ approved and pilot BMP treatment control devices was also tested at a subset of locations.

Oceanography

Ocean Observatories Assembly and Maintenance, Monterey Bay, California Served as a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s ocean observatory support group for the construction, deployment, maintenance, and retrieval of the institute’s oceanographic data moorings in inner and outer Monterey Bay. Served as marine operations crew aboard numerous scientific cruises to retrieve/deploy moorings and maintain instruments on the surface buoys and shallow subsurface instrument packages. Projects included Buoys M0, M1, M2, and MOOS. Responsible for the operation and maintenance of inductive modem serial CTDs and near-surface long-range ADCPs.

Ocean Optical Instruments Manufacture and Testing, Hydro-Optics, Biology and Instrumentation Laboratories, Watsonville, California Served as research engineer for the design, construction, testing, and data processing of planar and scaler irradiance sensors, downwelling spectral radiance detectors, and custom oceanographic pressure housings.

Monitoring Programs for Wastewater Discharge to Ocean Outfalls for the Cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Goleta, and Carmel, California For NPDES 301(h) waiver monitoring programs, was responsible for collecting marine subtidal benthic infauna, sediment, and water samples; performing CTD water column profiling; collecting specimens for crab and sand dabs using pots and long-lines for bioaccumulation analysis; drogue deployment and tracking; supporting dive operations for photoquadrat surveys; performing dye studies for leak investigations; deploying and retrieving mussel bags for tissue bioaccumulation studies; and near-shore grab sampling for microbiological analysis.

Emergency Response

Fire Debris and Tree Removal Assessment and Management Services Project, CZU Complex Fire, Santa Cruz Mountains, California The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery was tasked by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to manage structural debris and hazard tree removal projects following the 2020 California fires. Served as project manager for the sampling of potentially hazardous surficial sediment on properties following debris removal and scaping of surface sediment. Collected composite samples per project protocols, and followed strict QA/QC procedures and sample handing through proper chain of custody.

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