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Mark Savoie

Mark Savoie
Principal

Mark Savoie

Principal

Mr. Mark Savoie is a marine scientist with more than 40 years of project work in physical oceanography, sediment and water quality impact assessments, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge permitting, modeling, and monitoring. He is responsible for conducting and managing oceanographic, water and sediment quality, bioaccumulation, stormwater, and nearshore sediment dynamic studies. Mr. Savoie has served as project manager and senior scientist on numerous marine environmental monitoring, water and sediment quality, and dredge material studies. He has vast experience conducting remote monitoring studies, having worked on numerous marine projects throughout Alaska...

Mr. Mark Savoie is a marine scientist with more than 40 years of project work in physical oceanography, sediment and water quality impact assessments, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge permitting, modeling, and monitoring. He is responsible for conducting and managing oceanographic, water and sediment quality, bioaccumulation, stormwater, and nearshore sediment dynamic studies. Mr. Savoie has served as project manager and senior scientist on numerous marine environmental monitoring, water and sediment quality, and dredge material studies. He has vast experience conducting remote monitoring studies, having worked on numerous marine projects throughout Alaska including performing more than a dozen winter through-ice sampling efforts in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. He also has been involved in several oil spill and other emergency response efforts in both Alaska and California and currently serves as a member of a Special Monitoring of Advanced Response Technologies (SMART) dispersant use evaluation team in Alaska.

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Environmental Monitoring

Municipality of Anchorage NPDES 301(h) Monitoring Program, Anchorage, Alaska Managed a comprehensive monitoring program that began in 1986 for the Asplund Water Pollution Control Treatment Facility (WPCF). The program has included NPDES permitting, water and sediment quality monitoring, oceanographic current measurements, chemical and toxicological characterizations, bioaccumulation studies, total maximum daily load (TMDL) and mixing zone evaluations, dilution/dispersion investigations, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, managed and performed numerous special studies to investigate constituents of emerging concern, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, best management practices (BMPs) and treatability options, and issues associated with the 301(h) variance and NPDES permit renewal for this facility. This included performing several studies that were used to develop site-specific water quality criteria for metals in Upper Cook Inlet, results of which were used to support the state’s decision to implement site-specific criteria for Knik Arm.
Seawater Treatment Plants (STPs), NPDES Monitoring Programs, Endicott and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska Managed and functioned as lead scientist for the NPDES/Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES) permit reapplication efforts for multiple permitting cycles for the Endicott and Prudhoe Bay STPs. These efforts included preparing the permit reapplications with data summaries, conducting reasonable potential analyses (RPAs), preparing mixing zone applications, performing the CORMIX discharge modeling, and assisting with meetings and discussions with EPA and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) on behalf of the client for these reapplication efforts. Also completed ecological risk assessments for both the Prudhoe Bay and Endicott STPs performed to address a number of unpermitted discharge events involving biocides and water clarifying agents for reporting to the regulatory agencies.
Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility’s Asplund WPCF NPDES Permit Reapplication for Discharge to Cook Inlet, Alaska Manages and leads field efforts involved in this large, multiyear effort being performed for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility to renew its NPDES discharge permit into Cook Inlet that includes a 301(h) variance from secondary treatment. Work has included performing multidisciplinary field studies for water and sediment quality, benthic infauna and fish community analysis, contaminant bioaccumulation assessments, dye tracer studies, and current meter investigations. Also had significant involvement in the preparation of permit application documents, data interpretation and report writing, RPA determinations, and agency presentations. This work is currently ongoing with one of the key issues being that the marine outfall discharges to critical habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales.
Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority Marine Studies, Alaska Served as lead scientist for the freshwater and marine water quality components of the Knik Arm Crossing environmental assessment and environmental impact statement (EIS), including preparation of baseline information and performing an impact assessment. Fieldwork for the project involved collecting supplemental current meter, suspended sediment, turbidity, and bottom sediment data in Upper Cook Inlet to aid in the calibration of hydrodynamic and sediment transport modeling.
Willow Marine Monitoring Program, Harrison Bay, Alaska Managed and led field efforts for a 2018–19 study in western Harrison Bay to provide baseline data in support of EIS preparation needed for Alaska’s Willow development. The focus of the program was to obtain representative chemical, physical, and biological data to characterize the marine environment, with emphasis on potential oil-industry related contaminants in sediments as well as conventional parameters required for dredge management and regulatory approval. The study also included water quality, oceanographic, nearshore fisheries, and benthic infaunal components.
Integrated Cook Inlet Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (ICIEMAP), Cook Inlet, Alaska Served as co-principal investigator and managed this large integrated study that included an environmental contaminant assessment of the entire Cook Inlet in addition to site-specific nested studies that examined the effects of two large produced water discharges in Upper Cook Inlet as well as a more intensive investigation in Kachemak Bay. Emphasis of the project was on the potential environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas production in Cook Inlet with less emphasis on other types of anthropogenic contaminants. The study focused on the water quality, sediment quality, and benthic infauna community structure in Cook Inlet. Analyses included benthic infauna structure; aliphatic hydrocarbons; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); metals; pesticides; persistent organic pollutants; hydrographic measurements; and other water and sediment quality diagnostic measurements. The study also examined riverine inputs to Cook Inlet and their contribution to the overall sediment and contaminant loading. A site-specific study was also conducted at the Trading Bay Production Facility to assess the potential improvements to the dispersion or dilution of the offshore discharge following the installation of a new multiport diffuser that was mandated by EPA in the NPDES permit.

Ocean Modeling

Beaufort Sea NPDES/APDES Discharge Evaluations, Beaufort Sea, Alaska Functioned as a senior scientist for the NPDES permit application efforts for Alaska’s Northstar Development and Point Thomson Production facility. These efforts included preparing the permit and mixing zone reapplications, reviewing and summarizing all discharge and receiving water data, performing the RPA and CORMIX discharge modeling, and assisting with meetings with ADEC during the permit renewal process.

Stormwater Management

Municipality of Anchorage’s (MOA’s) Stormwater Program, Anchorage, Alaska Managed this municipal watershed stormwater program for 6 years and was responsible for the wet-weather monitoring component for MOA’s APDES permit. The overall objectives of the study were to 1) broadly estimate the annual pollution loading for fecal coliform and petroleum hydrocarbons to specific watersheds, 2) assess the effectiveness of existing stormwater controls, 3) prioritize portions of the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit that needed additional controls, and 4) provide feedback to the agencies on the effectiveness of the TMDLs.

Planning and Permitting

APDES Permit and Mixing Zone Applications, Alaska Prepares numerous APDES and NPDES permit applications, most of which have included mixing zone analyses, performance of RPAs, and discharge modeling using either CORMIX or Visual PLUMES models. Permitting work has also included modeling of offshore dredge disposal and zones of deposit determinations. Recent APDES permit and mixing zone applications have included the Endicott and Prudhoe STPs as well as historical applications for both facilities ; the Kuparuk STP permit and mixing zone applications in 2011, 2015, and 2022; the City of Kotzebue Water Treatment Facility; the Eagle River Wastewater Treatment Facility; the wastewater discharges from seven facilities operated by the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association; the Prudhoe Central Sewage Treatment Facility; the Kitoi Bay Hatchery discharge for the Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association; and the NPDES permit application for the proposed Liberty Development. Also prepared numerous BMP plans, quality assurance project plans, and stormwater pollution protection plans for various clients and facilities in support of APDES permitting requirements.

Sediment Investigation

Port Valdez Sediment Coring and Hydrocarbon Investigation, Port Valdez, Alaska Performed all aspects of study from field sampling to interpretation in a project examining anthropogenic inputs of hydrocarbons into the sediments of Port Valdez in the vicinity of the Alyeska Marine Terminal and a background location in Galena Bay. Used isotope dating of the sediment cores to determine sedimentation rates and to identify events in the sedimentary record such as the start-up of the Alyeska Marine Terminal’s operations, the 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake, and inputs from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). These events were found to be positively correlated with hydrocarbon concentrations and with hydrocarbon forensic signatures from those events.
Cook Inlet, Oil Fate and Effects Investigations, Anchorage, Alaska Managed and/or functioned as senior scientist for various Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s programs focusing on potential environmental effects of oil industry activities including sediment chemistry, toxicity, benthic infaunal investigations, and bioaccumulation in fish, mussels, and semipermeable lipid membranes. The primary focus was on PAHs, saturated hydrocarbons, and volatile hydrocarbons being discharged by the various offshore production and onshore produced water treatment facilities in Cook Inlet.

Dredged Material Management

Nome Harbor and Navigation Channel Sediment Characterization Program, Nome, Alaska Managed and functioned as senior scientist on a sediment coring/characterization study performed in 2020 for the Port of Nome and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assess the level of contaminants (metals, hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and semivolatile organic compounds) within Nome’s harbor and navigational channels. Compared chemical results against Alaska water quality standards and sediment quality guidelines to assess dredging and sediment disposal options.
Alaska Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Studies, North Slope and Cook Inlet, Alaska Managed and functioned as senior scientist on a number of investigations that took place between 2011 and 2019 in support of the proposed Alaska LNG Project. North Slope studies included sediment grabs and coring to determine the chemical properties in sediments along with water quality, nearshore fisheries, and benthic infauna in the Prudhoe region to assess the impact of proposed dredging and disposal. Work in Cook Inlet involved sediment quality and ichthyoplankton studies in the vicinity of the proposed LNG terminal at Nikiski to determine the potential impacts of that facility. Also led the USACE permitting effort on this project for the beneficial reuse of sediments from a dredge testing site to assess the level of sediment accretion over course of the open-water season.
Dredge Sediment Characterization in Federal Channels in Bays and Harbors, Los Angeles, California Performed the Automated Dredging and Disposal Alternatives Modeling System (ADDAMS) modeling to assess the design of a shallow water habitat, including capped dredged material and the confined disposal facilities for the Port of Los Angeles. Also, utilized the ADDAMS model to determine the impacts of offshore dredge material disposal as part of a Section 103 evaluation for the Port of Los Angeles.

Sediment Fate and Transport Studies

Arctic Nearshore Impact Monitoring in Development Area (ANIMIDA, ANIMIDA II, and ANIMIDA III) Programs, Beaufort Sea, Alaska Functioned as a senior scientist and logistics coordinator for these three different 5-year monitoring and impact assessment projects that extended from 2000 to 2017 to determine the environmental conditions and impact of nearshore oil and gas development and production activities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Responsible for managing the vessel operations for the R/V Launch 1273; coordinating with oil industry for logistical support; providing health, safety, and environmental documentation for oil field operations; leading the winter on-ice field operations; interpreting the through-ice hydrographic and oceanographic data; and providing other field and logistical assistance as needed on the project. Components of these programs included 1) characterizing contaminant distribution in sediments, 2) characterizing anthropogenic chemicals in local aquatic biota, 3) determining sources and fate of contaminant input, 4) determining the sources and dispersion of suspended sediment and associated chemicals, 5) monitoring the impact on subsistence whaling, and 6) examining benthic infauna communities.

Data Analysis

Synthesis of Contaminants Data for Cook Inlet: Evaluation of Existing Data and Recommendations for Further Monitoring, Cook Inlet, Alaska Functioned as co-principal investigator for this ongoing Bureau of Ocean Energy Management- (BOEM-) sponsored project. The project’s purpose was to compile and synthesize existing regional Cook Inlet water column, sediment, and tissue contaminant data that has been collected by various agencies and organizations, focusing on hydrocarbons, metals, and, to a lesser extent, other organic pollutants. The compiled data set was evaluated for comparability, utility, and completeness. This assessment was then utilized to guide recommendations for methods and new studies to monitor the fate and effect of contaminant inputs to Cook Inlet and the areas associated with Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf lease sales. The synthesized data were integrated into a single database and new visualization tools were developed for exploration and presentation of the data in an interactive GIS-based format.

NRDA For Oil Spills

Pipeline P00547 Incident, Huntington Beach, California Served as one of the field leads for the 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill, which included supporting 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 California’s fish closures. Responsible for collecting finfish specimens by hook and line; trapping fish, lobster, crab, and other species; supporting trawl and dive operations; and implementing proper sample collection, handling, and chain of custody documentation.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS), Prince Willam Sound, Alaska Led the first water sampling effort following the 1989 Good Friday EVOS in work conducted for Exxon. Following this initial effort, worked on the EVOS project over a 3-year period with responsibilities as a project manager and field team leader; also had considerable involvement in the subsequent analysis and interpretation efforts for a wide array of water and sediment quality investigations that were conducted to determine the level of impact to both the subtidal and intertidal environments.

Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Offshore Pipeline Oil Leak Investigation, Cook Inlet, Alaska Managed and led field efforts during an investigation of an offshore oil leak emanating from an abandoned oil pipeline near Nikiski, Alaska, which included hydrocarbon forensic analysis to determine the source of the leak. Led a field dispersant assessment team during a response effort that included pressuring the pipeline and pumping the oil back to shore, along with involvement with subsequent sampling during oil recovery operations.

Emergency Response

Oil Spill Response Drills, Prince William Sound, Alaska Serves on a SMART dispersant response and monitoring team for more than 15 years that includes on-water exercises and tabletop drills. Fieldwork included oil fluorometry, water sampling for hydrocarbons, hydrographic profiling, and monitoring of oil droplet sizes to aid the Joint Command in decisions regarding the use of dispersants during an actual spill event.
Offshore Pipeline Gas Leak, Cook Inlet, Alaska Served as a field lead for multiple surveys that were conducted to assess an offshore gas leak from a subsea pipeline. Relevant project experience included sampling dissolved gases (including methane, carbon dioxide, and dissolved oxygen) and water quality parameters in support of the response effort for an uncontrolled natural gas pipeline leak in broken ice conditions in Cook Inlet. Due to the hazardous nature of the atmosphere in the vicinity of the leak, all sampling was performed with remote instrumentation that was deployed through the gas plume with gas concentrations measurements being taken both in the air and water as a function of directional distance from the discharge.
Oil Spill Response Team, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska Served on a SMART oil spill response team in support of oil exploration activities in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Took part in response drills to assess the efficacy of utilizing dispersants on a potential offshore oil spill. Work included oil fluorometry, water sampling for hydrocarbons, and hydrographic profiling to aid the Joint Command in decisions regarding the use of dispersants during an actual spill event.

Arctic Operations

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Nearshore Marine Investigations, Beaufort Sea, Alaska Managed and functioned as field lead in a study that was performed for NASA by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Provided Arctic on-ice field logistics and support to a team of scientists performing winter scientific sampling efforts in 2018, 2019, and 2023 that included deployment of current meters and ice tracking buoys. Measurements also included taking seawater samples, collecting ice cores, manually measuring ice and snow thickness, measuring under-ice light transmittance, and conducting linear transects and radiometry measurements along IceSAT2 satellite ground (on-ice) tracks.
R/V Launch 1273 Vessel Operations, Beaufort Sea, Alaska Managed vessel logistics, operations, and maintenance for BOEM’s Launch 1273 that operated on the Alaskan North Slope. Numerous field studies were conducted from the vessel, with operations extending from the Chukchi Sea north across the Beaufort Sea, that included bowhead whale investigations, fish surveys, physical oceanographic measurements and moorings, water and sediment quality studies, meteorological studies, and hard bottom dive surveys. Responsible for providing an experienced vessel captain and crew as well as coordinating and/or performing all maintenance activities, winterizing the vessel, performing preseason checkouts prior to conducting the studies, and providing all other logistic requirements that were necessary to support vessel operations.

Remedial Investigation

Red Devil Mine Sediment Investigation, Kuskokwim River, Red Devil, Alaska Managed and functioned as field lead for a remote investigation into the pollutant inputs from mine tailings and mercury contamination of riverine sediments from the historic Red Devil Mine. Collected sediment cores both upstream and downstream of the mine over two field seasons to assess the level and depth of contamination within the Kuskokwim River sediments. The riverine sediment study was part of a larger remedial investigation and feasibility study being carried out for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
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