We are proud to receive many award-winning recognitions by our clients

Degrove Supporting Beach Renourishment for USACE in Brevard County, FL

Since November, Degrove Surveyors has been providing continuous and ongoing survey support for the Brevard County Beach Renourishment Project managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District.  The project area encompasses 11 miles of beach, and is anticipated to conclude May 1, 2014.  Degrove is completing pre-construction and post-construction topographic / hydrographic surveys, and providing the Corps with surface modeling and volume calculations for pay quantities.  Due to the nature of the project, our team has had to provide information to the Corps seven days a week, including holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Further details on the project are included in the following excerpt from Brevard County’s website (current as of 02-11-2014), which can also be found here:

North Reach – Cape Canaveral / Cocoa Beach

Degrove crew chief setting up robotic total station in renourishment area.

Dredge is seen here on the horizon.

Degrove’s wader preparing to enter the surf zone to capture topographic data.

End of the pipe that delivers sand to the area being renourished.

Congratulations to Degrove Employee Tyler Tracz on Achieving his Professional Surveying License

Degrove wishes to recognize and congratulate employee Tyler Tracz (pictured above) on passing the Principles of Surveying exam and achieving his professional license as a Surveyor and Mapper.  A second generation surveyor, Mr. Tracz began working on a survey crew as a teenager for a summer job.  While attending the University of Central Florida, he continued working in surveying during seasonal breaks in the school year.  Eventually choosing to pursue a career in surveying, Mr. Tracz graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in geomatics in 2009.  He has since been working at Degrove as a field/hydrographic party chief and assistant project manager. 

In his time at Degrove, Mr. Tracz has contributed to a number of Degrove projects for clients such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, JEA, St. Johns River Water Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management District, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and City of Gainesville.  Mr. Tracz also serves as a valuable member of Degrove’s hydrographic team, and has completed hydrographic surveys throughout the state of Florida. 

Mr. Tracz’s achievement gives Degrove a total of six licensed Professional Surveyor and Mappers on staff, further allowing Degrove to offer a diverse level of expertise that is rarely found in a single survey firm.

Degrove Completes Hydrographic Surveys for U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Projects – Florida

As part of an ongoing contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Degrove Surveyors recently completed a series of hydrographic surveys supporting U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Projects.  The project included surveys of six navigation channels along Florida’s west coast, including: Steinhatchee River, Withlacoochee River, Homosassa River, Cedar Keys Harbor, Crystal River, and Keaton Beach. 

The project entailed the single-beam survey of profile lines along the centerline of each navigation channel, as well as the channel edges in some cases.  Navigation aids (channel markers) were also located, photographed, and included on the map.  The total length of lines surveyed on these six channels was approximately 80 miles, with over 250 navigation aids located.  The surveys were completed on the location-dependent datum of Mean Lower Low Water (as per project requirements).  Degrove utilized RTK GPS for horizontal and vertical positioning of the vessel.  The survey was completed and processed using Hypack software. 

Degrove VP Tom Tracz Elected to Serve as FSMS Crown Chapter President

Degrove Vice President Tom Tracz (pictured above, second from right) was recently elected to serve as President of the Crown Chapter of the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society (FSMS).  A long time FSMS member, Mr. Tracz was sworn in at the September meeting of the Crown Chapter, taking place at Caddy Shack Restaurant at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.  The Degrove team has a long history of being active leaders in FSMS.  It is Degrove’s philosophy that being active in professional societies and the local community is part of professional responsibility.  Degrove congratulates Mr. Tracz on his election and for continuing to be a credit to the surveying profession. 

Degrove Completing Beach Monitoring Surveys in South FL for USACE – Broward and Miami-Dade Counties

Degrove Surveyors is currently supporting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection by completing Hydrographic/Topographic Surveys for beach monitoring in South Florida.  Surveys are being performed at Pompano Beach and Bal Harbour Beach in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, respectively.  Beach profile lines are being surveyed from the Coastal Construction Line, marked by construction control monuments, easterly 3,000 feet into the ocean.  Field crews on the ground are utilizing RTK GPS to achieve topographic data on the beach, from the Coastal Construction control monuments to the maximum depth that can be waded. 

The hydrographic data is being achieved through the use of two Degrove survey vessels: a 14-foot aluminum hull, inflatable pontoon boat with a 40hp outboard engine, and a 26-foot aluminum SeaArk with an enclosed cabin and twin 150hp outboards.  The inflatable pontoon boat, having a very shallow draft, is being used to overlap the topographic data and survey the near-shore portions of the profile lines.  The SeaArk is being used to survey the remaining length of the survey lines.  Overlapping data is used as a quality control check to ensure a consistent surface is being achieved.  Both vessels are equipped with RTK GPS for positioning and heading, electronic transducers and fathometers for soundings, and a motion reference unit (MRU) for determining heave corrections which are applied in the post-processing of the hydrographic data.  Hydrographic cross lines are surveyed perpendicular to the profile lines at each site as an additional quality control check.  In Miami-Dade County, an offshore borrow area is also being surveyed as part of the project.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) works with the Army Corps of Engineers annually to complete these surveys to monitor beach erosion.  This data is used for planning and to determine when beach renourishment will be completed.

Pictured above: Degrove’s 32-foot SeaArk at Pompano Beach in Broward County.

Degrove’s 14-foot inflatable pontoon boat which was used to achieve near-shore hydro data.  Pompano Beach in background.

Processing laptop and fathometer as positioned in the 26-foot vessel.

Degrove Attends/Sponsors UF Geomatics Weekend

Degrove Surveyors was once again well represented at the annual University of Florida Geomatics Alumni Weekend, which is a part of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) Spring Celebration.  The weekend serves as a sort of homecoming for Geomatics alumni, and is the program’s largest annual fundraiser.  Degrove, having three UF Geomatics alumni currently on staff, sponsored and attended the Geomatics Trap Shoot and various other events throughout the weekend.  The University of Florida is home to one of the nation’s leading Geomatics programs, and Degrove is proud to support for the efforts to better educate future surveyors and mappers.

Pictured above: Degrove President and UF Geomatics Alumnus Ray Niles at the UF Geomatics Alumni Weekend Trap Shoot.

Degrove Exhibits at FSBPA Technical Conference in Jacksonville, FL

Degrove Surveyors recently attended the Florida Shores and Beaches Preservation Association’s (FSBPA) Annual Technical Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  Ray Niles and Tyler Tracz attended and represented Degrove in the exhibit hall.  With various engineers, surveyors, scientists, and public officials present, the exhibit hall provided an excellent opportunity to dialogue on the many issues affecting Florida’s shores and beaches.  Degrove was honored to be present among such an impressive and diverse group of professionals.  Degrove highlighted the many survey services we offer that support beach/shore monitoring and preservation efforts—particularly the hydrographic surveying and multibeam services.  Degrove appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with friends who share our interest in the preservation of Florida’s beaches. 

Further information on Degrove’s survey support for beach and shore preservation projects can be viewed here.

Degrove Completes Hydro/Topo Survey and Muck Probes on Harney Pond Canal – South Florida

Degrove Surveyors, working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, recently completed a topographic/hydrographic and structure survey on the Harney Pond Canal in South Florida.  The survey covered over 2.5 miles of the Harney Pond Canal, which flows into Lake Okeechobee on the northwest side of the lake.  Topographic and hydrographic cross-sections of the canal and bordering levees were surveyed at intervals of 100 feet, and 50 feet in areas with water control structures.  Seven water control structures were also surveyed.  In combination with the hydrographic portion of the project, Degrove crews completed muck probes in order to determine the thickness of the muck layer that has formed throughout much of the canal.  The project supported general monitoring and planning efforts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Degrove Provides Subsurface Utilitity Location for IGP Water Main Design in St. Johns County, FL

Degrove Surveyors, working on a team that included CDM and Bradshaw-Niles & Associates Inc.,  completed services supporting the design of the International Golf Parkway reclaimed water main to Palencia in St. Johns County, Florida.  The work was completed for the St. Johns County Public Works Department. Degrove was responsible for all subsurface utility designations and approximately 90 soft-dig test holes along the 8.5 mile route.  Degrove utilized a variety of subsurface location equipment, including electromagnetic locators, ground penetrating radar, and a vacuum excavator.  Degrove worked closely with the project surveyor, Bradshaw-Niles, to provide CDM with complete and accurate documentation of the route both above and below ground. The water main will provide reclaimed water to the Palencia development for irrigation of the golf course and common areas.

Degrove Completing Hydrographic Survey and Muck Probes on Lake Apopka – Supporting SJRWMD

Degrove Surveyors is near completion of a project on Lake Apopka in Orange County, Florida that will support planning and dredging efforts of the St. Johns River Water Management District.  Lake Apopka, once a prime fishing and boating attraction in central Florida, now holds a layer of muck and silt so thick that the lake depths are as low as two or three feet throughout much of the lake. 

In order to support the St. Johns River Water Management District in their planning efforts, Degrove is completing a Hydrographic Survey of specified transects of the lake, as well as 1,700 muck probes on grids varying between 50, 100, and 200 feet.  The hydrographic data was calibrated to determine a consistent lake bottom in very inconsistent bottom densities.  The muck probes are being completed using survey range poles with a water pump system attached.  The water is sprayed through a hose system that is attached to the probing rod, which helps to blow away the dense layers of muck that make it very difficult to probe and determine the depth of the original sand bottom.  At each of the 1,700 probe locations, the top of the muck/silt is determined, as well as the depth of the muck above the historical sand bottom of the lake.  This data is being used to create two digital surfaces that will assist the engineers in dredge and cost planning.  The muck depths in the lake have ranged between seven and 30 feet.

Degrove has been serving SJRWMD for over 15 years and is pleased to continue supporting water management efforts throughout the state of Florida.