Environmental Permitting Services and Engineering

At McCrory& Williams, we focus on the most important engineering aspects of multi-faceted projects to tackle the major work areas for our clients including:

• Land Surveying
• Federal and State Assisted Projects
• Storm Water Drainage
• Streets and Highways
• Commercial and Residential Site Development
• Wastewater Systems
• Water Systems
• Recreational Facility and Pathway Projects

Our agency has also provided ADEM and Corps of Engineers permits for water supply systems, NPDED for water and storm water discharges, Nationwide jurisdictional wetlands and permitting requirements inclusive with developmental projects.

McCrory Williams provides Permitting and Engineering services in the follow cities and their surrounding communities:

In Mobile, surveying is the process of measuring an objects dimensions across the surface of the Earth or the dimension of an object on the surface of the Earth.  The equipment commonly used for such a task includes levels and theodolites.  These tools are necessary for accurate measurements of distances (horizontal and vertical) as well as the measurement of angles on a surveying site in mobile, AL.

Many agencies and Mobile surveying companies are replacing their technology with new computer systems and electronic distance measuring systems and GPS.  Despite the equipment used and how similar it is, there are a number of differences between Mobile land surveying and construction surveying.

Other countries may view the job of land survey is a distinguished job and one held in high esteem, over here in Alabama we view Mobile surveying as a good stout blue-collar job.  Even still, the work itself is the same.  A licensed land surveying crew tackles boundary surveys as plans for subdivisions or neighborhoods.  In Mobile, a construction surveying crew generally a group of specialized, highly trained technicians (often above general land survey).  Construction surveying in Mobile covers some of the following areas.

In Mobile, surveying of construction site ground conditions is important, and covers the site topography, records of existing buildings or other structures in the vicinity, water drainage measurement and other dimensions involving underground infrastructure.

Mobile surveying crews will also work to ensure that there are no major deviations from the original engineering planning based on established markers on the site.  During this process they will continue to layout the building site while fixing control points to guide the erection of new structures.

It is the duty of the construction surveying crews and engineer to ensure that the site itself matches up to the original plans.  Its possible for deviations to occur, often as a result of variations in the landscape as most blueprints are based on pre-set blueprints and calculations where the landscape generally must change in order to meet the building.

Construction surveying requires some unique specialty skills for erecting safe, manmade structures such as homes and commercial buildings.  Without the careful combination of structural engineering and land surveying, reference lines, coordinates and points of references wouldn’t be available resulting in far more tedious and slow moving construction.

Site planning is a process that involves developing and implementing a specific organizational plan for an interior or exterior space. Landscape architects develop site plans for the grounds surrounding a home or place of business. Commercial engineers in Mobile perform a similar function when designing the placement of key elements of the building construction, such as the placement of artificial and natural lighting, entry and exit options, and any other amenities that are intended to provide function as well as form.

However, site planning is not just about coming up with a workable layout for the space. It also involves making sure the area is designed so that the space will comply with local laws that relate to zoning, construction, and any other regulations that govern what can and cannot be included. From this perspective, the engineer must be very familiar with all laws that apply to the project and make sure everything meets with the local codes. Failure to do so can result in the loss of a great deal of time and money, as well as the possibility of fines or other actions on the part of local authorities.

The overall process of site planning with an engineer in mobile must take into account the actual natural make up of the surrounding area and landscape.  This includes the quality of the soil, vegetation, local animals,  the presence and intensity of the flood plain and overall terrain modifications that would need to be made.

With the advent of green site planning and construction, the idea is to erect structures without disturbing the natural environment around the location but to instead create a space that blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment – certainly a challenge for any engineer in Mobile.

Professionals in this industry understand that site planning cannot take place in the course of a few hours.  A site planner and engineer will spend several weeks (and sometimes months) to create the idea plan for a site.  The same stands for engineers in Mobile working on the overall structural design.  These plans aren’t made quickly.

While site planning is more often thought to apply to new construction, the same basic principles can also be applied to the renovation of existing interior and exterior spaces. For example, a commercial site planner may help a retail chain to come up with a plan to modify existing retail space so that it mirrors the design that is common to all the chain’s retail stores. The site planner may also help to redesign the configuration of outdoor eating around a restaurant, landscaping the parking area with foliage to soften the harsh lines of asphalt, or to modify the exterior and grounds to better reflect the atmosphere that the establishment wishes to cultivate.

Many engineers are more willing to solve a complicated Fluid Dynamics problem or analyze a water network then market their own engineering services in Mobile to prospective clients. It is not because engineers are not capable of marketing; it is just that marketing is simply outside of their comfort zone. Fortunately the skills required to perform well at marketing are teachable.

As an engineer progress in their careers they move away from technical analysis and design to managerial tasks. The head of an engineering department spends perhaps 95% of his day on management and maybe 5% on engineering. The lowly Project Engineer will spend 95% of his day on technical designs and analysis, and maybe 5% on a management task. Due to a lack of business skills, some engineers are unable to make the leap from engineering to management.

Since business skills are teachable, the engineer can continue his education through training seminars and courses. The engineer will learn that the marketing for engineering business is not like marketing for any other type of business, and that an engineer is quite capable of performing many different types of marketing campaigns. Engineering marketing requires only one thing; communicating your knowledge about your business to prospective clients.

For the most part the vehicles utilized to communicate this knowledge are very familiar to the engineer. Most engineers are familiar with writing technical reports and making presentations on technical analysis and designs. There are numerous other ways to communicate your business to interested audiences.

The marketing skills and techniques can be learned through continuing education courses that are tailored for the engineering business. The two main sources for continuing education are seminars and study courses. Seminars attendees are required to register and be present throughout the seminar to receive a Completion Certificate with Professional Development Hours.

Study courses can be completed over a couple of weekends at the Community College or at your convenience on online through a continuing education website. Since engineering marketing is very unique, the likelihood of finding a course at the Community College that is acceptable to the State Licensure Board is about nil. One of the best ways to find these sites is to search the internet with the key words “engineering business continuing education”.

Most of the State Licensing Boards require Professional Engineers to renew their professional licenses periodically with a minimum number of continuing education units. These units are usually Professional Development Hours (PDH) or Continuing Education Units (CEU). One PDH is equivalent to one hour of course education, and one CEU is equivalent to ten PDH or ten hours of course education.

The transition from engineer to manager can be difficult, but there are resources available to obtain the necessary knowledge. Acquiring the necessary management skills can be the difference between making your engineering services in Mobile successful.

Surveyors in Mobile, Alabama are proud of the long history of land surveying, dating back to colonial times. At one time, there were British, French, and Spanish settlements in the area of present-day Alabama, all at the same time. Its borders changed over and over from its first settlement in 1663 until Alabama became a state in 1821. With so many changes in Alabama’s borders over time, it is no wonder that land surveying played a large role in the state’s development.

In fact, the first officially surveyed boundary of the United States, conducted by Major Andrew Ellicott from 1798 to 1800, ran through Alabama territory along the 31st parallel North. The only stone monument set by Major Ellicott during this survey, known as the Ellicott Stone, sits today in Mobile County, Alabama, along the North bank of the Mobile River.

Today, land surveyors continue to play an important role in Alabama’s development. Because of the long history of land surveying in Alabama, many surveys conducted today are known as “retracement” surveys, in which a modern surveyor retraces previous surveys to determine the pre-established boundaries of a plot of land.

Land surveyors in Alabama must follow strict requirements, in part to prevent such land disputes that required so many surveys in Alabama’s past. All surveyors must certify that their maps, plats, and drawings are completed in accordance with the current Standards of Practice for Surveying in the State of Alabama.

These standards are required by the Alabama State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; if they are not followed, the land surveyor may lose their license. In addition to state requirements, Alabama land surveyors must also comply with standards set by federal and local government agencies.

Surveyors in Alabama must use up-to-date equipment and methods for the smallest possible margin of error in their measurements; there are minimum accuracy requirements set by the state for all surveys. Regulations govern every aspect of surveys conducted within the boundaries of Alabama, from initial measurements to the final plat map.

Many Alabama land surveyors join the Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors, a professional organization dedicated to supporting the interests of surveyors in the state of Alabama. This organization holds periodic Alabama Standards of Practice seminars to ensure that all licensed land surveyors in the state understand and follow these regulations.

The entire Standards of Practice can also be found on the ASPLS website. Other meetings and conferences held by the Society, as well as an online message board, keep surveyors up to date on news in their field for surveyors in Mobile, and all over Alabama.

Have you ever thought about what goes into adding a new building or putting up a new bridge? Most don’t, although the physical level, in which the project is constructed literally from the ground up, is what many see. Nevertheless, if you consider any project or improvement around town, civil engineering in Mobile is most likely behind it, even before the first hole is dug or the foundation is put down.

Civil engineering, in Alabama or anywhere else, involves the design, construction, and maintenance of the naturally-created environment and encompasses general construction projects like bridges, roads, canals, dams, and buildings.

Civil engineers, however, often have a specialty, with typical areas being environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, municipal, water resources, construction, and surveying. Surveying, out of these, is almost always an introductory step to any Alabama civil engineering project.

In general, civil engineers all over work with surveyors to fit these projects to a given area. As far as the land is concerned, the civil engineers and surveyors will work together to design grading, drainage, pavement, electric, communication, and water supply systems in towns. Construction plans and modifying a tract of land are also two common instances in which surveyors and civil engineers will need each other’s assistance.

Although the construction of models is a general perception for the formation of such projects, surveying the area creates these dimensions so that the models can be formed. An Alabama civil engineering project, for example, will involve engineers and surveyors measuring the points on the surface of the Earth and the angles – horizontal, vertical, and sloped – between them.

In the present, various computerized instruments are used for capturing these points. As a result, engineers and surveyors can start an Alabama civil engineering project by mapping out these points in a few instances and creating a computerized model for drawings and diagrams.

These drawings and diagrams form the backbone of modern architecture and building design. Without the information that civil engineering in Mobile provides to the community, many new construction projects would be much more difficult, if not outright impossible.

Civil engineering in Mobile, like other parts of the country, is a service that the rest of us cannot live without. There would be no way of knowing if the buildings were constructed safely. Roads and bridges would be highly unsafe. We all owe our comfort in modern American cities to the genius of modern civil engineers.

In an industry like hours where the work is both an art and a science, it can be difficult to establish hard and fast rules that can be applied to every situation.  Regardless, there are some fairly clear guidelines that we as surveyors must follow in order to remain true to the profession.  In order to maintain status as a respectable and honorable land surveyor in Pensacola, these are key.

Above all else, a survey in Pensacola has to approach the project with a courteous attitude for all those involved.  In many situations, the surveyor has to remain neutral in disputes and will have to provide the best assessment for a given situation where their knowledge decides a particular outcome – particularly in disputes or legal matters.

With regards to dealings with clients, surveyors should avoid any professional impropriety in any aspect of their business. They should disclose any potential conflicts of interest, prior affiliations or involvement with any parties involved before the acceptance of any assignment.

Information  is sometimes received from clients that is personal or proprietary – it’s always in our best interest to keep these things under wraps and confidential.  While this may sound like common sense, the nature of the work seems to disconnect some people from the concept of “customer service”.  True we work with dirt, but who says we have to act like it?

A sore spot in some circles is the fact that some agencies don’t price their services fairly.  While this is a field that requires a certain measure of experience and the scope of the work can change the price dramatically there is an ethical standard that we should cling to as surveyors in Pensacola.  The fee for service truly should match only the technical complexity of a job.

Details on how compensation was determined should be provided at the request of the client; where possible, this should be discussed to the best of your ability before the project is undertaken.

When dealing with others within the business community, a surveyor should not make or allude to any false or misleading statements while advertising your business or service. As well, surveyors should not seek to undermine or besmirch the reputation or endanger the business prospects of any other surveyor.

From the outside looking in, it would also make sense to someone not of the career that land survey is land survey and most jobs are the same.  This is quite far from the truth actually, and no surveyor should accept assignments that are outside of their competence level.  Unfortunately this happens every day, and the result is the necessary hiring of surveyors in Pensacola that can come in and clean up the work.

Also, assignments should only be accepted if the project is within the resources and the expertise of the surveyor to allow them to complete the project in a reasonable time and professional manner. If the surveyor has any employees or contractors who perform work for them, the surveyor must accept professional responsibility for any actions or work carried out by them.

You might not guess it from all of the fancy technological tools available to the Pensacola surveyor today, but the principles behind the science are quite old. Land surveying techniques have been found in cultures as old as history itself and the very idea of land ownership. Today of course, land surveying is used for much more than that single purpose.

The surveying techniques of the ancient Egyptian were particularly advanced for their period. The Nile River would periodically overflow and destroy the boundary lines between neighboring farms. The surveyor used the simple geometric concepts that they had mastered at the time to re-establish these boundaries.

The surveying prowess of ancient Egyptians is also on display at the Great Pyramid of Giza. Constructed around 2700 BC, the pyramid is exceptionally square, and has a nearly perfect north-south orientation. The errors are so small that the massive structure is only off by inches.

One of the earliest recorded boundary stones was placed in Babylon around 1200 BC. The Babylonian Kudurru bore the inscriptions that described the property, the owner’s name, the name of the surveyor, and the list of previous owners. This “corner stone” technique is still in use today, although fewer of them are made of stone anymore.

The Egyptians were eventually observed by the Greeks, who adopted many of the surveying techniques by 500 BC. Egypt was a place of study for both Pythagoras and Thales where they both learned geometry, which they returned teach to Greek mathematicians

Alexandria was made famous by Aristotle, Plato, and Archimedes as a learning center to study science and other disciplines.

Another civilization well known for its surveying prowess was the Roman Empire. They were the first recorded culture to establish the land surveyor as a separate profession known as Agrimensores. They were able to cut perfect right angles and run straight lines as early as the first century BC. Some of their work survives today, but not in as good o condition as the Great Pyramid.

Like the Greeks before them with the Egyptians, the ancient Romans took their land surveying knowledge from another culture. As we learn more and develop new technology, land surveying will continue to advance. What new and fantastic tools will the Pensacola surveyor of the future use?

Selecting the right engineer in Hattiesburg is a big problem for some, as there are a number of engineers originating in the Mobile, AL area and all across the state of AL.  Not all engineers are a like and when you factor in that a structural engineer is responsible for the lives of the people occupying a structure then it’s a good idea to ensure that you’ve chosen the right one.  Here are some things to look for:

• Quality assurance is big deal, along with accreditation and association.  Engineers should be ISO certified and will more than likely (if they’re any good) will be associated with the State Association of Engineers.
• The structural engineer should also be an expert in fire safety engineering, and certificates and audits. Disability access is another area that should not be ignored. Besides, a structure engineer must offer a host of services.

Given below is a checklist of the services that construction engineering should offer.

• The engineer should provide an aesthetic design with cost-effective structure.  The engineer will provide input on the design of the major structural components such as the foundation, floors, support beams, roof, etc.
• A structural survey of existing structures on the property.  This will include areas such as settlement, cracks, fire damage, dampness, etc – ideally to check for the overall structural integrity of the structure.

Engineering reports may be required on a variety of different situations. Some of the situations include legal disputes with building contractor, damage to your property, monitoring property, party wall disputes and similar others. The construction engineering company must comply with all of the above.

In addition to the above items, the engineer will (should) provide a certain measure of project management to ensure that those operators on site will adhere to the original design and plans.

These are some of the factors that you must consider while hiring a consulting engineer in Hattiesburg. These services will ensure that your project is carried out effectively and smoothly without any obstacles.

Your home is a worthy investment.  Over the course of your life you’ll pour thousands upon thousands of dollars into its upkeep.  But that’s only part of your home – it is essentially one with the land around it.  That’s why its important to know if your home is in a flood zone.  A Mobile survey contractor can you determine if the major investment where you dwell will be safe when the heavy rains eventually come.

Even if your property rests in a flood zone, most insurance companies don’t offer coverage for this type of damage.  If you’re getting ready to buy a home, this can be a vital assessment.  If you already own a home or recently purchased one, it’s a good idea to check the status of your areas because it can (and should) influence your decision to seek out protective insurance.

There is existing data on flood plains as this information is mapped out by government from time to time using surveyors, even in Mobile.  The flood map covering the entire course of the United States is essentially a compilation of survey data from FEMA.  If you’re able to interpret the information you’ll be able to discern if your home is within a flood zone.  While the information is updated every few years, the information you find might be outdated.  This is why it’s sometimes beneficial to simply hire a Mobile survey contractor.

To find a particular property on the flood map, you’ll need a little information about where the property is located. You can use the street address or the state, county, and city to go to that part of the flood map directly.

If you’ve already viewed the flood map and known the Panel ID for the FEMA flood map of your area, enter that ID number to be taken directly to that section of the map.

In the data, a flood plain is described by the frequency at which it floods.  The information within is based on historic data using rainfall, river flows, topography and other data that is frequently revisited based on new statistics.

Flood insurance providers use the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for insurance evaluations. This map shows your community’s base flood elevation, flood zones, and the boundaries of the floodplain, or area that is most at risk of frequent flooding. In order to reduce your flood insurance requirements, you may need to have a land surveyor in Mobile survey your land to provide elevation certification.