BLAKE SCHWARTZ

***** ******** *** *, ******* WA imdsf7@r.postjobfree.com 206-***-****

Environmental Science / GIS Technician Tetra Tech EC – Tech Services – Seattle/Bothell, WA

EDUCATION

University of Washington Continuing & Professional Education

Certificate in Geographic Information Systems Certificate June 2010

Course Capstone Project: Industrial Pollutant Use in the Green River Floodplain

University of Washington

Bachelor of Arts, English Major Degree August 2006

Academic Honors: Dean’s List, spring and summer quarters, 2006

CERTIFICATIONS

40-Hour OSHA 29 CFR 1910.120 HAZWOPER Certified; Current 8-Hour Refresher October 2011

Emergency Care Basic Life Support First Aid, CPR, AED, BBP-HIV 2-Year Certification December 2011

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

• ArcGIS 10, ArcGIS 9.3; Spatial & 3D Analyst Extensions; DS Mapbook; XTools Pro

• Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2010

• Classroom experience with project scope and needs assessment, documentation, work plan development, and project management methodologies used by IT and GIS groups within City of Seattle departments including Transportation and Public Utilities

• Field data and sample collection, data processing and editing, site investigation & characterization, oversight and documentation, personnel management

• Technical report preparation and review

• Experience working under the Incident Command Structure (ICS) on an emergency response project under EPA leadership

• Experience with sub-meter RTK Rover/Base Station GPS units

• Experience operating remote sensing arrays used in bathymetry surveys

REPRESENTATIVE JOB AND PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Environmental Science Technician Marine Mapping & Geosciences Group, Tetra Tech EC, Inc.

Bothell, WA June 2010 - Current

Enbridge Energy Line 6B Pipeline Release: Submerged Oil Recovery Task Force

Marshall, MI October 2010-November 2011

Submerged Oil Recovery GIS/Documentation Support July-November 2011

• Assisted in training and coordinating a team of up to 25 environmental scientists on site. This included site orientations, sampling methods, configuring and troubleshooting sub-meter GPS units, general safety and incident reporting, and submerged oil characterization techniques

• Attended daily team meetings, helped to schedule and assign daily work objectives, prepared field maps and other directional aids, and provided general support throughout the day by phone. Assumed the lead GIS/documentation support role for brief periods as needed

• Downloaded GPS data acquired by field crews, converted to xy events, performed QA/QC, and updated production datasets. Created figures to assist in scheduling resources, illustrate changing conditions, and assess the progress of remediation crews

• Assisted in developing and tuning multiple custom tools in Model Builder to automate data processing tasks, resulting in significant efficiency gains

• Installed a file server and multiple workstations on site and assisted an off-site network administrator in remotely configuring the server

• Assisted in generating and maintaining a large number of feature layers used to track site status, document remediation efforts, and generate maps and other data products used by internal management as well as for presentation to the client and regulatory agencies

• Used geoprocessing tools, queries, and manual editing extensively to update feature layers and produce maps. Generated maps for client representatives and other contractors as needed to assist recovery efforts

• Assisted with monthly report preparation, interfaced with client representatives engaged on the project, and fulfilled a variety of special map requests from agency personnel, other contractors, and internal management. Helped manage sediment coring data and photo logs

• Final 2011 data output consisted of several dozen distinct layer files and roughly 20,000 records submitted for regulatory agency review and use in environmental compliance reporting

Submerged Oil Recovery Field Operations Inspector June-July 2011

• Conducted site investigations to verify and delineate the location and extent of previously-surveyed submerged oil deposits in the Talmadge Creek Source/Release area using a sub-meter GPS unit and a sediment agitation device

• Supervised and directed a crew of 8-16 remediation technicians. Work included establishing site access and waste containment/ decontamination areas, setting absorbent boom to contain and collect liberated oil, performing sediment agitation to release submerged oil using gas-powered hand tillers and hand rakes, surface oil collection and management of waste

• Work was performed in accordance with a regulatory agency-approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure expectations regarding safe work practices, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), decontamination of personnel and equipment, work-rest cycles, surface oil containment and management, and oversight and documentation were met

• Acted as a client representative to on-site EPA START and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) observers, attended daily operations briefings and planning meetings, provided daily status updates, tracked personnel and equipment

Submerged Oil Recovery Poling Crew May-November 2011

• Team lead on a field crew consisting of 1-2 airboats and 4-8 field personnel with an EPA START observer present. Responsible for the completion of daily work assignments as outlined by field project manager

• Performed site investigations at submerged oil priority sites to verify the location and extent of submerged oil deposits. Used a sub-meter GPS and sediment agitation device to assess and characterize sites by revisiting previously-identified hot spots and performing additional investigations at likely depositional areas

• Set wooden stakes to direct crews setting hard boom and silt curtains to contain submerged oil

• Conducted additional investigations as needed to assess the progress and effectiveness of remediation efforts

Sediment Sampling and Overbank Site Assessment May-November 2011

• Collected sediment cores using hand-operated sampling apparatuses. Transported core samples to a local processing facility and assisted with core sampling and logging before samples were submitted for analytical testing

• Participated in site investigations of potentially contaminated standing-water overbank sites as part of a STRIKE Overbank Assessment team

Submerged Oil Recovery Monitoring and Oversight, Site Supervisor October–December 2010

• Provided third-party oversight and documentation of submerged oil recovery efforts by remediation contractors under direct Enbridge Operations division site leaders also being observed by US EPA START contractors during the final month of the initial emergency response effort

• Remobilized to continue recovery efforts at high-priority sites after the project shut down in early November. Supervised a crew of 8-16 remediation technicians using 2-4 boats and equipped with approved submerged oil recovery equipment. Recovery efforts were conducted per the agency-approved SOP

• Duties included attending weekly operations briefings, conducting daily site briefings, coordinating with contractor supervisors to ensure daily objectives were understood and met, and ensuring work was conducted safely and in accordance with the SOP. Liaison to an on-site EPA START observer

• Additional duties included tracking labor, waste, and equipment as well as providing a written daily summary to the project manager

Sediment Coring Technician

Former Naval Air Station Alameda, CA December-January 2010

• Collected sediment cores at a radiologically contaminated former military base. Received site-specific safety orientation and radiation awareness training

• Assisted in mobilizing and demobilizing the coring vessel, collecting cores using a vibracore unit deployed by hydraulic A-frame, transportation and exchange of core samples, proper decontamination and disposal of waste and equipment

Survey Technician

Metaline, WA September 2010

• Data collection, processing, and editing on a multibeam sonar, scanning sonar, and LiDAR survey of Boundary Hydroelectric Dam

• Received Lock-Out, Tag-Out (LOTO) training necessary for surveying near the dam’s intake tubes and outfalls, which required a temporary shut-down of the dam

• Assisted with mobilizing, configuring, and operating survey vessels and sensors. Provided general shore support as needed

Survey Technician

Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD August 2010

• Multibeam sonar and Magnetometer survey at a site adjacent to a former navy bombing range on Chesapeake Bay. Daily activities required staging and deployment from a large, active naval installation which required security screening and badging

• Assisted Marine Mapping Group geophysicists in building, testing, and operating an experimental deployment method for a magnetometer array not typically used in a marine environment

• Transported survey equipment via truck and trailer from Seattle to Maryland. Assisted in assembling and configuring arrays at the project site. Performed data acquisition and general project support to help achieve project deliverables on an aggressive timeline. Demobilized equipment and transported back to Seattle

Multibeam Sonar Technician

Fox River Superfund Site, Green Bay and Appleton, WI July 2010

• Team lead on a survey vessel performing sonar bathymetric data acquisition in on the Fox River superfund site

• Installed and configured sensors, transported the vessel by truck and trailer to and from survey sites, assisted the vessel operator in safe operation of the boat, and was responsible for achieving survey objectives which included surveying in shallow water and in flood-stage conditions

• Performed daily sensor calibration and operated data acquisition computer using Hypack, RTK base station corrections, an inertial motion unit, and a Ross Laboratories sweep sonar control computer

Multibeam Sonar Technician

Martha’s Vineyard, MA June-July 2010

• Federally-funded ESTCP grant project with the purpose of testing and validating a system for high-accuracy location of submerged Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)

• Assisted senior scientists in assembling, configuring, testing, and troubleshooting high-end, customized geophysics arrays. This included acting as a deck hand on a 36 foot survey vessel, assisting in the safe operation of the vessel, transiting to and from the survey site, deploying and operating the arrays in inclement weather

• As part of a 3-man survey team, daily tasks included: set-up and take-down of an RTK GPS base station; daily GPS water level readings for sensor calibration; operation of multibeam echosounder, Global Acoustic Positioning System, magnetometer, inertial motion unit, RTK GPS receiver unit, and sub-bottom/side-scan sonar array

• Performed data processing and editing on board the vessel. Performed a variety of additional maintenance duties related to vessel upkeep, troubleshooting and fixing sensors, and modifying data cables for simultaneous feeds from multiple sensors

GIS Technician City of Mercer Island IGS Department

Mercer Island, WA March 2011-June 2011

• Worked with the Information and Geographic Services (IGS) Manger and the city’s 2 GIS Analysts to create a land use layer for the City’s Geocortex-based, internal and public facing GIS web portal. The land use layer was linked to project documents in Sire, an enterprise document management system, giving public and internal clients access to permitting documents maintained by the city

• Performed extensive document research using Sire and Trakit, a permit tracking software application. GIS analysis and feature editing was performed in ArcGIS 10 using cadastral base layers and high-quality aerial imagery

• Attended internal IGS team meetings, as well as meetings with senior planning, police, fire and legal department personnel who were important stakeholders in the project; performed additional tasks as needed

Construction Laborer Apprentice Lease Crutcher Lewis

Seattle, WA October 2008-April 2009

• Member of Northwest Laborers International Union of North America (NWLIUNA) Local 242

• Completed 120 hours of classroom and field training, including: Basic orientation, fitness, tools and methods orientation, plus State Certified Flagger certification; Intermediate tools and construction methods orientation, welding and power tool safety and operation

• Completed over 1,000 hours of field work on two large commercial office buildings (each over 300,000 sq ft.) Worked on a concrete crew responsible for placing structural concrete for floor slabs and walls as well as general job site maintenance

Eelgrass Survey Technician Sound Vessels Inc.

Port Townsend, WA March-August 2000

• Deckhand and research technician on a pilot program to survey all known eelgrass beds in the Puget Sound through a Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) contract

• Responsibilities included prepping and maintaining the survey vessel, traveling with the vessel throughout the Puget Sound, and deploying and operating survey equipment. Equipment included a camera assembly fitted to a towfish and a VanVeen grab sampler used to capture shoots and sediment for a density assessment and lab analysis

• Due to the success of the pilot program, Sound Vessels was awarded an ongoing annual contract by the DNR and continues to provide yearly monitoring of this vital salmon habitat resource

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