Natural Resources Damage Assessment

AWR can provide assistance in supporting clients undergoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) claims. Given our experience with NRDA claims, we provide a critical analysis of NRDA liability in parallel with the investigation and remediation of chemical impacts. In many cases, NRDA impacts may represent, by far, the larger financial liability.
AWR personnel helped develop groundwater equivalency analysis to resolve Natural Resource Damage liabilities. We also supported the first NRDA settlement for groundwater resource damages in the country.   

Our approach to NRDA claims evaluates innovative solutions to offset potential financial impacts.  AWR has used resource equivalency analysis to identify and scale reasonable and appropriate supplemental environmental projects (SEPs), negotiate alternative settlements of violations, and design mitigation measures.
Our experience includes working closely with resource economists, biologists, ecologists, and attorneys with considerable NRDA expertise.

NRDA projects include:  
  • Univar – South Valley Superfund Site, NM
  • Confidential – Mercury mining in Cache Creek Watershed
  • UNOCAL – Guadalupe Oil Field, CA, Avila Beach, CA
  • Chevron – South Valley Superfund Site, NM
  • Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District (Guadalupe River and South SF Bay)
  • Homestake Mining – Grants, NM  Shell – Martinez, CA