Who We Are

RNSA is a consulting firm that is small enough to give personal attention to both staff and clients. We have been able to team with large organizations to participate in complex projects.

Training

RNSA finances staff to periodically attend professional conferences and training to update technical skills and stay current with regulations. RNSA also encourages and pays for professional licenses and certifications of employees. RNSA has a program to support efforts of employees to attain advanced degrees while working.

Community Service

RNSA has participated in Housing for Humanity construction projects in the City of Portland and is presently working with an African American Non-Profit to rehabilitate a malfunctioning geothermal geothermal system for their community building. RNSA supports employees to participate in both civic and professional organizations.

Environmental Attention

RNSA offers bus passes to employees to reduce auto congestions as well as a stipend for employees who ride bicycle to work rather than take a bus.

Safety

All field personnel have safety training, including HAZMAT and first aid. Typically field projects will have health and safety meetings daily to discuss potential safety risks and assure all participating are knowledgeable of the RNSA safety standards. RNSA has passed safety evaluations performed while subcontractor of national and international clients. In 29 years of operation RNSA has not had a field work injury resulting in a Workers Comp claim.

Staff

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
For the past 30 years Mr. Smith has been practicing in the geological profession. He has worked on projects in Australia, Africa and the United States. Roger N. Smith Associates, Inc. (RNSA) groundwater and environmental consulting firm was founded 30 years ago in Portland. Mr. Smith was raised in the mining culture of the Silver Valley of North Idaho where he developed an interest in the mineral exploration working with his father, a mining engineer consultant who managed a silver mine (Clayton Silver) in central Idaho for 40 years. Mr. Smith applied geologic knowledge during college by working underground in the Sunshine Silver near Kellogg, Idaho. Mr. Smith completed a BSc degree in Geological Engineering at the Idaho School of Mines. Following graduation Mr. Smith worked two years in mineral exploration in Australia. The Australian work involved managing field crews and developing reports of results from the geologic work. Mr. Smith then worked with NL Industries in mineral exploration in the Bayhorse silver mining district near Challis, Idaho. Another two years of mineral exploration was completed with the United Nation Development Program in Benin West Africa through the American Peace Corp. Mr. Smith completed his graduate work on the heat flow of the geothermal groundwater system of the Western Snake River Plains. This research was incorporated into publications (see ‘Publications’) that contributed to the City of Boise expanding its geothermal energy in the Capitol’s downtown area. Beginning in 1980 Mr. Smith began work in Portland, Oregon for Foundations Sciences (geotechnical engineers). Rock mechanic work experience obtained at this time also included installation and operation of strain gauges at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation’s Near Surface Test Facility (basalt response to nuclear repository) and at the Chicago Deep Tunnel project (tunnel support testing). Later Mr. Smith held and civil engineering position with the US Army Corp of Engineers to develop a slope stability model associated with the Bonneville Dam navigation lock expansion.

In 1983 Mr. Smith began working for Riedel Environmental Services, Mr. Smith was a Sr. Hydrogeologist working on environmental cleanup sites throughout the United States. Work included research for American Petroleum Institute (API) on bio-stimulation of hydrocarbon degradation and soil vapor venting. In 1986 Mr. Smith founded RNSA, Inc. a groundwater and environmental consulting firms. . Successful environmental projects have included a 10-year long closure of a Union Carbide site in north Portland, a 12-year characterization and remediation of a solvent release covering approximately 0.5 mi2 near the City of Portland well field which included the installation of the deepest continuous multilevel wells ever installed, conducting 66 HUD-NEPA environmental reviews, installation of the Portland City well field wellhead monitoring well system, conducting aquifer testing using transducers to collect data for developing aquifer characteristics, management of 1200-Z NPDES stormwater discharge permits, developing 1200-C permits for construction projects throughout Oregon. Geothermal-related work has included the installation of four ‘open-loop low temperature geothermal systems for approximately 80,000 ft2 of commercial buildings Mr. Smith is a registered geologist in Oregon, Idaho and Washington, he is a certified water rights examiner and has completed numerous water right permits, certification of beneficial use, limited water use licenses, transfers and permit amendments, a registered hydrogeologist in Washington. Mr. Smith has completed 11 hydrogeologic assessments in the Willamette Valley and is presently working with the City of Woodburn to complete perfection of their water rights. Mr. Smith encourages the publication of research to the scientific community.

Publications
Smith, R.N., Heat Flow of the Western Snake River Plains, Proceedings from Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting, September 9-11, 1980, Volume 4, p.89-92.
Smith, R.N. (RNSA), 1981, Heat Flow, Chapter 6 in: Geological, Hydrological, Geochemical and Geophysical Investigations of the Nampa-Caldwell and Adjacent Areas Southwestern Idaho, Water Information Bulletin No. 30, Idaho Department of Water Resources.
Mitchell, J.C. et al., Geological, Hydrological, Geochemical and Geophysical Investigations of the Nampa-Caldwell and Adjacent Areas Southwestern Idaho, Water Information Bulletin No. 30, Idaho Department of Water Resources, 1982.
Feng, T.H., Kintzer, F.C. (Parsons Engineering), Smith, R.N., (Roger N. Smith Associates, Inc.), DeHghi, B., (Honeywell International, Inc.), Effectiveness of Drilling and Sampling Approaches to Characterize a Thick Sandy Gravel Aquifer in the Northwest United States. National Groundwater Association Northwest FOCUS Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, June 2003.
Kintzer, F.C. (Parsons Engineering), Feng, T. Ph.D. (Parsons Engineering), Smith, R.N. (RNSA) and DeHghi, B. (Honeywell, Intl.), 2003, Delineating a VOC Plume in a Deep Gravel Aquifer Using CMT Wells and Sonic Drilling, Proceedings of 13th Annual West Coast Conference on Contaminated Soils, Sediments and Water of The Association for Environmental Health and Sciences (March, 2003).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Ms Coates has been working for RNSA since 2005. Although she has worked in some capacity on almost all projects since her employment, here specialty has been in permitting and NEPA regulations of 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. Knowledge of these regulations by Ms Coates has been necessary for her to complete Environmental Records Reviews for 42 Housing and Urban Development projects (HUD) project throughout Oregon. These projects were sponsored through the Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). Her work has included writing summary report associated it project reviews related to the following Federal regulations:

• Reviewing public records for hazardous materials near project site (24 CFR 51 B)
• Contacting Native Americans associated with construction activity (36 CFR 800)
• Reviewing data and if necessary interacting with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office to clear project for construction (36 CFR 800)
• FEMA floodplain review (24 CFR 55, Ex Order 11988)
• Assurance that project sites do not violate the Wetlands Protection regulations Review to assure that the project does not violate the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 402). This typically involves detailed assessment of stormwater runoff as designed by the architects and engineers, and submitting reviews to NOAA and US Fish and Wildlife for approval
• Assessment of potential excessive noise from roadways, railroads, or airports (24 CFR 51 B).
• Assurance that the projects do not violate the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

Ms Coates attends an annual meeting sponsored by HUD to update all team members on new regulations and to review projects with Federal Agency officials (NOAA and USFW).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
From 2005 to the present Mr. Loaiza has worked with Roger N. Smith Associates, Inc. Stephen was responsible for the following:

• Monitor well sampling using low flow techniques with flow cell parameter.
• Sediment sampling for characterizing contaminants for large industrial facility in Portland.
• Field equipment calibration.
• Developing wells with Waterra Powerlift [I,[s
• Sample QA/QC, processing samples to assure appropriate sample volume and preservation for desired analyses, transportation packaging to prevent damage and stable shipping temperature, as well as appropriate custody seals, COCs and travel blanks,
• Logging GPS sites and documenting samples in PDA.

Between late 2005 and 2007 Mr. Loaiza took several leaves of absence from RNSA to assist in the cleanup of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. Working for Weston Solutions, Inc. Mr. Loaiza was responsible for establishing GPS and PDA points of hazardous waste in many areas of New Orleans. Mr. Loaiza was responsible for dividing and assigning areas of work for emergency response crews by copying and highlighting maps, observing crews while they conducted cleanup and assisting crews in removal of hazardous waste as needed. Part of his environmental duties included the calibration of monitoring equipment on collection pads where hazardous materials were stored. Mr. Loaiza returned to RNSA in 2007 to assist in our subcontract work with Parsons Engineering and Honeywell International.