If your facility is subject to Process Safety Management and Risk Management Plan regulations, or even if you are a mom and pop grocery store, during the life of your business you’ll experience organizational change. William Lape, of SCS Engineers, writes about how we need to consider the impacts on a facility’s PSM/RMP or ARM programs and on the operation of the ammonia refrigeration system itself.
Published in the RETA Breeze, Managing Organizational Change, How It Impacts Your Ammonia Refrigeration System
A well-sited transfer station could possibly save millions a year in operation costs, but it’s nearly impossible to find a location with every desirable checklist item. Project developers and one municipality share which priorities tend to matter the most and how to satisfy as many as possible, whether it is accessibility, traffic considerations, zoning, among others.
“There has been an uptick in construction of transfer stations in the past several years. Governments want to have facilities in their community for convenience,” says Michael Kalish, vice president of SCS Engineers.
Easy access is key.
“Haulers want to collect material quickly and easily to get rid of it and get back on the road. Otherwise, it costs a lot of money and time,” says Kalish.
Read the article How to Resourcefully Site a Transfer Station.
Stormwater management at landfills is changing as owners/operators are adapting their operating plans and designs to minimize the risks that come with heavier rainfall, and severe storm conditions. Landfill engineers are “overdesigning,” in regions hard hit in recent years by severe weather, and not designing for what is labeled as a statistically probable 25-year-storm.
Operations and maintenance are also preparing for changing conditions. William Mojica, Republic Services Director of Environmental Compliance is quoted in this article saying “It’s understanding the facility’s lifecycle, what best management practices (BMPs) are required and anticipating what may come.”
Jonathan Meronek, of SCS Engineers, notes similar strategies are being explored or employed along the U.S. coastlines including designing retention facilities to handle much larger storms.
With the number of LFG monitoring technologies out there, it can be difficult for operators to distinguish which is the best fit. The authors, Pat Sullivan and John Henkelman of Understanding Landfill Gas Monitoring Techniques, do just that, help readers find the approach that works best for their landfill monitoring needs.
Methane can be monitored above the surface of the landfill as a gauge of potential emissions or can be directly measured using techniques that test for the rate or flux of emissions. The above-surface monitoring techniques for gauging potential emissions include surface emission monitoring, ground-based or low-altitude imaging and satellite and aerial imaging.
Landfill methane measurement is the direct measurement of methane emissions from landfills. Direct measurement of methane is more expensive than surface emission monitoring. Four ways to measure landfill methane directly are flux chamber testing, plume measurement, micrometeorological methods, and dispersion modeling.
The purpose of the Quaternary Geology of Calumet and Manitowoc Counties, Wisconsin report is to provide an interpretation of the distribution and history of glacial deposits and a map showing their distribution.
This report should be useful for planning and development agencies in making land-use decisions, and to the non-metallic mining industry to aid in locating potential sources of aggregate.
The stratigraphic framework presented provides a basis for future detailed groundwater studies in the area. Finally, we hope that naturalists and others interested in the geologic history of the land on which we live will enjoy reading this report.
The report is available for sharing and downloading from the Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey.
We hope you find it both interesting and valuable. For geological surveys and information in other states, please contact us.
Stormwater Regulation is evolving, pushing more responsibility on to the dischargers by holding them accountable through categorization based on a discharger’s ability to meet numeric benchmarks. Additionally, how a discharger responds and applies effective BMPs determines their status. Ultimately, it is up to the industrial permittee to take the initiative, with an eye to priorities and feasibility for the future of their stormwater compliance program.
Stormwater managers and facility compliance personnel have only just begun to come to terms with the tiered ERA Response paradigm. However, as the tiered escalation becomes more common and ERA Level 1 and Level 2 reporting is performed, facilities are beginning to reach an equilibrium of stormwater compliance in terms of strategy, feasibility, budget and allocation of resources.
In his whitepaper, Jonathan Meronek, QISP, ToR, takes readers through the fundamental components of the ERA, Exceedance Response Action, or tiered Corrective Action compliance mechanism already in place, and currently being implemented in the States of California, Washington and the most recent General Permit in Oregon. ERA has wide-reaching implications for future NPDES permittees of industrial stormwater discharges. The escalation or “tiered” response standards is based on EPA Benchmark Levels and potential for future Numeric Effluent Limits (NELs). The three western states are viewed as “precursors” of what may be expected throughout the United States, as several key components of the forthcoming Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) will push other states to move towards similar ERA response scenarios and regulations.
SCS Engineers promotes Carlo Lebron to lead the Southeastern region operations, including all environmental consulting, landfill, landfill gas, and solid waste business. He commences his responsibilities immediately, under the title Business Unit Director, and is managing the staff and business operations of six offices in Florida and Georgia, and including projects in Puerto Rico. His primary office is located in Tampa, Florida.
Today’s landfill design professionals can help eliminate unsafe configurations and institute features that can proactively warn of and minimize hazards for operator and customer safety. Designers consider subgrade conditions, geotechnical factors and regulatory requirements when specifying how steep a landfill may be constructed.
The practical aspects of landfill operations and maintenance play a significant role in slope configurations since the landfill must provide safe access to monitoring points, environmental control features, and mowing.
Bob Gardner highlights the most important features to consider for landfill cells, including the design and construction phases of the entire landfill’s infrastructure. Bob covers a broad range of topics including:
Many states regulate the maximum design slope, and although these vary, it is up to the landfill designer to take practical, safety and regulatory considerations into account when establishing the slope configuration. Bob recommends working closely with the field staff to incorporate a design that is user-friendly, effective and safe.
Read the WasteToday article “Ensuring safety during landfill design,” by clicking here.
About the Author: Bob Gardner, PE, BCEE
…and have fun doing it! In true SCS spirit, our offices are busy helping others in their communities, so that everyone’s holiday is a little bit brighter. A special thanks to our Young Professionals who think BIG, for organizing a national food drive with a healthy competition between our offices. The offices nationwide donated several thousand pounds of food to their local food banks.
In Overland Park, Susan McCart headed up the team’s packaging party to provide 35 custom-made holiday care packages to the members of her son’s Air Force unit. Similarly, our other offices are donating to local causes and to those serving our country.
We are happy that we can help, not just at this time of the year, but year round.
Sustainable environmental programs require multi-disciplinary professionals who have highly technical engineering skills and can develop solutions in coordination with state and local entities, private businesses, and the public.
SCS Engineers announces several strategic management enhancements following its Board of Directors meeting in November. The firm promoted several individuals and hired new professionals to increase support for its landfill, waste management, and clean energy clients in states where recycling goals and the reduction of greenhouse gases are advancing at a rapid pace.
SCS Engineers is an employee-owned corporation, with a Board of Directors that sets policies, appoints officers and committees, and otherwise serves the employee-shareholders by governing the corporation. SCS Engineers includes three specialty business practices: SCS Field Services, SCS Energy, and SCS Tracer.
The Board confirmed the company’s list of officers for the year ahead, including the promotions of Pete Carrico to Senior Vice President of SCS Field Services Operations and Maintenance, and Julio Nuno to SCS Engineers’ Senior Vice President of Environmental Services, Southwest.
Promoted to Vice President were Myles Clewner (Florida), Jim Ritchie, Srividhya Viswanathan, Art Jones, and Sol Sim (California); and Tom Lock (Pennsylvania).
SCS also welcomes new Project Director, Daniel Dietch, to its Miami, Florida, office. Mr. Dietch comes to the firm with more than 20 years of academic and professional experience in solid waste management. His experience includes master planning, landfill closure plans, operations and technology reporting, rate models and cost-benefit analyses, data management, and procurement. His expertise will help support achieving state and local sustainable recycling and waste management goals. Mr. Dietch is also the Mayor of Surfside, Florida, and brings the unique big-picture perspective of a public servant.
“These colleagues are a key part of our success, and we are proud to announce their promotions,” said President and CEO Jim Walsh. “Our clients and SCS are thriving as new professionals join with our best and brightest employee-owners.”
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