Environmental Protection Logo

Poll

Feature

Going with the Flow

September 1, 2004By James E. Gallagher

Learning more about the effects of flow conditioning on water measurement can enhance water and wastewater treatment performance and cut costs

The full cost of ownership related to operating a water or wastewater treatment facility consists of the initial capital, commissioning, training, spare parts, maintenance, and calibration costs for the lifetime of the equipment.

Lighting the Way to Better Disinfection

September 1, 2004By Eugen Nisipeanu, Muhammad Sami, PhD

By improving flow measurement, computer simulation optimizes the design of ultraviolet reactors used to destroy disease pathogens in water and wastewater

Computer simulation can substantially improve the design of ultraviolet (UV) light technology used to disinfect water and wastewater. In UV disinfection design, bacteria and viruses must flow in close proximity to a UV lamp for a sufficient period of time to dimerize their DNA.

Living in a Post-Enron World

September 1, 2004By John L. Payne

A primer to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the new disclosure requirements related to environmental liabilities

It is no secret that the financial scandals of recent years have had a dramatic impact not just on the business world itself, but also on individual investors and government regulators. Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, MCI and others have entered the popular lexicon as words that will forever be associated with rampant greed and seemingly non-existent oversight. Whether we've seen the last of the fall of the giants, involving nearly incomprehensible loss of capital, is anyone's guess.

Our Readers Talk Back About EMS Value

September 1, 2004By Peter S. Cartwright, P.E.

Environmental Protection's readers respond to the question, "Do environmental management systems provide value?"

Site Closure Strategies

September 1, 2004By David H. Simpson, Rusty B. Norris, PE, PLS, RSM

Reducing the liabilities and costs of remediation by focusing on end results, continually reassessing project goals and controlling O&M expenses

U.S. industry faces the daunting task of managing investigations and clean-ups at thousands of contaminated properties. In staying abreast of new technology and ever-evolving regulatory programs, companies must address many challenges involving regulations, technologies, and costs.

The Media Is the Message

September 1, 2004By Richard Greco

The advantages of using random packed ceramic heat recovery media with regenerative thermal oxidizers to improve efficiency and reduce operational costs

Over the last several years there have been widespread misconceptions about which type of heat recovery media (HRM) is best for heat exchange and horsepower usage when used with a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), a type of air pollution control technology used to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

AST Alert

July 1, 2004By John Adams

Facilities with aboveground storage tanks containing petroleum products need to be aware of the stricter requirements of the new SPCC rules

A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency press release (EPA Region 8, 11/24/2003) reads as follows: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Denver office is seeking penalties of more than $400,000 against 17 facilities in North Dakota for violations of the federal Clean Water Act's Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan Regulations"

Better Benchmarking

July 1, 2004By Richard MacLean

How to derive more value and insight in a survey-weary world

Benchmarking is an important tool for evaluating one's practices relative to best-in-class. If done properly, it can even inspire innovation. The majority of these studies, however, are designed and executed poorly and yield dubious or even counterproductive conclusions. Environmental, health and safety (EHS) studies, in particular, are prone to these problems.

Microbial Massacre

July 1, 2004By Bipin R. Ranade, Robert D. Sproull, PhD, PE

By manipulating the oxygen levels in the industrial wastewater treatment process, a new breakthrough technology prompts bacteria to consume each other and thereby greatly reduces the amounts of biosolids generated

The majority of industrial manufacturers discharge their wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) after some form of pretreatment. However, approximately one-third of industrial facilities operate their own wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Will the Lights Go Out?

July 1, 2004By Mark Baxter, PE

An overview of the challenges facing the existing energy industry and the implications for alternative energy sources

One of the most necessary, yet taken for granted, resources we require is energy. The United States consumes more than its fair share of the global energy supply when compared to other countries -- nearly four times the amount of the second largest consumer, China.

Checkmate

June 1, 2004By Shannon D. Spence, Wendelyn S. Stoveland

A master strategy for securing your water treatment facility

At the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Security Congress, which was held in Charlotte, N.C., from April 25 to April 27, 2004, it was evident that public water and wastewater utilities were no longer novices in the security arena. The events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent mandates for the water industry contained in the Bioterrorism Act, have greatly affected the way we do business. Consequently, utilities are starting to approach security the way they approach safety -- as an integral part of day-to-day facility management and operations.

Clearing the Air

June 1, 2004By Chuck Wehland, Laurie Earl

A critical review of Clean Air Act legal definitions

Recent legal developments show that the Clean Air Act is broken. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the courts are responsible for the legal malfunction. The U.S. Congress has the authority to repair the statute, but may not have either the institutional will or a clear blueprint for doing it.

Compliance Survival Tactics

June 1, 2004By Greg Gasperecz

How to protect yourself from the Title V data explosion in the absence of a flak jacket

The Title V operating program resulting from 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act requires that facilities demonstrate, in one document, their compliance with all applicable regulations and requirements of the act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that, as of 2003, 95 percent of Title V permits have been issued nationwide. As such, approximately 19,000 facilities are required to submit annual certifications and semiannual deviation reports.

In the Lab

June 1, 2004

Making Sustainability Work In Today's Society

June 1, 2004By Donald A. Flory, Ron Sparks, CSP, PE, REM

The growing movement focused on managing our environmental, economic and social resources for the long term

The correlation between age and the perception of time is an interesting study. When a teenager is 15, the sixteenth birthday seems to take forever to arrive. The flip side of this situation is that when you are 55, time seems to flash by at an incredibly faster rate.