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Water

Taking Cities by Storm

May 1, 2007By Kimberly Paggioli

A state-of-the-art drainage system helps municipalities in flat locales decrease the volume and duration of street flooding

If Buddy Holly, the 1950s rock musician, helped put Lubbock, Texas, on the map, heavy rains and flooding have done their best to take it off. So, when a warning like the one quoted below is published, this major city located in the Texas Panhandle takes it very seriously.

The Paradox of Politics

May 1, 2007By Cindy Chen, Mike Hicks

Party division unearths more environmental law development, analysis shows

Just as "it takes two to tango," it has taken two political parties working in tandem over the last few decades in the United States to produce the vast majority of major federal environmental laws.

A Cure for Healthy Computing

April 1, 2007By Elizabeth Donley

Like Picking a Good Doctor, Selecting the Right Environmental Software Takes Work

Did you ever notice that advertisements for environmental, health and safety (EH&S) software products sound like commercials for pain relief?

On the Road to Greater Compliance

April 1, 2007By Ryan Kreutzwiser

Implementation of mobile technology software cuts time, improves data collection and helps in meeting regulatory requirements

Facilities across many industry sectors are turning to mobile technology software designed for PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) handheld devices to meet various environmental compliance demonstration requirements. This article discusses the capabilities of mobile technology in this regard and describes several situations in which facilities fulfilled regulatory requirements by utilizing software designed for handheld devices.

Setting Up a Digital Control Center

April 1, 2007By Stephen Paff

Integrated software systems can help organizations with multiple generation sites handle hazardous waste responsibilities more effectively

When considering entities that manage hazardous waste generated at a large number of generating sites, most people think of billion-dollar national or multinational corporations, with factories and facilities distributed over a wide area.

A Sensitive Electronic Nose

November 1, 2006By Edward J. Staples

Gas chromatograph device speeds up VOC identification in air, water, soil samples

A new type of electronic nose, based on ultra-fast gas chromatography, can perform analytical measurements of volatile organic vapors in near real-time with part-per-trillion sensitivity.

Preparing For a Rainy Day

November 1, 2006By Matthew Van Patten, PE, CHMM, Michael E. Yost

A guide to stormwater maintenance, inspection, and regulatory compliance

When we think of pollution, most of us conjure up images of smokestacks or drums of hazardous waste. But one of the most significant sources of water pollution in the United States today is stormwater runoff, and it merits the full attention of industrial and commercial facilities alike.

ESA Rules: Plain English Version (Part 1)

October 1, 2006By Nick Albergo, PE

An explanation of the new standards related to Phase 1 environmental site assessments and the necessity for an opinion regarding additional investigations

The following is the first of a two-part series that analyzes new Phase 1 ESA requirements and their impact on consultants and their clients. The second part is scheduled to be published in the November/December 2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Wildcatting In Wastewater

October 1, 2006By Tom Hobson

Record high oil prices are causing manufacturers to seek profitable ways to extract oil from their wastewater

Since last year, when crude oil prices soared and gasoline topped $3 per gallon, requests for skimmers to be used for recycling oil from plant wash water, municipal wastewater, machine shop coolant, and contaminated groundwater have increased 25 percent according to one major supplier of oil skimming equipment.

Resurrecting the Dead Zone

September 1, 2006By Erica Pincus

Reducing U.S. agribusiness' nitrogen runoff could reverse past damage to the Gulf of Mexico

The Dead Zone -- sounds creepy doesn't it? But what is it? It's a crisis that's attacking oceans and bays throughout the world, and a reality more frightening than current governmental policies and actions have led the public to believe.

What's Driving Reuse

September 1, 2006By Glen Sundstrom

Growing demand and deteriorating water quality is pushing the advancement of reuse technologies

Benjamin Franklin is frequently quoted as having said: "We will never know the true value of water until the well runs dry." Although conservation was the first attempt at preserving and maintaining limited fresh water supplies, the idea of "reclaim, recycle, and reuse" was the next push for managing them.

A Membrane for All Seasons

July 1, 2006By Diane Rapaport

Flexible design allows membrane treatment systems to fit almost any wastewater application

Flexible design allows membrane treatment systems to fit almost any wastewater application

A Shock to the System

June 1, 2006By Darin St. Germain

A new, stricter arsenic rule is starting to affect small and large water supplies

On Jan. 23, 2006, the arsenic rule was implemented with a new limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) (the old standard was 50 ppb). The new rule has a broad reach; it affects large and small drinking water treatment systems, including non-community water supplies.

Oxidants on the Job

June 1, 2006By Jason Muessig

Chemical oxidation is proving successful in degrading soil and groundwater contaminants

The need for removal and destruction of contaminants of concern (COC), like petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated organics, in soil and groundwater has led to the development of a wide range of technologies for both in ground (in-situ) and above ground (ex-situ) treatment of these contaminants.

Speeding Up Meth Lab Remediation

May 1, 2006By Lynn D. Dewees

As the pace of methamphetamine production accelerates, environmental professionals are overcoming difficult cleanup challenges

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has called it "a unique and deadly threat to our nation -- which destroys lives far beyond those of just the addicts and the users."