Features


A Membrane for All Seasons

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

This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Blight to Bright

Insurance companies are helping turn contaminated sites turn into solar energy producers

This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

A Change for the Better

Management at drinking water treatment facilities looking for an alternative to gaseous chlorine (Cl2) or sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) should seriously consider dry chlorine in the form of calcium hypochlorite briquettes. Drinking water treatment facilities switching from sodium hypochlorite to calcium hypochlorite for disinfection are finding this alternative to be an efficient solution for ensuring consistently accurate chlorination while eliminating many long-standing operations, maintenance, and safety concerns associated with NaOCl use.

This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Perspective, Population, and Pollution

People are closed-minded. When it comes to ideas that oppose their own, most people will defend their position rather than give some serious consideration to an alternative viewpoint.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

What Kind of EHS Leader Are You?

The vast majority of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) professionals are competent, dedicated soldiers who fight the day-to-day battles to protect the health and safety of fellow employees, the community, and the environment.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

A Sure Thing

Some successful insurers prosper not because of anything they do internally, but because the people, businesses, or other organizations they insure behave in a way that leaves claims personnel twiddling their thumbs more often than not.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

A Shock to the System

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.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Trailblazers

There is a rising flood of coverage in America of global climate change and greenhouse gases (GHGs), including a motion picture (The Day After Tomorrow), an HBO feature (Too Hot Not to Handle), a New York Times piece (Yelling 'Fire' on a Hot Planet), a TIME magazine cover story (Be Worried. Be Very Worried), a film starring Al Gore (An Inconvenient Truth), photos of receding glaciers, and reports of drowning polar bears.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.



Oxidants on the Job

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.

This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

From the Editors

Caught in a Flood

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Lead Out

When the McDonald's Corporation formed an alliance with the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund in 1990 it was an extraordinary and newsworthy event. Business and environmentalists had been pitted against each other in conflicting values, policies, and public debate.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

It Rains, But It Might Not Pour

In wet weather monitoring, the collection system manager steps up, metaphorically, to spin the big wheel of weather chance. Too often they will experience the agony of a wet weather flow study budget wasted when there isn't enough rain during the period that the monitors are installed.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

What's Up Dock?

Near-shore construction projects can take forever. Design, environmental studies, permitting, building, and unforeseen circumstances, create a labyrinth worthy of any Minotaur.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

It's Not My Job

Environmental, health, and safety (EHS) roles and responsibilities have been shaped over the past 30 years primarily by U.S.-based regulatory requirements. But what happens if other forces were to dominate how EHS professionals add value? That tipping point may be approaching, and once reached, EHS roles and responsibilities could dramatically shift, hopefully for the better -- but maybe for the worse. Will other functional areas grab the very best jobs? The answer lies in whether EHS professionals will lead, follow, or get pushed out of the way.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Passing the NPDES Litmus Test

When people think of water issues at electric utilities, the first thought that usually comes to mind is production of high-purity water for steam generation. Even though a power plant may not have myriad fluid processes like a refinery or petrochemical facility, water discharge from a steam-generating facility is usually considerable. Chemistry in discharge streams must be carefully controlled to prevent pollution of receiving bodies of water or surrounding land.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

The Show Must Go On

Critical infrastructures are industrial sectors based on areas of utilization and specialty that are critically vital to the continued operations and maintainability of our nation's way of life. Several sectors are more important than others, either based upon financial or human risk factors.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Weathering the Storm

Aug. 25, 2005: Hurricane Katrina, the 11th named tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the season, makes landfall north of Miami, Fla., killing dozens. Four days later, the slightly weakened system touches down on the Central Gulf Coast of Louisiana.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

A Dark Legacy's Impact

PITTSBURGH -- This, the sixth installment of my column, Waterlawged, has been difficult to write -- and I finally figured out why. Any lawyer who writes in earnest about "Superfund" and that statute's mission to address the serious, disturbing, and, indeed, darkest legacies of America's industrial history almost immediately starts to sound like next year's chapter president of the Sierra Club in Marin County, Calif.

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Speeding Up Meth Lab Remediation

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."

This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.

Auditing

The nature of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) auditing has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. It may be on the verge of making its next big transformation: joining ranks with mainstream business governance functions. How has EHS auditing changed, and what may be on the horizon?

This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.