Americans demand that their water be safe and clean. And polls and surveys find that Americans are willing to pay their fair share to guarantee the quality of their water. The message to the U.S. Congress is both new and compelling -- if highways and airports are worthy of multi-billion dollar trust funds, so are the nation's waterways. The problem is no longer someone else's; it belongs to each and every one of us -- just as the nation's rivers, lakes, streams, beaches, bays and estuaries belong to us all.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Today we live in a newly dangerous world where it is impossible to predict when and how acts of chemical and biological terrorism may occur. Preparing our organizations and communities to address these threats is vital, of course, for the consequences of not being unprepared can be devastating.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
This is the second article in a two-part series on membrane elements and treatment systems. "Demystifying Membranes - Part I" was published in Environmental Protection's July-August 2003 issue and is accessible online at no charge under "Archives" at www.eponline.com. The first article compares the advantages and disadvantages of four types of membrane separation technologies. Part II clears up some common misunderstandings about the properties of membrane technologies.
- By Peter S. Cartwright, P.E.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Oil skimmers are simple, dependable and effective tools for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water. They usually pay for themselves within a few months. In order to ensure the oil skimmer you choose is right for your operation, there are certain steps you can follow.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
There is a bumper sticker that I see from time to time that reads "Water is Life." The sticker, I believe, originated from the Texas Water Commission, a former regulatory agency headquartered in Austin, Texas. There is quite an accurate statement on the sticker, as has become more apparent in today's world.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
This article explores the nature, utilization and differences between centralized and decentralized sanitary sewer systems. It explores how and why the majority of sanitary wastewater is routed to centralized sewer systems, and some of the benefits and problems associated with centralized sewers.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
2004 will prove to be an interesting year for air pollution control. Just as last year, New Source Review (NSR) reform will continue to dominate the landscape with legislative, regulatory and judicial efforts to swing the pendulum in favor of particular viewpoints. Media attention on the NSR issue may overshadow equally important developments in Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) control, more stringent Title V permitting, implementation of new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and enforcement.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The forces that govern the way environmental due diligence is conducted are changing; significantly, in some respects. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now in the final stages of drafting the first rule for "all appropriate inquiry" (AAI), a term for the investigation into a property's potential for environmental contamination prior to purchase.
- By Anthony J. Buonicore, Dianne Crocker
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
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This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
With the promulgation of new laws and regulations pertaining to water quality, extensive stormwater and sanitary sewer management plans are no longer a luxury for rapidly growing and affluent communities. Neglecting corrective action to bring systems into compliance can have far-reaching consequences, including polluted drinking water sources, heavy state and federal fines and jail time. In this regard, cities and municipalities are being mandated to assume roles as water resources managers and enforcers of water quality protection.
- By Seth Johnson, John R. Haestad
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Readers of this publication are typically highly trained and credentialed professionals; many have graduate degrees in technical fields. Whatever your field or job function, you can count on one more thing in addition to death and taxes: something will go wrong. We all followed the extensive, painful analysis after the blackout in 2003; the finger-pointing and bad publicity continues. If your company suffers a spill, emission, explosion, contamination, fatality or any one of a number other incidents, are you ready? Most people think crisis preparation and crisis communication are someone else's job.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Has your stormwater pollution prevention plan been shelved along with the best intentions of your best management practices? If so, you are not alone. Leaner environmental, health and safety (EHS) staffs may appear more productive to management, but oftentimes these lean staffs inadvertently ignore aspects of their jobs, completing the activities with reporting deadlines and letting less-defined requirements gather dust in notebooks on the shelf.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Many stakeholders -- including federal and state regulatory agencies, citizen groups, corporations, planning groups, industrial associations and legislative committees -- have been involved in the development of air quality management strategies.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Some companies have done horrific damage to Mother Nature out of greed and ignorance. Relatively few individuals have gotten extremely rich on the profits from businesses that passed-off the true costs of their operations to communities, workers and future generations who will be stuck with cleaning up the human and environmental wreckage.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Fiberglass composites have become the material of choice in many water or wastewater treatment operations. For mild to severe corrosion service, they can often be the materials of choice for economy and durability.
- By J. Albert Rolston, PE, FAIChE
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water treatment plants and pumping stations supported by variable-frequency drives (VFDs) may be unwittingly threatened with power system problems including interruptions, interference, downtime and even disruption of instrumentation and other sensitive equipment due to an elusive culprit called harmonic distortion, an undetected condition that has been said to cost between $16 to $40 billion in annual losses due to downtime, equipment failures and malfunctioning systems.
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Odoriferous exhaust gases generated by wastewater treatment facilities can create major problems. No one likes foul odors, especially people who are not responsible for them yet must live with them daily. In fact, many communities are becoming less tolerant of odor-generating facilities and respond with new laws and/or fines against them.
- By Charlie Gans, PE, BSME, MBA, MSIS
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
A primerThose who don't learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat mistakes of the past. You'd think everyone would know that by now; but, in truth, the ranks of the condemned continue to swell. Regrettably, many of them are environmental project managers who all wind up in the same dreadful spot: snared in the barbs of litigation.on how to select an environmental consultant
- By Scott Vierke, John P. Bachner
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The use of conventional gravity flow sewers for the collection and transport of wastewater from residences and commercial establishments continues to be popular, especially in areas where the density of development is low.
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.