Massachusetts DEP Issues “Technical Update” Regarding RCRA Land Disposal Restrictions and Contained-In Determinations

Last March we blogged about the need for careful soil management at redevelopment sites, including the pitfalls of dealing with RCRA wastes.  This month the Massachusetts DEP has released written guidance relative to one aspect of the management of RCRA waste; the state management of the federal “contained-in” policy.  This policy allows for certain low concentrations of RCRA “listed” waste to be treated as non-hazardous under very specific circumstance.  It is a tool that has the potential to achieve substantial savings at sites where management of RCRA waste is required (e.g. dry cleaners and former plating or jewelry manufacturing facilities).  A link to the DEP Technical Update is provided here.  If you have questions regarding soil management or brownfields redevelopment please contact Jon Kitchen at (508) 747-7900 x154.

Norfolk Ram Takes Second Place in “Best Of” Banker & Tradesman Readership Poll 2010

     We were excited to receive Banker & Tradesman’s Silver Award for being one of paper’s “Best Of” Commercial Environmental Services firms for 2010 as voted by its readers.  The annual poll is both popular and prestigious in the greater Boston business community, attracting thousands of votes each year. 

      Readers had the opportunity to cast their votes for the best providers of services and goods in the banking and real estate professions from April 30^th through July 2^nd.  Norfolk Ram has truly distinguished itself as a leader within its industry as it has captured the loyalty and support of the Bay State’s real estate community.  We are very pleased to have received this award and we look forward to continuing our success with superb results for our clients.

Norfolk Ram’s Brian Moran talks emerging environmental engineering trends for Mass. Developers

We were pleased to see our expertise featured in the New England Real Estate Journal’s Mid-Year Review this week. Our goal was to help developers understand emerging issues in the field by offering insights about new technologies and regulations in our industry.  We focused on newly revised DEP and EPA regulations in Massachusetts, as well as the rapid growth of “green” energy systems such as geothermal heating and cooling in the alternative energy sector.  We also discussed a developing trend of using environmental engineers as deal assessment consultants by providing environmental due diligence services to identify hidden liabilities in commercial real estate transactions. Check out the article here and get the full story.

EPA set to extend SPCC Deadline

     The Petroleum Marketers Association of America has reported that “U.S. EPA will publish a proposed rule this week to extend the current November 10, 2010 compliance deadline for SPCC plan revision and implementation for one year.”  The proposed compliance deadline of November 10, 2011 is good news for facilities who are covered by the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule.  This will allow these facilities more time to meet the new standards.  However, facility owners should keep in mind that this extension does not eliminate the need to have a SPCC Plan in place or the need to perform periodic reviews and updates of that plan.  Facilities in operation prior to August 16, 2002 must maintain their existing SPCC Plans until revised plans are implemented.

     If you are uncertain whether or not your facility is regulated by the SPCC rule or have any other questions regarding regulatory compliance for petroleum or chemical storage, please feel free to contact Melissa Parker at (508) 478-1276 x14.

Dispatches from Uganda - Follow up

     I've recently returned from the assessment trip to Shilongo Village, Mbale District in Uganda, which was a fruitful and successful visit. The project is part of the Engineers without Borders program, run through the Tufts University chapter, where I serve as the project mentor.  The travel project team of five students and was highly motivated, resourceful and pragmatic in carrying out the tasks we had defined in the pre-trip planning.

     Upon arrival in the village, we realized that there were multiple sources of water available within the village, and we would need to determine the water quality levels in each source as well as an estimate of how frequently used each source was. The project team strategically utilized each team member's specific skill sets to carry out certain tasks. The students with a more technical background took the lead on the water quality testing and the students with non-technical backgrounds took the lead on the community health surveys. All team members helped each other out and stayed on top of the tasks to make sure we gathered all the information we needed in our limited time in the country. I was very impressed with the students on this trip; their compassion for the people of the village, as well as their willingness to help tempered with the reality of the limitations for the project, showed me that they were a mature, intelligent, inspired collection.  We accomplished a lot in our short time over there, including water quality sampling and testing of the sources (2 boreholes and three springs), as well as limited topographic survey of the areas surrounding the springs. We also held meetings with community leaders and interacted with the general community members. The people in Shilongo were very welcoming and appreciative of our efforts. They will play a crucial role in the long term success of the project, so it was reassuring to see their excitement and commitment to the project.

     As the project moves forward, our background data collections indicates that there will be four (4) potential courses of action for this project, listed in order of importance to the village:

1.  Collection, storage and distribution for the village at the Shilongo Borehole, the main drinking water source in the village

2.  Collection, treatment and storage at the Nabubolo spring or one of the other springs

3.  Rainwater harvesting, and

4.  Development of a brick production process for the village

     The team collected a large amount of useful data during this assessment trip. We will need to pull together all of the GPS, topographic survey, community heath survey  and water quality information in order to put together a design that will aide maximum amount of villagers possible, utilizing sustainable design practices and materials locally available in the Mbale district. The design process will occur over the next year, once Tufts resumes classes and we should have a design ready to be implemented by the second trip, around the same time next year.

Southeastern students to design rain garden

Norfolk Ram's partnership with the students of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School was featured in a recent Stoughton Journal.  We are pleased to provide pro bono support for the school's upcoming sustainability projects, and we applaud the students who have been considering plans to build an on-campus rain garden to purify water run-off that flows into the surrounding habitat.  We are excited to begin work on this project, after which we plan to conduct further meetings with the school's environmental program students to consider other sustainability programs for the Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School campus.  For more information about our involvement with SRVTHS, please visit here.

Dispatches from Uganda 2

     I've been in Shilongo for the past couple of days evaluating the water sources and issues that would affect their water quality. Some of the springs are testing positive for bacteria, while the boreholes are testing clean.  The topography is rather undulating, which presents quite a challenge. The students I'm working with are a talented bunch and I've been impressed with their initiative. Hopefully we'll be able to put together a helpful project for the community. ~ John

2010 Massachusetts Envirothon

Norfolk's Mark Bartlett joined with over 40 Judges (forming 8 teams of 5+ judges) on May 13, 2010, for the 2010 Massachusetts Envirothon held at the Otter River State Forest in Baldwinville, MA

Over 41 of the state's high schools were represented by teams of students competing for the top prizes.  This year's issue that was addressed by each team of students was "Groundwater Protection".   Click here for more information on this terrific annual event that promotes environmental education and community involvement.