Planning Perspective

Pennsylvania's county planning is undergoing a revolution . . .

Planning and Development Overseas

A 90-hectare International Business Complex in Ankara, Turkey, was the focus of a recent Gannett Fleming planning and infrastructure development effort.  Our firm developed schematic designs and guidelines in addition to providing site analysis.  

The client, a conglomerate of large Turkish companies, requested that the complex include:

• 400,000 square meters (approx. 4 million square feet) of office space in 20 mid-rise buildings

• a large regional retail complex

• an entertainment center (including an IMAX theater)

• a 5-star hotel and conference center.  

The entire complex is served by a system of interlocking underground parking garages with a capacity for 15,000 vehicles.

Safety First

Along with increased safety concerns, more municipalities and utilities are realizing that improved and formal safety programs are operation essentials.  If you have staff operating equipment and/or are entering confined spaces, you need a formal, documented program.  

Although, federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines don't apply to all utilities, following OSHA standards will alleviate safety concerns and improve staff morale.  Visit the OSHA web site for advice on how to setup, or evaluate, your own program.

Stormwater: Phase 2 Program

Municipalities throughout the U.S. are at a critical juncture in the USEPA Stormwater Phase 2 development timeline.

The Ohio EPA Stormwater Phase 2 Task Force, for example, is working on municipal and industrial exposure permits. Rules for construction sites (1 to 5 acres in size) are also being developed. Once completed, the rules will be released for a 45-day stakeholder review.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) is preparing a "General Permit" procedure, which must be implemented by this December.  A procedural draft was recently sent to the USEPA and will soon be published to the "PA Bulletin" web site (municipalities are encouraged to comment).  

If a Pennsylvania community or municipality is on an exceptional, high-quality stream, a General Permit can't be received by filing a "Notice of Intent."  Instead, a specific, individual permit must be obtained (and this requires completing a Part 1 permit/application).

For more information on your state program, contact Stormwater Specialist Al Bain. 

CSO Assistance

The Borough of Bridgeport (Montgomery County, PA) got into a bind when it didn’t have funding to address USEPA Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) requirements.  Consequently, the Pennsylvania DEP imposed a Consent Order and Agreement (CO&A), which mandated the Borough to complete the Nine Minimum Controls (NMC) and the Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) necessary to meet regulations.

As Borough Engineer, Gannett Fleming assisted Bridgeport by preparing a CSO program to comply with US EPA policy.  A $2 million grant was secured and a mutually agreed upon schedule was developed.  Overall project milestones are listed on the left-hand side of this page. 

To date, Bridgeport has met all CO&A requirements.  For more on NMC or LTCP specifications, or current Bridgeport activities, contact CSO specialist Tom Kiely.

GIS Planning Grants

Did you know that PADEP awards grants to planning and other related agencies for implementing geographical information systems (GIS)? The deadline for the next round of grants is June 30, 2002.

For more information, visit the PADEP web site (directLINK "GIS Grant"), or, contact DEP Representative Kenwood Griffhorn. 

Water Supply Optimization

As reported in Issue 1, “Doing More with What You Have - Using Custom Daily Flow Models for Source Water Investigations” will be presented at the American Water Works Association (AWWA) National Conference this June in New Orleans.  

The paper deals with increasing water needs and dwindling supplies.  The authors discuss daily flow model development procedures for raw water supply systems.  Lessons learned from past analyses and the graphical presentation of complex water system statistics are also presented. 

To obtain a paper copy, contact authors Amanda Graham or Paul Schweiger.  AWWA section and national conferences are highlighted under "Events."

Data Communications

Gannett Fleming will present "Cellular SCADA - A New Approach to Data Communications" at a PennTec 2002 Engineer's Workshop on June 24 in State College, PA.  This paper presentation examines "cellular digital packetized data" (CDPD) for use in water distribution systems.  Specific discussion topics include:

• technical viability

• security

• reliability

• installation and maintenance

• cost effectiveness

A case study on a related public utilities project for Hanover County, VA, will also be examined.

As reported in Issue 3, PennTec is one of several cell scada presentation venues.  Contact  Instrumentation and Control experts Dean Foote or Evan Curtis for more SCADA information.

Check back in the next issue for more coverage on cell scada technology.  Read on in this issue for a PennTec 2002 preview.

American Water Works Association (AWWA)

National Expo Theme: 
"A Bridge to the Future"

For in-depth conference information, including a detailed technical program, visit the AWWA web site at www.awwa.org/ace2002.  

Resort Atmosphere Attracted 
PA Water Crowd

The Pocono Mountains in Lake Harmony, PA, was the site for this year's PA Section AWWA Annual Conference.  The event, which took place May 20-23, covered various regulatory, engineering, operator and technology issues.  Agenda topics ranged from supplier safety and security to solar energy and sustainability (an "Environmentally Speaking" theme the past several issues).

National AWWA President, Ron Schwarzwalder, was also on hand to discuss vendor concerns with the controversial AWWA/ENI-Net water and wastewater utility extranet, EfficientUtilities.com.

Brownfields Specialty Conference

The National Brownfield Association, New Jersey DEP and Pennsylvania DEP will host a "Deal Flow" Conference on June 6 at the Hyatt Regency's Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, PA.  Attendees will learn the latest on brownfield legislation, trends, incentives and policies in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Click here for more information from the conference web site.

OWEA Annual Conference

The 76th Annual Meeting of the Ohio Water Environment Association (OWEA) will be held from June 25 - 28 at the Towne Center Hilton in Columbus, OH.

Visit the OWEA web site for more information.

PennTec Appeal Beyond PA

PennTec 2002, a technical conference and exposition focused on the wastewater industry, is coming to State College, PA from June 23 - 26.  

This Pennsylvania Water and Environment Association (PWEA)-sponsored annual event draws a national audience through diverse topics.  This year's sessions range from operator, engineer and management focus groups to watershed and regulatory roundtable discussions.  

Exhibitors such as Gannett Fleming include various service industries, equipment manufacturers and suppliers. 

"Top 5" Planning Sites

American Planners Association
eNvision Lancaster County
Pennsylvania Growing Smarter
Planning Commissioner's Journal
Sustainable Communities Network