Infrastructure: Barely Passing

Recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released an update to its 2001 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which assigned an overall grade of “D” for the condition of America’s water and wastewater systems. ASCE determined that current funding needs exceed expenditures by $22 billion each year.

Industry experts attribute a security "Catch 22" as a major contributing factor in the funding shortfall. The increased emphasis on protecting water and wastewater systems from terrorist attacks has depleted money available for infrastructure improvements. Many analysts argue that these upgrades are more vital to ensuring stability and safeguarding against loss of life.

The "2003 Progress Report for America’s Infrastructure" can be read on the ASCE web site. For more on our previous water/ wastewater security coverage, click here.

Applying Wastewater Biosolids Remains Controversial

Annually, approximately 3.6 million dry tons of wastewater biosolids (or sludge) is applied to farmlands, forests, reclamation sites, parks, golf courses and lawns . . .

Environmental Management Systems and The Solid Waste Industry:
Part 3: ISO 14001 Implementation

Environmental Management System (EMS) implementation throughout the solid waste industry will continue to increase as its benefits are realized . . .

Dirty Water and Weapons in Iraq

The U.S. struggles mightily to find and destroy weapons in Iraq. However, for months there has been serious concern about the impacts of unsafe water and inadequate wastewater treatment on the health of the Iraqi people. These systems were inadequate before the war, but are in even worse condition now.

UNICEF officials estimated that more people will die from unsafe water supplies and inadequate treatment than from military activities. The loss of power and damage to water treatment plants will result in increases in cholera, “black water fever" and diarrhea. This will lead to further malnutrition, particularly among the young.

Growing Greener Grants:
Reducing Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay

Project Fact:

Hanover, Eastern Snyder County Regional Authority and Bloomsburg will collectively reduce almost 600,000 pounds of nitrogen discharged annually.

Gannett Fleming, Inc., is consultant to three out of the nine Pennsylvania municipalities that will receive Growing Greener Grants to implement biological nutrient removal (BNR) at wastewater treatment plants. This process is expected to reduce nitrogen loadings to streams and to the Chesapeake Bay.

Blending At Wastewater Treatment Plants May Soon Be Resolved

Many wastewater treatment plants utilize “blending” to maintain performance and protect processes during high flow periods (usually during extreme wet weather events). Selected units or processes are control-bypassed, resulting in a “blended” flow or effluent that still meets the plant’s effluent requirements. The intent of such designs has been to cost effectively achieve the water quality goals with reliability.

Did You Know?

If continued, the defacto anti-blending policy could cost municipalities as much as $300 billion nationwide.

In recent years, USEPA Regions 3, 4 and 6 have ruled that this in-plant bypassing is prohibited under the Clean Water Act and USEPA regulations.

Through a lawsuit and other actions, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies and the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association have urged the USEPA to issue a final policy that allows blending. As a result of these efforts, the USEPA created a draft blending policy. Release of the draft for public comment is expected shortly.

"Clean Water" Central

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies have instituted, maintain and upgrade the CleanWater Central database. The web site contains operational and other information on 350 wastewater agencies and 500 wastewater treatment plants.

This data enables administrators and operators to obtain comparative performance information and to perform “benchmarking.” Wastewater agencies throughout the U.S. are encouraged to join and use the database.

Upgraded over the summer, the web site can be viewed at www.cleanwatercentral.org.

Risk Management Plans:
A USEPA Change?

Wastewater treatment plants, among other facilities, are required to develop Risk Management Plans (RMPs) as a result of handling or storing certain toxic or flammable materials (including chlorine gas). The original regulation was implemented in 1999 and 5-year updates are mandatory.

The USEPA recently proposed a rule change regarding RMP Release Prevention Requirements under the Clean Air Act. The amendment would require facilities to update and re-submit the RMP within 6 months of any accident date (under certain criteria).

The proposed rule can be accessed through the USEPA web site.

SSO/CSO Uncertainties Continue

As reported in Issue 7, many municipalities experience problems with excessive wet weather flows, in addition to overflows from sanitary sewers and combined sewers (SSOs and CSOs). Over the past few years, the USEPA has refocused its efforts on pollution from overflows by modifying regulations and enforcing program requirements.

Despite these initiatives, controversy continues over data adequacy linking CSOs and SSOs to environmental degradation and illness. The USEPA recently provided preliminary conclusions from data collection associated with its upcoming "Report to Congress on the Impacts and Controls of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and Sanitary Sewer Overflows Report." Advocacy groups, such as the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, have questioned the quality of available data.

Environmental Justice:
Fair Treatment For All

Did You Know?

Executive Order 12898, entitled “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice is Minority Populations and Low Income Populations," directs all Federal agencies to make environmental justice part of their missions. Projects receiving federal funding are considered federal activities and thus, must comply with Executive Order 12898.

Environmental Justice is about the pursuit of equal justice and equal environmental protection for all people - regardless of race, ethnicity or economic conditions. It affects federally funded programs, which must comply with Executive Order 12898. This mandate allows for full community participation and input in the environmental decision-making process.

Gannett Fleming Project Manager Scott Duncanson assisted the Federal Highway Administration's Pennsylvania Division Office with a series of Environmental Justice Training Workshops for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) staff. Scott continues to work on related initiatives.

» American Society of Civil Engineers

» Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies

» Environmental Justice
(Federal Highway Administration)

» Water Environment Federation

» Water Environment
Research Foundation

Infrastructure: Barely Passing

Applying Wastewater Biosolids Remains Controversial

Environmental Management Systems and The Solid Waste Industry: Part 3: ISO 14001 Implementation

Dirty Water and Weapons in Iraq

Environmental Management Systems and The Solid Waste Industry:
Part 3: ISO 14001 Implementation