Pennsylvania Planning Association (PPA) Conference**
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Nov. 7-9
Harrisburg, PA
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PPA event featuring exhibits, a Civil War Museum reception and technical sessions ranging from urban sprawl to land use and open space planning.

Click here for more on sprawl's lasting effects (Issue 10).
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www.planningpa.org

Brownfields Conference*
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Nov. 8-9
Pittsburgh, PA
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"The Business of Brownfields," hosted by the Engineers' Society of Western PA includes exhibits and technical tracks ranging from green buildings and abandoned land mines to guaranteed fixed-price remediation.

Click here for our brownfields presentation abstract (Issue 17).
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www.eswp.com

Rails-To-Trails Fall Meeting*
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Nov. 10
Clearfield, PA
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Sponsored by the American Society of Highway Engineers, the Gannett Fleming "Snow Shoe Rails-To-Trails" Project will be discussed.

Read our "Papers/Presentation" for more event information or click here for previous greenway coverage.
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www.highwayengineers.org

Environmental Performance Summit
******
Nov. 30 - Dec. 2
Washington, D.C.
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Event focusing on the government's environmental and natural resource programs including agenda topics ranging from performance reporting to results management.
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www.environmentalperformance.org

Utility Management '04
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November 9
Harrisburg, PA
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Workshop sponsored by the Pennsylvania Section AWWA featuring asset management, planning and fiscal instruction for utility personnel in accordance with PADEP operator certification training requirements.
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www.paawwa.org

Water Quality Technology Conference/Expo ^**
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Nov. 14-18, 2004
San Antonio, TX
*************

Sponsored by the AWWA, 31-year-old event focusing on supporting water quality and supply technologies including workshops, tours, sessions and presentations on subjects ranging from membrane processes and desalination to filter assessment and regulatory updates.
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www.awwa.org

Corrosion Control Workshop **
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Nov. 15-17
Saxonburg, PA
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Water Works Operators Association of Pennsylvania (WWOAP)/Pennsylvania Section AWWA-sponsored workshop dealing with Lead and Copper Rule particulars including corrosion control principles, systems and calculations.

For more WWOAP information, see our "Spotlight Organization."
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www.wwoap.net

Hydropower Workshop
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Dec. 9
Washington, D.C.
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A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-sponsored event involving hydropower licensing applications.

For more on FERC dam safety inspections visit our "Papers/Presentations" section.
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www.ferc.gov

Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA) Update
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Dec. 16
Brooklawn, NJ
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A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) speaker will update water operators and public works personnel on how the 1996 SDWA requirements affect systems in 2004.

Surf our "News" for more on a New Jersey arsenic removal system and NJDEP granular ferric adsorption facts.
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www.ferc.gov

Pressure transient strategies were previously discussed in
Issue 13.

Gannett Fleming Water Design Manager, <Matt Carnish, PE, has been elected vice president of the Harrisburg Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) for 2004-2005.  Matt is also chairman of PSPE's Public Relations Committee and serves as the Chapter's Web master.  In addition, he has remained active in the Engineer's Week Council as Operations Committee Chair.  The Council consists of representatives of 12 central Pennsylvania engineering societies and was established to plan and implement the celebration of Engineers' Week activities annually in the Greater Harrisburg area.

Operator
Connection

The Water
Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania (WWOAP) consists of technical, scientific, manufacturing, supply and administrative  personnel "directly or indirectly involved with the operation, management, design or construction of municipally-operated or investor-owned public water supply systems."

WWOAP President and
Gannett Fleming Water/ Wastewater Process Specialist, <Eric Buzza, is a certified water works operator responsible for studying and designing water treatment plants, chemical feed systems, raw and treated water pumping stations and pipelines and raw water intakes.  Also an active AWWA member, Eric has written several papers covering such topics as membrane filtration, dissolved air flotation and water system O&M procedures.

Visit the Gannett Fleming-designed WWOAP web site for more information.

Midwest Water Resource Initiatives
Water Supply

Genessee County, MI, is assessing the supply and treatment of water from Lake Huron for delivery to the County and surrounding areas.  Our firm is teamed with Rowe Incorporated and Jones and Henry to perform this investigation.  Gannett Fleming efforts include developing all components related to raw water pumping, source treatment and high-service pumping.  In particular, we are assessing water quality and treatment issues and developing conceptual-level plans for pumping and treatment facilities. 

Wetlands

The Murphy Oil Corporation is constructing wetlands at its Superior, WI, refinery to polish effluent from the refinery's wastewater treatment plant before it flows into a nearby creek.  Our firm is assisting Murphy Oil in the design, startup, operation and monitoring of this constructed wetland system.

Each wetland cell will be planted with non- invasive species which meet all Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources requirements.  Effluent from the wetland cells will be routed to and metered by
an existing effluent monitoring station to reduce project costs. 

The design also includes new swales for re-routing storm water flow around the wetland cells.  Wastewater will be discharged continuously to the wetlands as soon as the cattail plantings reach an average height of three inches. 

New Jersey
Arsenic System

The New Jersey-American Water Company is adding an arsenic removal system at its Race Street Well Station in Frenchtown, NJ.  The system consists of three vertical pressure filters using granular ferric hydroxide adsorption media. Our firm is providing design, permitting and construction administration services including equipment installation and pump capacity verification.

Operator
Resources

Operator Connection
WWOAP President and Gannett Fleming Water/Wastewater Specialist, Eric Buzza, created several Wastewater Operator Training Manual chapters as part of these modules. Eric is profiled in our "Spotlight Organization."

As previously reported, Pennsylvania water and wastewater system operators will be better educated in accordance with state certification guidelines thanks to new Gannett Fleming-developed training.  These 3-hour-long modules consist of 29 water
and 13 wastewater topics.  Based upon the original timetable, these modules should be released by PADEP by Summer, 2005.

Water operators are also eligible for PADEP training expense reimbursement.  Visit the Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania (WWOAP) web site for more information.

State Environmental Contract

A General Environmental Technical Assistance Contract (GTAC) is utilized by the Pennsylvania DEP to provide statewide support for its land recycling, hazardous sites cleanup, key sites initiative and underground storage tank and spill remediation programs.  GTAC efforts typically range from site investigations and risk assessments to monitoring, design and construction management.

Did You Know?

An overview of our related General Service Administration (GSA) contracts is also available on our corporate site.

For more information, read about our firm's latest GTAC award, or contact GTAC Project Manager, Jill Gaito.

Wastewater Management

CSO/SSO Report

In a recently released report to Congress on "Impacts and Control of CSOs and SSOs," the USEPA characterizes the CSO/SSO threat and examines the related environmental and human health effects, control technologies and municipal resources.  This follows up the 2001 Report on "Implementation and Enforcement of the CSO Control Policy."

In its second report, the USEPA projects that total annual CSO volume is under the one trillion gallon range it exceeded 3 years ago.

Surf the USEPA site for a full transcript.

Site-Specific Planning

OERP Elements

>  identifies health and environmental protection measures >  ensures overflow identification and response >  guarantees immediate notification

SECAP Elements

>  determines peak flow contributions to SSO or to treatment plant noncompliance >  identifies hydraulic deficiencies >  includes capacity enhancements

As reported, enhancing sanitary sewer system capacity while complying with CMOM-related programs is key to municipal sewer collection system success and long-term sustainability.

Complementing traditional CMOM caveats are two
site-specific reports: the "Overflow Emergency Response Plan (OERP)" and
"System Evaluation and Capacity Assurance Plan (SECAP)" > 

Analyzing Hydroelectric Power

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dam safety inspections and security measures have evolved over the past 3 years.  Performance monitoring efforts have established new Part-12 consultant safety inspection procedures which require a Potential Failure Modes Analysis (PFMA) to be conducted at FERC-licensed facilities.

In "The Wissota Dam Failure Modes Analysis Pilot Study," Gannett Fleming Water Resource and Dam Manager, Terry Hampton, PE,  describes how a Wisconsin Hydro Project was the first pilot effort to incorporate the PFMA requirement.  

 

Big Savage Tunnel:
Innovative Restoration

^ Portal Construction

^ Seepage Distress

In their paper, co-authors Paul Lewis, PE, and Mitch Weber, PG, describe how rehabilitating the Big Savage Tunnel involved developing innovative techniques to improve the stability of the existing tunnel liner system.

Paul and Mitch recently presented this project at an Ohio River Valley Soils Seminar. 

Read our last issue to learn more about this important greenway connection.

Pennsylvania
Rails To Trails

Did You Know?

We previously discussed greenway efforts and the "Great Allegheny Passage" Rails To Trails project.

The Snow Shoe Rails-to-Trails Project involves converting a 19-mile-long section of abandoned railroad to trails, extending from Winburne to Clarence in Clearfield and Centre Counties, PA.  Roy Zug, PE, and Jeff Ream, PE, will provide a brief history of the railroad in this assignment and a discuss the rails-to-trails process from grant applications through design and construction at an upcoming American Society of Highway Engineers Conference.

Water Information
Technologies

Innovative Technologies

Mike presented his paper at AWWA's IMTech Conference in Baltimore, MD, last Spring. Issue 16 previously discussed GIS and modeling water technologies. Read our "Operator Connection" sections for more WWOAP activities.

“Bridging the Gap Between Modelers and GIS Analysts: Techniques for Successful Integration of GIS and Models” was recently presented by
Mike Brown, PE, at the Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania (WWOAP) Eastern Section/Pennsylvania Section AWWA Southeastern District "Fall Technical Conference" in West Chester PA.

In his paper entitled, “Optimizing Use of Conventional and Directional Flushing Techniques Using Computer Models," Jamie Shambaugh, PE, discusses water distribution system flushing practices and the improved efficiency and effectiveness that can be achieved by using hydraulic models in the development of flushing programs.

»  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

»  General Services Administration (GSA) Contractor Services

»  New Jersey DEP
Water Supply

»  Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania (WWOAP)

»  USEPA NPDES