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 Refer to our
Corporate Web Site for a list of upcoming events.
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Case History:
- Municipal Water Authority
- Mid-sized Northeastern City
-
Strategic Reorganization
challenge:
When a municipal water authority engaged Avant IMC, the authority was fiscally stable but facing potentially risky changes. It was poised to take over the operations - and the problems - of the adjacent water system.
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It was now faced with serving 10,000 more customers - roughly a 50% increase in accounts. |
The authority had been expanding its customer base by 5 to 10
percent per year with minimal staffing changes.
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The authority’s post-merger
needs included everything from staffing to systems to office space.
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strategy:
Avant IMC evaluated the authority’s current
operations and recommended key strategies:
- reevaluate the mission.
- implement organizational changes.
- sharpen management skills.
solution
Avant IMC expanded the authority's building and prioritized and directed essential upgrades
to the acquired water system.
Contact Environmental Resources Division Director and Senior Vice President,
Gene Koontz,
PE, [
bio ] for more information. |
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As explained in our
brochure, Web EMS Manager
directs the user to the EMS requirements of policies,
environmental aspects, documentation, objectives and targets,
training, audits and corrective actions.
 ONLINE DEMO
Gannett Fleming IT Services has enabled
limited access to the Web EMS Manager web site for organizations
to preview representative permitting and planning dashboards.
Our firm hosts this application,
therefore additional software or server capabilities are NOT
required.
Web EMS Manager is best viewed
in Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
How To Logon:
1. Access
www.gfwebems.com
2. Type "user@gfnet.com" in the E-mail Address field.
3. Type "ems" as the password.
for more information
Contact EMS and Compliance Program Director,
Steve
Rowley, CHMM, EMS-LA, to request a brochure or a full
demonstration of the administrative features of Web EMS Manager.
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Construction
and Geotechnical:
New Division (national)
 John
Cook, Jr., PE, was named director of our firm's new Construction Management
and Construction Inspection Division, providing related service to dams, water and wastewater
agencies, . . .
New Officer
(national)
 Arthur G. Hoffmann, Jr., PE, was appointed Gannett Fleming's corporate quality
officer responsible for the oversight and implementation of our firm’s extensive
in-house leadership, management and quality training programs based on
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines. . .
A vice president with our firm, Art also serves as the vice president of the
Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and is a past
president of ASCE, Pittsburgh Section. . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Energy and Environment:
LEED, Recycling (PA)
Steve Deasy, SCRP, has achieved the Leadership in
Energy/Environmental Design (LEED®) 2.1
accreditation. Based in our Harrisburg, PA, headquarters as a
solid waste specialist, Steve was also recently recognized as
Pennsylvania's first resident from the private sector to
complete the senior certified recycling professional process [
learn more about the
Recycling Technical Assistance Program
].
In order to become a LEED® Accredited Professional
(AP), Deasy successfully demonstrated an extensive knowledge of
green building practices and passed the LEED® AP
exam. He also became familiar with the LEED® 2.1 rating system,
resources and processes.
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Gannett Fleming incorporates
LEED®standards in its
projects to assure that new design meets energy conservation goals. |
His accreditation enables Gannett Fleming to continue to
offer high-performance, energy efficient and environmentally
friendly facilities design and maintenance to clients across the
country.
Read our news to learn
more about our energy, environmental, water reuse, conservation
and advanced treatment technologies.
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Infrastructure
and Planning:
Community (PA)
 Environmental Planner, Michelle Brummer earned the American
Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification through the
American Planning Association (APA). . .
Environmental
(NY)
 Robert E. Adamski, PE,
recently became a Board Certified
Environmental Engineer (BCEE) through the American Academy of
Environmental Engineers (AAEE). . .
As previously reported, Bob serves as Project
Director on the $2.5 billion New York
Kensico City Tunnel Project tri-venture.
Water/Wastewater
(VA)
 Martin Kazmierczak, PE, has joined our firm's Fairfax, VA, office as a senior
project manager responsible for the management and technical direction of water,
wastewater, and infrastructure projects with experience in municipal and
industrial planning, design, and construction. . .
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Mission Statement:
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"To provide timely
industry news and information while sharing related Gannett
Fleming activities." |
Notes:
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Energy and
Environmental Initiatives:
Solid Waste Standards
As solid waste and recycling studies evolve, the
LEED® concepts of integrated design, energy efficiency and resource management
are clearly evident. Waste collection studies now focus simultaneously on
waste and recycling as a whole, not as separate issues. Furthermore, solid
waste and recycling facility design projects may include specifications for
recycled material content, consideration of green roofs and deconstruction
(selective reuse of materials) in place of demolition of existing buildings.
Cross Market
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t |
A LEED®-certified building signifies both
environmental leadership and stewardship. It is a certification
standard and a design guideline for sustainable architecture,
construction and operation. |
LEED® spans numerous markets and building categories. Its five primary
performance areas include:
Growing Trend
There is a heightened awareness of depleting
resources in conjunction with increased development of energy conservation
measures and related new technologies. Many of our firm's projects
integrate environmental preservation, energy conservation and related concepts
at an unprecedented level.
In many cases, organizations are requiring
greater qualifications in these areas and application of these concepts
to projects. Contact
Steve Deasy,
AP, SCRP, [ bio ] to
learn more.
Historic
Resort Redevelopment:
Wastewater Planning
Management and Design
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t |
The proposed Mount Airy development will
generate nearly 800,000 gpd of wastewater. This is nearly four times what
the former facility produced.
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The Mount Airy Lodge and Resort
had been a destination point for visitors to the Pocono Mountains for over 100
years. Following a period of decline, the resort was purchased by a private
developer with the intention of turning it into a location for legalized gaming
operations, modern resort activities, condominiums and single family residences.
Wastewater generated at the former Mount Airy Lodge Resort
(located near the New York/Pennsylvania border) has been treated
to secondary standards and discharged to a small stream named "Forest Hills Run"
for the past 30 years. As a result of increased
wastewater flow from the casino, the new facility must comply with high regulatory standards
(see regs/programs).
Accordingly, our firm
developed a wastewater management plan including water conservation,
advanced treatment and wastewater reuse. Preliminary design was completed for
two alternative treatment systems in order to compare the advantages and
concerns associated with a membrane bioreactor (MBR) facility and an sequencing
batch reactor (SBR).
We are currently providing permitting services and
completing final design of selected plan components. Contact Project Manager,
Ron Jager,
PE, for more information.
Infrastructure Management
The recently formed Avant Infrastructure Management Consulting (IMC) joint
venture provides water and wastewater authorities with infrastructure needs
assessments, project development and delivery guidance and outsourced operations
oversight. . .
For more on Avant IMC capabilities and solutions
see regs/programs.
Make Drinking Water A Priority
There are several layers of decision makers
who influence
capital resource spending in any given community. When prioritizing
expenditures, these individuals tend to allocate resources to the situations
that they understand the most. Frequently, water and wastewater system upgrades get lost in the shuffle.
Proper communication,
strategic planning and sound engineering principles are essential tools in the
utility budgeting process.
AWWA To The Rescue
AWWA has provided
several communication and education resources to help utility managers - and
their water customers - understand the importance of system upgrades and
replacements.
In addition to this outreach effort,
there are several "action items" which can enable systems to determine the most
viable infrastructure management approach.
Consulting Solutions
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Avant IMC in action |
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Upgrade
historic infrastructure
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Meet intense
residential and commercial development demands
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Comply with
water quality mandates
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Establish
appropriate rate structures
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Overcome
organizational inefficiencies
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Avant Infrastructure Management
Consulting (IMC) blends planning and engineering expertise to produce tangible
results.
The
joint venture understands the unique position of a water and
wastewater utility - providing a public service while functioning much like a
private enterprise.
Contact AWWA Past-President,
Marlay Price, for more information on drinking water
initiatives. Marlay also attended the
Design-Build
Water-Wastewater Conference in Seattle, WA.
Project Delivery Part
2:
Design-Build (D-B) Solutions
As reported,
the D-B process is an increasingly popular project delivery method in the
U.S. where owners rely on a single source of responsibility for the design,
construction and start-up of their projects. The Gannett Fleming Project
Development Corporation (GFPDC) provides just such accountability. The
company is unique within the industry in that it is led by engineering
professionals with both D-B and Construction Management expertise on a multitude
of projects.
Wastewater Planning Guidelines:
Fisheries and
Anti-degradation
|
complex regulations |
-
DRBC "Special Protection Water"
(see links)
PADEP "Anti-degradation" and "High Quality Water,
Cold Water Fisheries" (our Fall 2005 edition covered
fish
passage engineering)
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Our firm's Mount Airy Wastewater
Management Plan complied with stringent Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)
and Pennsylvania Dept.
of Environmental Protection (PADEP) guidelines (see news).
It ensured that there will not be an adverse water quality
impact on nearby Forest Hills Run Stream.
Due to the anticipated 800,000 gpd wastewater flow at the Mount Airy site,
anti-degradation required initiating several water sustainability project
programs. This included a combination of conservation, advanced treatment and
reuse.
Contact Project Manager,
Ron Jager,
PE, for related project or regulatory program information.
Financial Sustainability
|
market advantage |
|
The Dow Jones
sustainability index
rates organizations based on their environmental,
social and economic performance for purposes of investment
evaluation. EMS organizations can improve
their overall index rating. |
A well planned
and implemented EMS, developed in accordance with
ISO 14001 standards, provides a tool for
prioritizing resources. It further enables the sustainability of an organization in a
competitive marketplace confronted with many technological and environmental
challenges. . .
In addition to the "EMS Planning and Assistance Tips" presented on
our corporate web site, contact EMS and Compliance Program Director,
Steve
Rowley, CHMM, EMS-LA, for more information. See our
Spotlight System for instructions on how to access an online
Web EMS Manager demo.
Voluntary Cleanup Program:
Ecological Risk Assessment
in Urban Areas
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t |
Ecological risk assessment is a
process to evaluate the potential for deleterious effects to
wildlife from exposure to contaminants.
Performing this assessment is a
requirement when cleaning up contaminated sites under state
regulatory programs. |
Deciding and documenting the level of ecological risk assessment necessary in urban settings can be challenging due to
project budget and time constraints. In some cases, the assessment
may be as simple as completing a checklist. Other projects require careful
analysis in order to protect ecological receptors.
Certified Ecologist,
Jennifer
Stump, discusses these challenges in a related presentation for the
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Her paper includes the problem formulation, analysis,
risk characterization, documentation and decisions on four case studies with varying requirements.
»
Avant
IMC -
Infrastructure Management Consulting
»
Delaware
River Basin Commission -
"Special Protection Waters"
»
Design-Build Institute of
America
» Society
of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
»
WaterWiser® (AWWA)
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