Environmental Cleanup of Legacy Manufactured Gas Plant Complete

by admin on March 13, 2013

Pages from NHDES Keene Article March-April NewsletterWeston & Sampson served as the environmental consultant on a complex, multi-year remediation of environmental impacts from a former Manufactured Gas Plant site. Project work included the remediation of MGP-impacted river sediment via surface water diversion and excavation of the river bottom. Approximately 30,000 tons of impacted sediment was removed for off-site treatment/disposal, and 13,000 tons of sediment was stabilized using Portland Cement. (Click on image at left for larger view.)

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services highlights this project in their March-April 2013 newsletter.

 

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EPA Releases Second Draft of NH Stormwater Permit

by admin on February 12, 2013

The Environmental Protection Agency has released the second draft of the New Hampshire General Permit for Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewers (MS4s). Notice of the availability of the new NH Draft MS4 Permit was published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2013 and can be downloaded at https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-03055EPA USA SEAL

As anticipated, there is a 30-day Public Comment Period for the draft permit. The comment period was originally scheduled to close on April 15, 2013, but was extended twice — first to May 15, 2013, and now until August 15, 2013. A public hearing took place March 14, 2013, at NHDES Pease Field Office, Pease International Tradeport, 222 International Drive, Suite 175, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

If you would like assistance understanding the new requirements and anticipated costs, or support preparing a Public Comment letter for your community, please contact Mr. Christopher Perkins, PE, at 603-431-3937, or perkinsc@wseinc.com.

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Court Ruling on Culvert/Channel Outlets Favors MS4s

January 11, 2013

On January 8th, the Supreme Court returned a unanimous vote ruling that outlets from culverts/concrete channels are not “discharges” under the Clean Water Act.  Please see details provided by WEF below, but in short, the decision affirms that if an open waterway flows into a culvert, concrete channel, or other engineered improvement, the outlet from [...]

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EPA Updates Rules on Disposal of PCB-Impacted Building Materials

November 16, 2012

Public and private building owners need to be aware of a recent EPA reinterpretation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA 40 CFR 761) with regard to management of building materials that may contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The reinterpretation allows for building materials such as brick, concrete, or wood  contaminated by PCB-containing products (e.g., caulk, [...]

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Final Issuance of the NPDES Phase II Small MS4 General Permits – Stormwater Utilities as a Funding Alternative?

May 20, 2011

In the last two years, EPA has released three new draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II General Permits for Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) within Massachusetts and New Hampshire.  These permits, which are expected to be finalized later this year, will replace the 2003 permit which expired in [...]

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I/I Mitigation Fees: Are Sewer Banks in Trouble?

March 10, 2011

Wastewater System Infiltration and Inflow (I/I) Mitigation Fees have been in the news lately in Massachusetts.  A recent court case, Denver Street, LLC vs. Town of Saugus, determined that the Towns “I/I Reduction Contribution” was not an allowable fee but an illegal tax. The ruling required repayment of $670,460, plus 12% interest, to four (4) [...]

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Risk as Driving Factors for Remediation Decision Making Process?

February 17, 2011

Several states now have requirements for certain projects to report Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.  For example, in Massachusetts, recent Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) updates include the requirement of calculating Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for projects that prepare an Environmental Impact Report.  This extra effort involved with complying with new regulations could create extra costs [...]

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More stringent energy-efficiency building codes – Good for the Environment, Good for the Builder?

January 17, 2011

In an article published in the Boston Globe on November 12, 2010, it was reported that the City of Boston is proposing more stringent energy-efficiency building codes for new buildings in Boston.  These new codes would result in a 20% reduction in energy use compared with buildings adhering to the existing building codes.  These new [...]

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