EPA Asks for public comment on new proposed permit for stormwater runoff from construction activities

If you have an opinion about the new EPA proposed permit for stormwater runoff, please contact the EPA.  Here is a fact sheet regarding the new proposed permit including instructions on how to comment.  If you do have a comment, better get on it soon as there is a 60 day time limitation from the publish date in the Federal Register and I am not totally sure when that was.

The Cost of Nitrogen Pollution on the European Economy

A first ever report (ENA - European Nitrogen Assessment) was just released outlining the cost of nitrogen pollution on the European Union's Economy.  


The study carried out by 200 experts from 21 countries and 89 organizations estimates that nitrogen pollution costs Europe between USD 101 Billion - 461.7 Billion per year or USD 212.00 and USD 1,062.00 per person per annum.   These costs are more than double the income gained from using nitrogen fertilizers in European agriculture.


The report also details a number of key assessments of nitrogen pollution including: 
Nitrates cause toxic algal blooms and dead zones especially in the North, Adriatic and Baltic Seas and along the West Coast of France in Brittany.
AND
at least ten million people in Europe are potentially exposed to drinking water with nitrate levels above recommended levels.


The study also states that at least half the world's population is dependent on food that is grown with nitrogen based fertilizers but that the environmental costs of nitrogen pollution to Europe are very high and that the benefits of nitrogen abatement achieved by applying and using fertilizers more efficiently and reducing meat consumption outweigh the costs of other options.


Click here for the full report

Superbug (NDM-1) spreads in Delhi sewers

Scary!  Just when you thought it wasn't safe to go in the water!  A report published yesterday warns of a newly discovered bacterial resistant gene (NDM-1) has been found in drinking water, sewers and puddles in Delhi, India.  This new superbug invades other bacteria including cholera and dysentery and can readily jump to other bacteria.  Last ditch anti-biotic treatments will not work against bacteria with the NDM-1 gene.  


Honestly, the implications of this are pretty SCARY.  It seems a number of patients from UK that sought medical treatment in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan returned with this superbug.


Click here for the full report

Warren County, NY SWCD installs TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator to improve stormwater runoff at AAA rated, historically important, Halfway Brook, Queensbury, NY

We LOVE what we do because we:
1) Really help our clients improve stormwater runoff
2) What we do has a long term impact on improving water quality
It means a lot to have this opportunity.


During the summer of 2009, we were invited to make a site visit and compete against other hydrodynamic separator units for a high profile project to improve the stormwater runoff that flows into Halfway Brook in Queensbury, NY.   Queensbury is located in Warren County, which is located on the edge of a 6 MILLION ACRE Adirondack State Park.


This particular site was selected because:
1- The Warren County SWCD wanted to have the largest impact on improving stormwater and this outfall is the largest in the County
2- A large surrounding commercial area of 106 of impervious surface drains into Halfway Brook at this point.
3- Halfway Brook is a historically important Brook
4- Halfway Brook is a AAA rated Trout Brook
5- Brook trout need cold clean water to thrive
6- Site is upstream from a popular public park


The site constraints were very difficult:
1- The site had a very small footprint 
2- A 12" gas main ran through the property
3- Other utilities ran through the property
4- Unit would have to go RIGHT NEXT to the brook, so there is a high water table
5- Runoff from a large commercial area (106 acres of impervious surface) enters the brook at this location
6- Site is right along side a major state route - with lots of traffic
7- The property owner agreed to help at great inconvenience to himself and his going business
8- The site had previously been a gas station - leaky tanks contaminated the site and it had undergone cleanup


The best option at this site would be a hydrodynamic separator.  Water could flow down to toward the brook and through the hydrodynamic separator.  We demonstrated how the TerreKleen works:


1- Water enters the primary chamber where oils, sediment, trash are collected
2- The water then flows through a screen into the secondary chamber and onto the TerreKleen's stacked inclined plates
3- The water enters the secondary chamber near the bottom of the plates as the water rises the stacked inclined plates help finer sediments fall out
4- Once collected, there is no scour or re-suspension and so the material is permanently collected
5- Maintenance is easy - NO CONFINED SPACE ENTRY is required and most maintenance is completed with a vac truck in about an hour
6- What is really cool is to realize that the stacked inclined plate technology is technology that has been used to separate particles from drinking water since 1905.  One would think that if there were a better way to separate particles from water, the drinking water industry would have gone with it.  This technology is still widely used and its effectiveness is well known by engineers.  The TerreKleen simply adapts this technology to efficiently remove sediments from stormwater.


Details on the TerreKleen:
Each TerreKleen is custom manufactured for each site.  We look at flow rates, particle size removal objectives and where the pipes are coming in and manufacture the TK for specific site)  
This site has a TK63 - which is our largest unit
TK63 Structure size is: 16.5' X 7' (115.5 ft2)
TK63 offers 403 ft2 Settling Surface Area
The Settling Surface Area per Structure Ft 2 for the TK63 is 349%
*(Please read ft2 as "foot squared - I cannot figure out how to superscript the 2 - thank you)




Here are a few pics:

Just cool to see part of the unit on the ride
up to the site.  The weather is sub-optimal

You can see the site here - RIGHT NEXT TO
THE BROOK.  The guys told me that brook
 trout are always seen right here at the outfall.

The hole has been pre-dug and prepared
for the TerreKleen.  The crane is in place and
ready to go.  Trucker backs in to
start off-loading the base of the TerreKleen.

Here is the base - in place
This shows the manifold system
which allows the TerreKleen to
be cleaned from the curb.

Here is the middle section of the
TerreKleen getting installed.
This is our largest unit and
these plates will help all of the
fine sediments settle out. 

Two hours later and
3 lifts by the crane,
the TerreKleen is in place and ready to work

The TerreKleen is the BEST option at this site.

Not only does TerreKleen maximize the 

sedimentation in the smallest footprint, but 

the easy maintenance/cleanout will significantly

help keep both short and long-term

maintenance costs to a minimum.

What a great day!

PS - here is a link to project details prepared by

Warren County Soil and Water Conservation 

District

Hydrodynamic Separator - TerreKleen 45 is now capturing sediment, trash and debris at N. Lake Carmel, NY

This was a very exciting day!  The effectiveness of the TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator for capturing sediment, trash and debris is well known and these units are widely used in VA, MD, PA, NJ and DE.  As the representative for TerreHill Stormwater Systems in New York and New England, Stormwaterworks.com was  thrilled to see our first installation of a TerreKleen in New York State!  What made this day even more exciting is that the unit is a TK45 - the largest unit we have ever seen installed.

 This is a picture of the jobsite.  The N. Lake Carmel community is mainly residential, however, there is A LOT of traffic.  I took this picture to give you an idea of how small the work area is.  A shoring box is hidden behind the orange netting - this is where the TerreKleen is going to be installed.

This picture is looking down into the hole that has been dug for the TerreKleen.  It is important that the gravel in the bottom is level.  Since this is a lakeside community, there is a high water table and you can see that some mud has creeped into the hole.  The mud will be cleaned before the TerreKleen is positioned in place.

 

 This image shows the base of the TerreKleen as it is being maneuvered into place.  It just takes the crane operator a few minutes to lift the base off the flatbed truck and position the base in the hole.  

This is the base of the TerreKleen.  You can see the manifold system (white bars and red hose on the left side of the unit) are designed to assist in cleaning the unit.  Notice the white socks on the right side of the unit designed to collect oil.

Next, the middle section or "riser", is positioned into place with the crane.  This picture shows the stacked inclined plates on the left side of the unit.  This is where all of the fine particle separation takes place.  Stacked inclined plate technology was developed in 1905 and has been widely used in the drinking water industry around the world ever since.  The Terrekleen merely adapts this proven technology and widely accepted engineering practice for the storm water industry.  The riser is made to fit ontop of the base.  It takes just a few minutes to get this piece into place.

The lid is placed on top of the TerreKleen.  This lid incorporates 3 manhole covers for cleanout as well as a catch basin grate.  This unit will function as the last catch basin in the line and will provide 3 other access points to aid in cleanout.

This TerreKleen unit was installed in about an hour.  The TerreKleen will contain trash, oil and sediments until the units are cleaned out.  No scour or re-suspension of collected material happens because of the design of the TerreKleen.

Stay tuned - we have an additional installation in North Lake Carmel that will be posting shortly.  We are excited to help keep North Lake Carmel clean!

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator installation in Kent, NY at N. Lake Carmel this week!

Coming up this week... the installation of a TerreKleen TK45 hydrodynamic separator in Kent, NY at North Lake Carmel!  Took the day Friday to visit the installation site in Kent, NY.  

The TerreKleen being installed is going to capture trash, sediment, oils, and prevent them from traveling into North Lake Carmel.    

TK45 is capable of treating large flows and will improve the water quality that flows into North Lake Carmel.  Stay tuned for installation pictures later this week!

I LOVE New York!!!

Last weekend I drove to Rochester, NY which was a trip that took about six hours to drive.  I don't usually travel that far, and I was unaware how beautiful the drive would be.  Of course I started my trip stuck in traffic and the traffic congestion continued until I got on to Route 17.  But it wasn't long before I was driving along and enjoying the countryside.  

It seemed that every mile or so I was on an overpass driving over a river, stream or brook and for the first time I saw fly fishing - guys up to their chests in the water looking for their next big catch.  

After I had been driving for about three hours, I saw a sign near Binghampton that said "Entering the Chesapeake Bay Watershed".  I had no idea the watershed was that big!

As the drive continued, I saw lots of farms, hay, cattle and even some wild life.  Everything was getting ready for Spring. 

By the time I got to Syracuse, I was asking myself  "are we there yet?"  The trip started to get really long.   After I passed Syracuse, I learned that I was in the Finger Lakes Wine Country - really cool!   Just another hour or so when I saw the sign announcing "Erie Canal"    YES!  Getting closer!

I felt very lucky that I have a friend that lives in Rochester and I had a day to check out the city.  What a great city!  We went for a nice walk and actually did get a chance to check out the canal.  It is mostly used for pleasure, rather than cargo these days and I was surprised to see that the canal was in draw-down during the winter.  As we walked along the canal, we started hearing fish jumping in the canal.  At a point, I could swear we saw a carp breaching in the water.  (The water was REALLY shallow).  What a nice city!  One disturbing point, my friend told me that during the summer, the beaches on Lake Ontario are often closed due to pollution.  

Lots of great restaurants in Rochester and it was a very manageable city as it was easy to get around.  I am looking forward to my next trip to Rochester!

 

Article: Nitrogen Pollution Crisis in Westchester

Was out and about today and this headline "Nitrogen Pollution is Choking Westchester" grabbed my attention.  I've never seen The Westchester Guardian newspaper before, but this issue, Thursday, April 15, 2010 had an in-depth 2 page article about Nitrogen Pollution (the history, causes, dead-zones, an example of how nitrogen has taken its toll on a lake in Westchester, and a map detailing dead zones caused by nitrogen around the globe.)  Very interesting article with references to further research and numbers to take action on nitrogen pollution.  The newspaper in PDF format will download with this link

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic Separator Approved by the MDC - Hartford, CT area

TerreKleen Hydrodynamic separator has been accepted for use in the towns around Hartford, CT that are served by The Metropolitan District (MDC).  The MDC is a non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929 to provide potable water and sewerage services on a regional basis. Today, the MDC provides quality water supply, water pollution control, mapping, and household hazardous waste collection to eight member municipalities -- Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor -- and to portions of other towns in the region.

TerreKleen can be designed/customized for your job, installs quickly and does not require confined space for clean out.   Our engineering department can help you with sizing and design issues.  If you are a contractor or municipality and have a job in the Hartford, CT area that requires a hydrodynamic separator, give us a call! 

From Storms to Sewers - lecture/program about Long Island Sound

Last night I attended the "Storms to Sewers" program in Greenwich, CT at the Bruce Museum.  WOW!  There was really a great turn-out for this program.  I am guessing there were 100 or so people in attendance.  The whole presentation was extremely well presented by Leah Schmalz from Save the Sound/CT Fund for the Environment.  In a very short period of time, she clearly communicated all of the issues that affect The Sound.  The topics covered included: a look at the watershed, Long Island Sound Study, sources of pollution, oxygen levels in the Sound, low impact development, rain barrels, nutrient loading, trash control, the status of projects such as sewer separation and waste water treatment facility upgrades, and stormwater authorities, FUNDING and MORE.  It really was an excellent program and at the end, there were a lot of good questions from a very active and interested audience.

By the way, a quick websearch revealed a fact sheet (from 2005) put together by the EPA.  Click here for the link.

Long Island Sound Citizen's Summit sponsored by Save the Sound and CT Fund for the Environment is coming up on May 7th - we will be a vendor there.  Hope you can make it.

Stormwater newsletter "The Buzz"

We have posted our most recent issue of "The Buzz" - our storm water newsletter on our website. Click here to check it out.

Mysteries of the Great Lakes - IMAX movie at American Museum of Natural History

Yesterday I went to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC and saw the IMAX movie "Mysteries of the Great Lakes".   Honestly, I had not spent a lot of time thinking about the Great Lakes but because of my interest in water, it was eye opening in many ways - not only seeing how big the Great Lakes are , but to be made aware of their natural beauty.  In focusing on water, it was most interesting to me to learn that The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh water supply and that it takes a drop of water 400 years to travel from the headwaters of Lake Superior to the edge of Lake Ontario.  Looking at the map was helpful.  

I was also most interested in the focus on wildlife that survives on life in the Great Lakes - including Eagles, Caribou and Sturgeon.  The segments on Sturgeon were amazing as they had been tracking this species' population for the past 20 years and had been tracking/studying a specific female sturgeon for the past 20 years.  Amazingly, the one scientist could identify her simply from the markings on her head.  At her most recent capture/release event her age was 120 years old!  Through their research they learned how to look at the scales or fins (can't remember which one) and, like reading rings in a tree trunk, scientists learned how to read the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes.  

Sturgeon of the Great Lakes had thrived by the millions for millions of years but had significantly declined in numbers due to over-fishing and pollution.   During the film, several pictures were shown from long ago ( maybe 100 years ago?) where the subjects of the pictures were proud of their businesses and lives and could display their most recent abundant catch of sturgeon.  From a 2010 perspective, it was hard to get beyond the waste and destruction, the man-hours and work dedicated to improving the environmental conditions of the Great Lakes and  reviving the sturgeon population.   It seems there are still 42 "hot spots" - where lake quality is highly degraded due to pollution coming from industrial waste and waste water treatment plants.  Hopefully clean-up in the lake can continue and we can learn to make better environmental choices.

This was a great movie and I encourage you all to see it.  Here are the showtimes for the IMAX showings at the New York Museum of Natural History.  You might want to check out some of the exhibits including the  Silk Road Exhibit.  One word of advice for the Silk Road, enjoy the journey, but don't get caught up in stamping your "passport".

Cigarette Butt Litter

After reading the Keep America Beautiful report on litter and thinking more about the toll it takes on our economy and our communities, I have been more focused and more observant about litter. We followed-up on Friday with a meeting with the Keep America Beautiful folks and spoke further about their programs and one of the issues that was specifically mentioned was cigarette butt litter. While I have seen more than my share of cigarette butts out in the field, I was unaware that 1 in 5 pieces of litter is actually a cigarette butt.

After our meeting, I did a little more research and looking around and found an LA Times article "Fuming Over Cigarette Butt Litter" (written by David Lazarus, November 30, 2008) citing that the City of Los Angeles picks up 600,000 cigarette butts a month and more than 7 million butts per year.

Virginia Beach exceeded its budget to clean storm drains by $3,000,000.00 and a significant portion of this amount was due to cigarette butts.

Once in the environment, it is important to remember that cigarette butts don't disappear. 95% of all butts are made from cellulose acetate that don't break down. Butts easily travel through storm drains and end up in local rivers, lakes and streams. Ultimately, they can be mistaken as food and pose a threat to marine and wildlife.

Cigarette butts are a significant source of pollution. While education and access to proper ashtrays/disposal is key, cigarette butt littering is rampant. While we have never been approached specifically to target cigarette butts, this is one of the types of trash that we can prevent from entering the stormwater systems.

For more information about cigarette litter, click here
For a look at how we can help you improve your storm water quality, click here

Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice - EPA Video Competition

The EPA is sponsoring the "Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice" video competition

Videos must be 30 or 60 seconds long and focus on these themes:

• Reducing/reusing
• Recycling
• Composting
• Consumption and environmental footprint

Videos due February 16, 2010

Hey, you can even win some CASH! How cool is that?

Click here for full details

GOOD LUCK!

Trash control - an $11.5 billion dollar problem and a major contaminant for stormwater

Stormwater contaminants are, for the most part, usually the same. The issues that we typically see in our business center on: heavy metals, hydrocarbons, phosphorous, and sediment loading. Another MAJOR issue our clients have is TRASH CONTROL.

It might not be an issue that you have thought about, but I spent some time this afternoon looking to see if anyone had calculated the amount of trash and debris that finds its way into Long Island Sound. While I didn't find information specifically targeted for Long Island Sound, I did find a nation-wide study funded by the non-profit organization, Keep America Beautiful, detailing the volume of trash/litter found in the US, the toll it takes on the American economy and behaviors that contribute to littering. The results of their survey were released on December 3, 2009.

Some shocking key findings from their report:

Litter conservatively costs our nation $11.5 billion per year. These are direct costs, including cleanup and prevention programs, and are carried largely by businesses and taxpayers. Not included in this figure are significant indirect costs:

• Decreased property values. 93% of homeowners, 55% of real estate agents and 90% of property appraisers surveyed stated that a littered neighborhood would decrease their assessment of a home’s value
• "Opportunity Costs” such as decreased commerce and tourism in blighted areas
• Health effects and related costs of littered environments

The study concludes that at least 51.2 billion pieces of litter are left on roadways in the U.S.; an average of 6,729 pieces of litter per mile.

Cigarette butts comprise 38% of all items littered on the highways, streets, parks and playgrounds (in urban, suburban and rural areas of America).

The Keep America Beautiful Report detailed littering behaviors, identified factors that encouraged littering and made suggestions on how to reduce litter. I think it is an important report and encourage you to read their findings in full. For executive summary and full report, click here.

More on trash control tomorrow.

Hold the Salt, Pass the Brine -upcoming meeting on de-icing

Being involved in stormwater, we attend a lot of environmental meetings. There was an excellent meeting we attended in 2006 on brine systems. We got an invitation to attend a follow-up meeting on this topic and it is coming up on Friday, December 4th. These meetings are sponsored by Westchester County Parks - their Conversations on Conservation series. Meetings are always educational and instructive. Here are the details. I hope you can make it.

Hold the Salt, Pass the Brine
Environmentally Friendly Methods for De-icing our Roads
Friday, December 4th, 2009
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
8:00 AM registration
Location: Greenburgh Public Library
300 Tarrytown Road
Elmsford, NY

Topics covered:
Benefits of De-icing with Brine
Michael Simone, Supt Highways, Town of Carmel, NY

Environmental Impacts of traditional vs. Modern De-icing
Jim Reed, Reed Environmental Enterprises Inc.

Impacts of Road Salt on the Environment and Organisms
Dr. Stuart Findlay, Aquatic Ecologist, Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies

Joseph "Bud" Nicoletti, Commissioner of Public Works, White Plains, NY will be moderating

RSVP by December 2nd: 914-864-7047

We wrote an article on the last meeting and posted it on our website. Click here
to read about the last meeting. Hope to see you there!

Cleaner storm water in 45 minutes! (The quick and easy installation of a hydrodynamic separator)

Our first hydrodynamic separator (water quality treatment vault) was installed yesterday in Stamford, CT. This separator will capture trash, sediment, debris and also contain oil.
The TerreKleen is a modular system that installs in about 45 minutes. Here are some pictures showing the installation.

The unit arrived on site via flatbed truck at about 8AM. The crane arrived shortly after. Setting up the crane and final site preparations took about an hour. Around 9AM, the crew started to prepare the unit for installation by attaching these hooks to the TerreKleen. They used these hooks to secure the first section.














The crew wants to get this unit installed as quickly as possible. The installation site is in a tidal area and the tide is starting to come in. The crane operator lifts the TerreKleen off the truck and moves it toward the hole where it is getting installed. The ropes will assist in guiding the unit.

The working part of the TerreKleen is successfully installed. As you can see, the TerreKleen is a two chamber system.
The first chamber (near side) is designed to capture: sediment, trash, debris and will contain oil.
The second chamber (far side) houses the stacked inclined plates. Stacked inclined plates have been widely used in the potable drinking water industry for the past 80 years. Their use give the TerreKleen the largest sedimentation surface area in the smallest area footprint. Once sediment is captured in the second chamber, they will not re-suspend regardless of flow rate.



















In a few minutes, the riser is installed and we can move on to the final piece.















A few more minutes and the top is positioned for installation.














45 minutes later.....TerreKleen hydrodynamic separator installation is complete! All that is left now is to hook up the pipes and back fill around the unit.

More projects are planned. We will keep you posted.

Beach closings due to stormwater pollution

The sign says:

"This area is subject to bacterial contamination after rainstorms. All bathers and surfers are advised to stay out of the area after rainstorms due to potential health risks.
This area is permanently closed to shellfish harvesting"

Did you know that stormwater pollution was the major cause for 20,000 US beach closing days in 2008?

Find out about your beach in the recently published "Testing the Waters" - the NRDC report that details the beach closures in 2008.
Report is in PDF format.