Newsworthy Archives - Page 11 of 15

MS4 Compliance Assessments — Act Now for FY18 Budgeting

In April, EPA issued the revised General Permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in Massachusetts. The permit becomes effective July 1, 2017, so it is crucial to start preparing now.

Tata & Howard’s MS4 Compliance Assessments help municipalities determine how they already comply with the new requirements, what else must be completed to comply, and how much it will cost. The assessment also provides a well-planned course of action that is defendable when justifying projects and procuring funding. Complete your assessment now and be prepared for your FY18 budget.

We are currently scheduling MS4 Compliance Assessments to ensure municipalities have sufficient time to submit FY18 budgetary requests. Contact our Stormwater Project Manager Jon Gregory, P.E. for more information or to request an assessment.

Tata & Howard has extensive experience assisting Massachusetts municipalities and coalitions with MS4 compliance. Learn more:

For information on the revised permit, visit https://www3.epa.gov/region1/npdes/stormwater/MS4_MA.html

Tata & Howard Company Outing 2016

Saturday, June 11th was our annual employee outing at Kimball Farms in Westford and it was a big success. Our employee-owners participated in a pie eating contest, mini golf, the driving range, and other fun outdoor activities. Our pie eating contest was certainly one of the highlights of the day. Contestants of all ages went head to head to see who could finish their pie the fastest without using their hands. Congratulations to Philip MacClellan, Tata & Howard Engineer, for taking home the trophy and being our pie eating contest champion. We were delighted to have some of our younger Tata & Howard family with us as well to enjoy the ice cream bar and petting zoo. There were plenty of arts and crafts along with some awesome photo opportunities. Despite a bit of rain, it was a beautiful day to be outside with food, fun, friends, and family.

Tata & Howard employee-owners going head-to-head in the pie eating competition.

Philip MacClellan holds his trophy as the pie eating competition winner.

Employee-owners and family enjoying the day.

Jon Gregory, Tata & Howard Project Manager, enjoys the cookout with his family while staying out of the rain.

T&H to Conduct Energy Efficiency Study on Wastewater Equipment for Flagstaff, AZ

Tata & Howard was recently contracted by the City of Flagstaff, Arizona to provide professional engineering services for an Energy Efficiency Study on wastewater equipment and to prepare all Arizona Public Service (APS) rebate applications. The project includes field testing of approximately 15 pumps and 15 blowers in wastewater treatment plant systems, measurement and verification services, and certification of energy consumption as required by APS. Tata & Howard’s Flagstaff, Arizona office is managing the project.

William Grant presents thesis on Nitrate Contributions to the Niantic River Estuary

Tata & Howard Engineer William Grant presenting his thesis

Recently, Tata & Howard Engineer and recent University of Connecticut graduate William Grant presented his senior thesis. Working with the Niantic River Nitrogen Work Group, William conducted research to evaluate the concerning nitrate contributions to the Niantic River Estuary from the Cranberry Meadow Brook and the Latimer Brook. The excess of nitrogen in the estuary has become a serious threat to aquatic life, causing eutrophication and hypoxia. It was determined, using a two endmember temperature mixing model, that Cranberry Meadow Brook contributes 33% of the total flow of water to the Lower Branch of the Latimer Brook, and the Upper Branch of the Latimer Brook contributes 67% of the total flow. Although the Cranberry Brook is much smaller and contributes less flow of water to the Lower Branch of the Latimer Brook, it contributes equal amounts of nitrate to the Latimer Brook system. William concluded, based on qualitative analysis on land cover and land use, that the high level of nitrate from the Cranberry Meadow Brook is a result of agriculture runoff and ground water inputs. His research will greatly help scientists and other engineers as they try to reduce the severe eutrophication and hypoxia that are hazardous to aquatic life in the Niantic River Estuary.

Employee Health & Fitness Month 2016 Wrap-Up

May was National Employee Health & Fitness Month. At Tata & Howard, we are not only committed to engineering a healthy environment, we are also committed to improving our personal health. Therefore, we celebrated National Employee Health & Fitness Month with a series of weekly initiatives, which were announced on Monday of each week. We kicked off National Employee Health & Fitness Month with a Steps Challenge where we challenged all employee-owners to walk 100 miles in the month of May – that’s 200,000 steps total — to be entered to win a FitBit Blaze. We also introduced a “Smarter Choices” section to our snacks in the kitchen and went for a mid-day walk.

Waterbury, CT team members stopped during their mid-day walk to examine some newly hatched tadpoles

T&H's Gratitude Bowl — T&H’s Gratitude Bowl

Since health goes beyond the physical, employee-owners were challenged to write down their “gratitudes” and drop them into the Gratitude Bowl for week two of the challenge. Team members were also encouraged to thank their fellow co-workers. Week three’s challenge asked employee-owners to eat more fruit, and the company provided fruit to all employees to help get them started. For week four, team members were challenged to (surprise!) drink more water. Each team member received a T&H water bottle with verbiage that encourages them to refill with tap water.

Engineers in the Marlborough office pose with their T&H water bottles

The month of activities culminated with an after-work 5K on June 1, National Running Day, and with Meagan Heslin being drawn as the winner of the FitBit Blaze for completing the step challenge. Congratulations to the whole team for rising up to the challenge of improving health and fitness!

Karen Gracey high fives FitBit Blaze winner Meagan Heslin

2016 Small MS4 Stormwater Permit for Massachusetts and Stormwater Collaboratives Workshop a Huge Success

On Wednesday, May 18, 2016, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), the Barnstable Coastal Resources Committee, the Cape Cod Commission, and the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program hosted a free workshop entitled “2016 Small MS4 Stormwater Permit for Massachusetts and Stormwater Collaboratives.” The event, which was very well attended, was held at Cape Cod Community College and featured several presentations, including the keynote by Mr. Newton Tedder, MS4 Program, Region 1, US EPA, on “2016 Final Massachusetts Small MS4 General Permit for Stormwater.” Mr. Tedder, a key contributor to the revised permit, was available for questions. Also presenting at the workshop were Tata & Howard’s Stormwater Manager Jon Gregory, P.E., and Cherry Valley & Rochdale Water District Superintendent Michael Knox. Both Jon and Mike presented on the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition (CMRSWC), of which the Town of Leicester — which includes the Villages of Cherry Valley and Rochdale — is a member. The presentations included information which provided an overview of the CMRSWC as well as specific products and benefits. Congratulations to both Jon and Mike for their presentations, which provided clear and compelling data on the value of a regional stormwater collaborative.

EPA Issues Revised General Permit for MS4s in Massachusetts

The concrete circular run-off pipe discharging water

On April 13, 2016, EPA issued a news release for the much-anticipated revised General Permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in Massachusetts, which was signed into effect April 4, 2016.

What you need to know:

Permit becomes effective July 1, 2018
A Notice of Intent (NOI) to apply for coverage under the permit will be due September 29, 2018
5-Year permit term
Covers 260 municipalities in Massachusetts plus state and federal facilities
Permit has the same six minimum control measures as the 2003 MA MS4 permit

The permit allows the following:

Permittee may prioritize catch basin inspection and cleaning based on their knowledge of the system
Credit for past work
Up to ten years to complete illicit discharge requirements
One year to update from 2003 Stormwater Management Plan

Other key facts:

Permit contains no end-of-pipe limits
No retrofits required during the permit term
Routine road maintenance and paving are exempt from post-construction requirements

For more information from EPA, please click here.

Informational Public Meetings are being held throughout the state where requirements will be explained and questions can be asked:

Western MA:
Monday May 9, 2016 at 9:30am
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
60 Congress Street, Springfield

Southeastern MA & Cape Cod:
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 12:30pm
Lecture Hall A, Science Building
Cape Cod Community College
2240 Route 132, West Barnstable

Northeastern MA:
Thursday May 19, 2016 at 8:00am
Haverhill Campus
Northern Essex Community College
100 Elliot Street, Haverhill

Central MA:
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 8:30am
495/MetroWest Partnership
200 Friberg Parkway, Westborough

Boston Area:
Monday, June 6, 2016 at 9:00am
EPA Region 1
5 Post Office Square, Boston

Tata & Howard has extensive experience assisting municipalities in meeting MS4 permit requirements. Please contact our Stormwater Project Manager Jon Gregory, P.E. directly at 508-219-4016 or jgregory@tataandhoward.com for assistance or if you have additional questions.

MassDEP agrees to co-issuance of new MS4 stormwater permit with EPA

Despite serious concerns over costs to municipalities and timing of implementation, MassDEP has agreed to co-issue the new MS4 stormwater permit with EPA. According to a March 31, 2016 letter from MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg to US EPA Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding, MassDEP agreed to co-issue the permit in spite of concerns in order to remain involved with cities and towns on permit implementation. The letter states, “MassDEP would have preferred some time for additional discussion of important issues. Nevertheless, MassDEP needs to be involved with EPA and cities and towns on how this permit is implemented. This is too important an issue for our environment, for our cities and towns and for the Commonwealth.”

The letter further stated that EPA had not addressed all comments previously submitted by MassDEP, and that the proposed permit would present significant hurdles to municipalities. The complete letter can be read here.

CT DEEP Issues New EAP Requirements for Class C and Class B Dams

Class C Bronson E. Lockwood Dam, Bethlehem, CT

The State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently adopted Regulation 22a-411a concerning the preparation and update of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for High Hazard (Class C) and Significant Hazard (Class B) dams. EAPs meeting the new requirements for Class C dams must be submitted to DEEP within 12 months of February 3, 2016, the effective date of the new regulation, and within 18 months for Class B dams. Dam owners will be required to submit an updated EAP every two years thereafter, or more frequently as necessary to reflect significant changes to the dam structure or downstream area.

An EAP is intended to be a pragmatic document that both identifies conditions that require a response and provides clear instructions in an emergency situation. “The new requirements for dam owners minimize the potential for dam failures and increase public safety by directing owners to improve oversight and responsibility for their dams through the preparation of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) and regular inspections,” said DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee.

The new EAP regulations include criteria for inundation mapping, dam monitoring procedures, formal warning notification and communication procedures, and EAP review and revisions. Copies of the EAP must be filed with the DEEP, the chief executive officer, and the emergency management officer of any municipality that would potentially be affected by an emergency involving the dam for which the EAP has been prepared.

For more information, or for assistance meeting the new requirements for Dam EAPs, please contact us.

Asset Management and CWMP Grant Opportunities from MassDEP

MassDEP has allocated grant funds for Asset Management Plans and Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plans (CWMPs)

Request For Proposals

MassDEP is soliciting a Request for Proposals (RFP) for planning grants to assist public entities in developing asset management and comprehensive wastewater management plans (CWMPs). It is the intent of MassDEP to award grants of up to $40,000 for completed planning projects that will allow a public entity to outline long-term capital investments for existing infrastructure.

Clean water projects seeking grant funds for Fiscal Sustainability Planning that appear on the 2016 Clean Water Intended Use Plan will receive priority points for grant funding. Due to the need to complete the proposed work by June 30, 2016, public entities will be required to conform to a short time frame for project completion.

The types of planning projects that have been authorized include the following:

1. Asset Management and Fiscal Sustainability Planning

2. Comprehensive Wastewater Management Planning

It is the intent of MassDEP that the preparation of these plans will assist grant recipients in meeting Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Federal Clean Water Act requirements, as well as to prepare public utility systems for budgetary planning for regular evaluative assessments and replacement of water infrastructure system assets. Planning projects have to be complementary to existing infrastructure, not for new infrastructure. The RFP is due on February 26, 2016.

For more information, or if you require assistance with the RFP, please contact us at 800-366-5760 or contact@tataandhoward.com.

Category: Newsworthy