News @ EQ
EQ Cleans Up Anhydrous Hydrofluoric Acid from Defunct Chemical Plant
In April 2009, EQ began responding to anhydrous hydrofluoric (AHF) acid leaks from a now-defunct chemical plant in Arkansas. The plant is located near a school and residential neighborhood.
EQ mobilized its “high hazard response team” for this $3 million project through its Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contract with U.S. EPA Region 6.
EQ personnel are tasked with removing about 2,000 gallons of pure AHF acid, about 6,000 to 8,000 gallons of an AHF/sodium fluoride waste mixture, and about 15,000 gallons of an AHF, trichloroethylene (TCE), and Freon waste mixture from aging tanks and transferring the materials into railcars for disposal.
To prevent the release of AHF and TCE vapors during the railcar transfers, EQ is using two parallel in-line scrubbers fabricated on site. All transfers are taking place during “after school” hours.
Solvay Fluorides, the manufacturer of AHF, is taking the pure product at no charge.
Only one hazardous waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF), Veolia in Port Arthur, Texas, has agreed to take the other wastes.
Solvay has to secure special stainless steel railcars to transport the AHF wastes, and EQ has to nitrogen-purge all lines to remove moisture, as well as fabricate new lines or modifying existing lines as needed for the actual transfers.
Following the transfers, EQ must flush associated plant piping, clean the tanks, and decon the railcars.
The project is expected to be complete by July.
For more information, contact EQ’s John Foster at (985) 863-9840.
EQ’s John Kominsky Publishes Peer-Reviewed Article
on Sampling and Analysis of Asbestos Fibers
EQ Vice President John Kominsky recently published a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene on sampling for asbestos fibers.
The article, titled “Efficiency of Sampling and Analysis of Asbestos Fibers on Filter Media: Implications for Exposure Assessment” (Vol. 6: 62-72, January 2009), reports the results of a year-long research study to determine whether the pore size of filters used to collect airborne asbestos fibers can impact fiber retention efficiency. Low fiber retention efficiency can affect the count measurement and fiber size analysis used to determine whether asbestos is present in the air. Failure to properly measure the air concentration and distribution of fibers can result in an inaccurate exposure assessment.
The study demonstrated that the fiber retention efficiency of the 0.45-micrometer pore size is higher than that of the 0.8-micron pore size of mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filter media for asbestos fibers longer than or equal to 0.5 microns in length. For asbestos fibers longer than 5.0 microns in length, however, there is no statistically significant difference between the two pores sizes.
Many asbestos exposure risk models attribute health effects to fibers longer than 5 microns. In these models, both the 0.45-micron and 0.8-micron pore size MCE filter can produce suitable estimates of the airborne asbestos concentrations. However, some models suggest a more significant role for asbestos fibers shorter than 5 microns. Exposure monitoring for these models should consider only the 0.45 micron pore size MCE filters as recommended by the U.S. EPA.
Co-authors of the article include Daniel A. Vallero, U.S. EPA, National Exposure Research Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Michael Beard (deceased) and Owen Crankshaw of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
This research study will be discussed at a March 12 congressional hearing (House Science & Technology Committee) on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) methods for assessing risk from asbestos fibers at contaminated sites.
For more information, see the article or contact EQ’s John Kominsky at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Permits Co-Gen Project at Ohio Paper Mill
By late spring 2009, a new $30 million co-generation facility in Ohio should be up and running, thanks in part to air and wastewater permitting work completed by EQ.
The facility, which is currently under construction, is located at the SMART Papers paper mill in Hamilton, Ohio. The mill, originally constructed in 1893, produces high-end paper.
The plant previously generated steam from two coal-fired boilers to operate three paper machines and produced enough electricity to operate the facility. Now, the plant will turn more steam into electricity – enough to generate about 20 megawatts a year. The plant will use what it needs and sell excess power back to utilities. The boilers will also be eventually converted to run on biomass fuel, a renewable resource consisting of yard waste, industrial wood and fiber waste, instead of coal.
EQ was retained by SMART Papers to prepare applications for air and wastewater permit-to-installs. The air permitting efforts included an evaluation of the project for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Non-Attainment New Source Review and modeling of the potential impacts. The permits were approved by Ohio EPA in 2008.
For more information, contact EQ’s Ken Hardesty or Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495.
EQ’s Julie Wagner and Deb Leonard to Present at 2009 Environmental Symposium
EQ’s Julie Wagner and Deb Leonard are presenting at the 18th annual MEC Environmental Symposium in Cincinnati on March 25 and 26, 2009.
Ms. Leonard’s session, from 11:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, is titled “Environmental Lemons to Community Lemonade.” This interactive presentation will communicate how the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati is working to brand its 25-year, multi-billion-dollar program to overhaul sewer infrastructure in Hamilton County. The issue? Sewer bills will increase at rates of 12% a year (year after year) to pay for the improvements.
Ms. Wagner’s session, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 26 is titled “Going Green…..Case Studies in Sustainability and Green Initiatives Embracing Global Climate Change Efforts – Goals, Achievements and Challenges.” This presentation highlights sustainability efforts by P&G, the St. Bernard Soap Company, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and Environmental Quality Management, Inc., as part of the Hamilton County Go Green Challenge program.
For more information, contact EQ’s Julie Wagner or Deb Leonard at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Employee Becomes ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor
The Certification Board of the American Society for Quality announced on December 15, 2008, that long-time EQ employee Jackie Doan had completed the requirements to be named an ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor (ASQ CQA). As such, Ms. Doan has reached a significant level of professional recognition, indicating a proficiency in and a comprehension of quality auditing tools and techniques. Individuals who earn this certification are allowed to use “ASQ CQA” on their business cards and professional correspondence.
For more information, contact EQ’s Jackie Doan at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Cleaning Up Nevada Mine
EQ is helping remediate one of the world’s largest pit mines, an abandoned copper mining, milling, and processing facility near Yerington, Nevada.
The project, conducted for U.S. EPA Region 9, involved closing five leach ponds and relining/repairing two others. The closures included removing sediment and pond liners, excavating contaminated sediment, and in some cases backfilling the pond. The contaminated soils will be bioremediated on site.
This $1.2 million removal action was initiated in September 2008 and completed in November 2008 as part of EQ’s Emergency and Rapid Responses Services (ERRS) contract with U.S. EPA Region 9.
EQ has conducted three prior removal actions at this nearly 3,500-acre site since February 2006. They included the removal and disposal of PCB-containing transformers, placement of a soil cap over about 75 acres of exposed sulfide tailing to reduce fugitive dust at the site, and similar work on other leach ponds. EQ also conducted a radiological assessment on a process area and subsurface assessment on the heap leach ponds.
For more information, contact EQ’s Joe Ficek at (425) 673-2900.
EQ Cincinnati Corporate Headquarters Expands Recycling Program
EQ’s corporate headquarters in Cincinnati has launched a new and expanded recycling program for employees. The office now recycles the following types of materials: paper and cardboard, plastics, metals, glass, used batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and computer parts. Recycling bins have been placed in several locations throughout the office building. In just the short time the program has existed, the recycling bins have been actively used. This means each week as much as 2 yards of solid waste is recycled rather than deposited to a landfill. The Cincinnati office plans to continue this early trend and expand it in the future.
The expanded recycling program is an important component of EQ’s Sustainability and Global Climate Change Program, which is expected to reduce our company’s carbon footprint by 8 percent by 2012 when compared to the 2007 calendar year baseline. The recycling program also contributes to EQ’s participation in Hamilton County’s “Go Green” Challenge.
For more information on EQ’s Sustainability and Global Climate Change program, visit our website or contact EQ’s Tom Robertson at (800) 229-5299.
EQ Cleans Up After Hurricanes Ike and Gustav
EQ crews are helping remove thousands of drums, tanks and smaller containers of hazardous materials or waste that were orphaned by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in Louisiana and Texas. The work, being conducted through EQ’s Emergency and Rapid Response Services contract with U.S. EPA Region 6, began on September 21 and is expected to continue through December for the Ike cleanup in Texas and through early 2009 for the Gustav cleanup in Louisiana.
About 170 personnel have been mobilized to clean up after the hurricanes. The work includes:
- Recon teams to assess the size and condition of identified containers for removal methods.
- Marine operations: Using air boats, flat-bottomed boats, spud and deck barges and tug boats to retrieve containers from the water.
- Marsh operations: Using air boats, marsh track hoes, mobile cranes and landing craft to retrieve containers from marshy areas.
- Land-based recovery: Using truck-mounted cranes and stake-bed trucks to recover containers on the land.
- Waste collection pads to segregate and store the containers prior to disposal.
- Curbside pickup and drop-off sites for household hazardous waste for Hurricane Ike in Texas.
The U.S. EPA task orders for this project have nearly exceeded $10 million.
For more information, contact EQ’s Jack Greber at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Fully Acquires EQ Engineers; Forms New Engineering and Design Business Unit
EQ recently completed its acquisition of EQ Engineers (EQE). Located just outside of Chicago in Hammond, Indiana, EQE provides design engineering services to a variety of customers, including the steel industry.
EQ purchased 52% of the company in August 2003, and acquired the remaining 48% on September 12, 2008.
EQE will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of EQ. Rich Trzcinski will continue to manage EQE as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
In addition, EQ has combined EQE with its two other design engineering operations, EQE Slovakia and EQE Belgrade in Serbia, to form a new business unit called EQ Engineering and Design (EQ E&D). Ron Hawks will serve as president of this new business unit. EQE Slovakia will continue to be managed by Maria Kramarova. EQE Belgrade, a new, startup operation, is being managed on an interim basis by Ron Hawks.
To date, EQ E&D has 65 employees. Total gross sales for 2008 are projected to be $5 million.
For more information, contact EQ’s Ron Hawks or Bob McCullough at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Wins $4.2 Million Ohio EPA Contract to Remove Buried Tires
The Ohio EPA recently awarded a $4.2 million contract to EQ to remove, process, and dispose of or recycle buried tires from four sites in Ohio. The work began at the end of August 2008 and is expected to continue through 2009.
The four sites include:
- Naypaver site in Trumball County: work includes draining a small lake and removing buried tires that had been used to construct berms around the lake. EQ has removed and processed about 74,870 tires from this site. The work is expected to be completed by October 30.
- Goss site in Newton Township, Muskingum County (south of Zanesville, Ohio): work includes removing and processing an estimated 1-2 million tires buried in former strip mines. The tires are buried under cover material consisting of dirt, trash, concrete, and other debris. To date, EQ has removed and screened about 19,500 cubic yards of this cover material to access the buried tires. About 2,551 tons of debris has been removed from the cover material and disposed of as solid waste, resulting in $250,000 in savings in disposal costs for the Ohio EPA. This work will continue as an ongoing part of the project.
To date, EQ has removed 650 tons of tires from beneath the cover material. The tires are being shredded using a Hog Zilla grinder and screened to remove metals and other residuals, leaving tire shreds that can be recycled. The ongoing project will ultimately process 1,000 tons of tires per week. About 20-30 percent of the processed tires can be recycled as Tire Derived Fuel (TDF) in permitted municipal boilers, paper plants, etc. - Brownie Airport in Union Township, Warren County (near Lebanon): The site contains about 10,000 tires buried under soil at the end of a runway.
- D/M/M site in Knox Township, Jefferson County: The site contains unknown quantity of tire residuals resulting from a tire fire in November 2002.
For more information, contact EQ’s John Mullane at (800) 229-7495.
EQ’s Green Tip of the Month: "Be bright about light"
Turn off lights if you plan to be gone for more than 15 minutes.- Use natural lighting whenever possible.
- Replace standard light bulbs with Energy Star qualified bulbs (saves 75% energy, produces 75% less heat, and lasts 10 times longer than standard lighting).
The facts are simple: Being "bright about light" uses less electricity / energy. When we use less energy, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change.
According to the Energy Information Administration, lighting is responsible for 44% of the overall electricity in office buildings. Together we have the chance to make a big difference. See figure below:
For more information about reducing your carbon footprint or to learn more about EQ’s Sustainability Program, visit our website or contact EQ’s Tom Robertson at (800) 229-5299.
EQ Cleaning Up Altoona Mine in Northern California
EQ is helping clean up mercury and arsenic waste from the Altoona Mine in northern California through its U.S. EPA Region 9 Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contract.
This $4 million project involves building a HDPE-lined repository in the side of a mountain to hold about 110,000 cubic yards of waste from the abandoned mercury mine, which is located near Castella in Trinity County. The repository will be capped with a HDPE liner and 3 feet of clean soil. Site-wide restoration will include hydro-seeding, tree planting and surface drainage controls.
About 29 EQ employees are accessing the site each day from a remote camp in the mountains. The project began in July and is expected to be completed by November.
For more information, contact EQ’s Jason Coury at (425) 673-2900.
EQ Announces Addition of Stephanie Werner to our Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security Auditing Group
Stephanie brings more than 15 years of industry expertise to EQ in the areas of:
- Environmental Health and Management Systems and ISO 14001 Certification
- RCRA, Stormwater, Air, Water, and Wastewater Permitting Compliance Support
- Health, Safety, and Industrial Hygiene
- Department of Homeland Security Assessments and Planning
EQ offers a full range of consulting services for commercial, industrial, utility, and government facilities. For more information or assistance in the area of EHS&S auditing, visit the EQ website or contact EQ’s Stephanie Werner or Mike Arozarena at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Performing Health & Safety Monitoring for Dayton Airport Project
EQ began work this month on the Runway 6R RSA improvement project at the Dayton International Airport.
As a subcontractor to Mainline Road and Bridge Construction Inc., EQ prepared a Health and Safety Plan to address potential environmental hazards associated with construction activities. EQ will perform perimeter and personnel air monitoring during the project. Once the project is completed, EQ will conduct soil sampling to determine post-excavation contamination levels and perform wipe sampling to confirm the effectiveness of decontamination efforts.
The runway is adjacent to the Amateur Trapshooting Association site. Previous environmental studies have indicated the potential for exposure to lead and arsenic. This project is expected to be complete by November.
For more information, contact EQ’s Jackie Doan at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Welcomes Andy Hetz to our Air Quality Group
Andy brings 22 years of industry and government expertise to EQ in the areas of:
- Clean Air Act
- Air Emissions Testing
- Electric Utilities and Chemical Industries
- EPCRA and CERCLA Reporting
- Regulatory Plans and Continuous Compliance Reporting
EQ offers a full range of consulting services for commercial, industrial, utility, and government facilities. For more information or assistance in the area of air quality, visit the EQ website or contact EQ’s Andy Hetz or Kent Berry at (800) 229-5299 or Jeff Slayback at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Remediates Mold for U.S. Air Force
Mold is a common inhabitant of hot and humid places, and one that can be difficult to remove. When Homestead Air Reserve Base in Homestead, Florida, began experiencing issues with its HVAC system, mold moved in to four Visiting Officer Quarters (VOQs).
EQ was hired to repair the HVAC system, remove mold-contaminated walls in more than 210 hotel-like rooms, and clean the air, carpeting and furniture with HEPA filters. This $4 million project was awarded last fall by the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA). Work began in January 2008 and is expected to be completed by mid to late September.
EQ’s subcontractor, Super Restoration, Inc., is the largest mold remediation company in Florida. For more information, please contact EQ’s Phil Heikkila at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Presents at AWMA Conference in Portland, Oregon
Ron Hawks, EQ’s Engineering and Compliance Manager, presented at the Air & Waste Management Association’s (AWMA) Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon in late June, as part of the Business and Innovation Theater. Mr. Hawks spoke on the use of Microfine Lime® for the control and removal of acid gases. This technology has been proven to reduce SO2 emissions, and help abate visible plumes in the right applications. To learn more about this potentially cost-effective technology, please contact Ron Hawks at (800) 229-7495 or email him at rhawks@eqm.com. For a copy of his presentation (PowerPoint), please click here.
EQ and Joint Venture Partner QRI Awarded $5 Million Contract with U.S. GSA
In May 2008, EQ and its joint venture partner, Quaternary Resource Investigations, LLC (QRI), won a $5 million contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for environmental and consulting services. EQ has a mentor/protégée relationship with QRI under the U.S. Small Business Administration. QRI is a woman-owned, 8(a), small disadvantaged business (SDB). Additionally, EQ and QRI have four environmental cleanup contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worth more than $200 million. For more information, contact EQ’s Kevin Fox at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Helps Ohio EPA Complete Kirby Tire Site Cleanup
On April 15, 2008, the Ohio EPA publicly announced the completion of the 9-year, $32 million cleanup of the 120-acre Kirby tire site in north central Ohio. EQ was the prime contractor on this project, which involved removing and shredding more than 4.5 million tires; disposing of more than 518 million pounds of tire residuals, clay cap material and contaminated soil; and recycling a portion of the shredded tires (10 million pounds). Work began in 2006 and was completed in April 2008. EQ was the original firm that extinguished the Kirby tire fire in August 1999 under the U.S. EPA Region 5 Emergency and Remedial Response (ERRS) contract.
For more information, contact EQ’s John Mullane at 800-229-7495.
EQ Participating in Go Green Challenge
EQ is participating in the “Go Green Challenge” program sponsored by the Hamilton County (Ohio) Solid Waste Management District and partners Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati, Christ Hospital, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. The mission of this group is to encourage organizations, large and small, to reduce their environmental impact. To participate, EQ must develop at least one environmental goal. Our first long-term metric is to reduce our calendar year 2012 carbon footprint relative to 2007 by 8 percent by reducing energy use, paper consumption, and employee travel.
For more information, visit the Go Green Challenge website or contact EQ’s Tom Robertson at 800-229-5299
EQ Receives a Patent
EQ and EnviroCare International (ECI) have received a patent (No. 7279039) from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on a method and equipment for controlling air emissions from cement plants (dry process, precalciner). Raw feed meal used in cement production is heated in a special heating chamber to drive off volatile compounds. The gases flow to the precalciner where they are combusted and rendered harmless. The process allows the use of feedmeal that contains higher levels of organic material. It also reduces the formation of secondary reactions with ammonia and/or organic species, which reduces total hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, dioxins and sulfur trioxide aerosols in the stack gases. For more information, contact EQ’s Ron Hawks at (800) 229-5299.
EQ Featured in Cincinnati Enquirer
EQ's Recent growth due to an increase in work related to the cleanup after Hurricane's Katrina and Rita was recently highlighted in the Cincinnati Enquirer (PDF version).
EQ was asked to do the work by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The additional work helped EQ to improves its ranking to 39th on the latest Deloitte Cincinnati USA 100 list of the region's largest privately-held businesses, up from 61st a year ago.
"The contract was significant because it gave us the opportunity to be involved in the largest natural disaster in this country's history, " says Jack Greber, the company's president and CEO. The project lasted for 18 months and required EQ to perform a large variety of difficult and challenging environmental cleanup tasks in adverse conditions.
EQ’s Washington Office Managing Mine Remediation Project in Idaho
EQ’s Seattle Washington office is managing an ongoing remediation project at the Conjecture Mine site in Idaho. The removal action at Conjecture Mine is part of a comprehensive approach by U.S. EPA and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to address mine waste contaminants in the Gold Creek watershed. The purpose of the removal action is to mitigate the release of hazardous substances, including arsenic, lead, and manganese, from waste rock dumps and sediment along Gold Creek. Contaminated mine waste materials (approximately 40,000 loose cubic yards) are being removed from the site for deposition in a nearby waste repository. Mine-waste materials to be removed are identified by field screening, including visual observation and analysis by field portable x-ray fluorescence (FPXRF). Following removal of the contaminated materials, the excavated areas are being backfilled as necessary using fill from borrow sites on USFS land in the vicinity of the site. In addition, a clean stream corridor has been constructed for Gold Creek and its tributaries to restore hydraulic capacity and to prevent erosion and liberation of metals contamination. Construction of this corridor included removal of approximately 7,500 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and reshaping the topography to allow the water to flow through a clean and stable corridor. Regrading efforts are substantial, and include moving roughly 100,000 cubic yards of material to prevent waste rock from coming into contact with surface water. The location is remote, and the entire crew is staying on site in a 25 -room mobile camp complete with two cooks for meal preparation. The site is completely self-contained with lodging, food, satellite internet, satellite phones and cell phone boosters. Please visit EQ’s website for photos and more information on this project, other EQ remediation projects, EQ’s site remediation capabilities; or call Jason Coury at (425) 673-2900 or Bob McCullough at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Uses Remote Sensing Imagery for an Inventory of Vacant Land Soil Stability and Unpaved Private Roads in Nevada
EQ developed an inventory of native desert, disturbed stable vacant land, disturbed unstable vacant land, and private unpaved roads in Clark County, Nevada. This project was performed to meet the environmental commitment of the PM10 State Implementation Plan (SIP) to update the vacant land inventory using satellite or remote sensing imagery and ground truthing. The methodology for developing this inventory used multispectral imagery (from satellite high resolution imagery and aerial photography) and ground truthing to develop spectral signatures of the above land use types. These signatures were used to develop soil stability GIS layers that are compatible with Clark County’s Geographic Information Systems (i.e., ESRI data format and Nevada State Plane Coordinate system). For more information on this project, contact Fred Hall at (800) 229-7495.
EQ Expands Industrial Site Investigation and Remediation Capabilities
EQ recently expanded its service offerings to include a site investigation and remediation practice focused on the industrial and commercial sector. Service areas include state-specific voluntary action programs (i.e. Ohio VAP, Illinois TACO, Pennsylvania Act 2), federal and state brownfield property redevelopment programs, mergers and acquisitions, facility-wide RCRA support, site investigation and remediation activities, and corporate environmental liability support (i.e. FIN 47 asset retirement obligations (ARO), property portfolio management, etc.). For more information or assistance in any of these areas, contact Bob McCullough at (800) 229-7495.
