Small Business in Topsfield, Mass. Receives $300,000 Grant to Develop Air Quality Monitoring Equipment

Press release:

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
August 21, 2012

Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

Small Business in Topsfield, Mass. Receives $300,000 Grant to Develop Air Quality Monitoring Equipment

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 21, 2012) – A business in Topsfield, Mass. was among seven businesses nationwide to win a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop and commercialize technology that helps protect the environment.

OPTRA Inc. Topsfield, Mass, received $299,956 for its air quality monitoring equipment from EPA’s Small Business Innovation and Research program. The air quality monitoring system will allow for the detection of a broader range of compounds and at a much lower level than previously available.

"This novel approach to air quality monitoring increases the number of compounds we can simultaneously detect at trace levels," said Julia Rentz Dupuis, chief technology officer at OPTRA. "The overall approach represents a more versatile solution than conventional methods."
“Small businesses are key to a strong economy in our towns and cities,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “OPTRA is helping find new ways protect our environment, developing green jobs, and exploring innovation and technology solutions to environmental issues.”

The Small Business program awarded seven contracts to small businesses across the nation to develop new technologies to keep the environment clean and healthy. Companies won the contracts through the highly competitive annual Small Business Innovation Research program competition, which encourages small businesses to explore and develop environmental technologies from concept to commercialization.

The winning companies submitted their innovative ideas during the first phase of the SBIR competition in 2011, and received SBIR Phase I contracts of up to $80,000 to develop their concepts into technologies addressing key environmental areas. Winning the SBIR Phase I competition made these companies eligible to apply to the program’s Phase II competition this year. As Phase II recipients, these companies have received around $300,000 to further develop their technologies for the market place.

In the last 10 years this program has funded more than 200 small companies. One such company, Ecovative Design, leveraged its funding to get $6 million in capital investment funding.  Ecovative Design develops biologically-based substitutes for polystyrene packaging and sustainable insulation. For packaging, Ecovative uses locally available waste, such as rice and soybean hulls as filler inside custom grown mushroom roots that can be made into a customizable shape to fit each customer’s particular need.

The other six Phase II recipients announced recently include:

• FBS, Inc., Pennsylvania for technology addressing detection of defects in water pipelines using ultrasonic guided waves
• Lynntech, Inc., Texas, for developing automated, field deployable environmental monitors that promote clean up strategies for restoring contaminated sites to productive use
• TDA Research, Inc., Colorado, for technology using waste gas from anaerobic digesters on farms to generate energy while preventing groundwater contamination and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions
• Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc., Illinois, for technology treating new types of contaminants in drinking water
• Adherent Technologies, Inc., New Mexico, for a pollution control technology reducing particulate pollution emitted by outdoor wood-fired boilers by more than 50 percent
• Faraday Technology, Inc., Ohio, for a drop-in green chrome plating process that replaces conventional carcinogenic plating technology

In addition to OPTRA, three small businesses from New England received smaller grants earlier this year to develop technologies that help the environment. These companies were GVD Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., Aerodyne Research, Inc. of Billerica, Mass. and Orono Spectral Solutions, Inc., of Bangor, Maine. They were among 25 companies awarded contracts in Phase I of the annual competition.
To participate in the program, a company must be an organized, for-profit U.S. business and have fewer than 500 employees. Phase I awards may be up to $80,000 and Phase II awards up to $300,000.

More information on program eligibility: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir

More information on the 2012 Phase II SBIR recipients: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir12ph2

More information on the SBIR Program: http://www.SBIR.gov

#  #  #

EPA Region 7 Tribal Program Awards Grants to Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri for Water Monitoring, Radon Protection

News release:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA Region 7 Tribal Program Awards Grants to Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri for Water Monitoring, Radon Protection

Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 9, 2012) - EPA Region 7’s Office of Tribal Affairs has awarded a pair of grants to the Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska to support the tribe’s environmental protection efforts.

The Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, headquartered at Reserve, Kan., occupies approximately 18,000 acres of reservation land in southeast Richardson County, Neb., and northeast Brown County, Kan. The tribe has more than 400 enrolled members, and a reservation population of 217.

A $135,000 performance partnership grant, expressed through a cooperative agreement, will provide administrative flexibility and support to the tribe’s Environmental Department, which has intermittently conducted surface water monitoring in partnership with EPA Region 7 since 2003.

Under this grant, the tribe will build on its existing water quality monitoring program to better inform the tribal council on the quality of the waters on the reservation. Creeks, rivers and ponds that exist on the reservation or its boundaries will be monitored for nutrients, turbidity, sediment and macroinvertibrate populations.

A separate grant of $32,712 will help to provide tribal members with current guidance, information and assistance related to radon safety, awareness, assessment, mitigation and preventive methods. Radon is an odorless naturally-occurring gas that can infiltrate homes and other buildings and pose serious health risks.

EPA provides financial assistance to states and tribes to help them implement environmental programs. States and tribes may receive these funds in individual environmental program categorical grants, or choose to combine grants in a performance partnership grant (PPG). PPGs, such as the one awarded to the Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, streamline administrative requirements, give states and tribes greater flexibility to direct resources to their most pressing environmental problems, and make it easier to fund efforts that cut across program boundaries.

The Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska is one of nine federally recognized tribes within EPA Region 7.

# # #

EPA Expands Real-Time Monitoring of Kansas City Area Streams and Launches KCWaterBug Mobile Application

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

EPA Expands Real-Time Monitoring of Kansas City Area Streams and Launches KCWaterBug Mobile Application

Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, 913-551-7557 or lancaster.kris@epa.gov (news media only)

Environmental News

NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY

(Kansas City, Kan., June 25, 2012) - EPA and local partners will gather on Wednesday, June 27 in Riverside, Mo., to announce an expansion of water-quality monitoring of Kansas City area streams and introduce a related application for smartphones and mobile devices.

The free application is available now for iPhone, iTouch, and iPad through Apple’s iTunes store. A version for Android phones will be available in the future.

EPA is providing $156,000 for in-stream monitoring equipment and satellite technology to supplement an existing urban water monitoring network installed by EPA staff in 2011. One use of data collected by the equipment is to provide real-time estimates of bacteria concentrations in streams, which allows citizens to make informed decisions regarding recreation.

The free mobile application was developed in conjunction with the University of Missouri-Kansas City as part of a broader collaboration called KCWaters. The application provides users with a color code for each of 10 streams denoting recreational activities that should be acceptable based on an estimate of the average concentration of E.coli bacteria that might be found in the stream during the previous hour.

EPA oversees the protection of water quality as required by the Clean Water Act. The Agency is working with the public, community leaders, local and state agencies to meet the growing needs and demands on our water resources.

WHAT: Expansion of monitoring of Kansas City area streams and rollout of free mobile application

WHERE: Renner Brenner Park, 2901 NW Vivion Road, Riverside, Mo. 64150

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 27, 2012

WHO: EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks, Riverside Director of Community Relations Meredith Hauck, six EPA environmental scientists, and 12 elementary-age students

VISUALS: Water monitoring equipment is at the site. EPA scientists will have instructional booths and teach students about water chemistry as well as biology of streams. Students will examine fish and insects that indicate stream health, and learn how various land uses and urban runoff can affect local streams.

# # #

News Release from EPA Region 10

Seeing no levels of concern, EPA curtails emergency air monitoring at BP refinery fire site near Bellingham, Washington

 Contact Info: Mark MacIntyre, EPA Public Affaris, macintyre.mark@epa.gov, 206-369-7999 (cell)

(Seattle, Washington) - As cleanup begins in earnest at the BP refinery fire site, 20 miles northwest of Bellingham, Washington, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air monitoring team is standing down after seeing no measurable threats to public health from airborne pollutants related to the fire.

As EPA responders arrived at the scene last night, a team of four EPA contractors, accompanied by a BP Industrial Hygienist, conducted air monitoring at several locations around the perimeter of the facility, including locations downwind.

The sweep was completed by midnight and the results were compared to similar locations that BP responders had monitored earlier in the day. EPA measured for elevated Volatile Organic Compounds, particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon monoxide. According to Andy Smith, EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinator, "No readingswere found to be above background or demonstrate any level of concern."

Once the site was stabilized and secured, EPA and Department of Ecology responders completed their assessment and demobilized.

Construction at Sunrise Landfill

News release from EPA Region 9:

For Immediate Release: February 15, 2012

Media Contact:  Margot Perez-Sullivan, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov 

Major operations begin on $25 million construction at Sunrise Landfill

Las Vegas Paving Company to perform work, 40 local construction workers employed

SAN FRANCISCO – Republic Services of Southern Nevada has begun large-scale construction work under oversight by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Sunrise Landfill, a 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill, located three miles outside of Las Vegas city limits in Clark County.

The $25 million construction project, expected to last through 2012, was awarded to Las Vegas Paving Company and will employ 40 local construction workers.  The project stems from a 2008 Consent Decree requiring Republic, the landfill operator, to install extensive stormwater controls, an armored cover, and landfill gas monitoring system; complete and monitor a groundwater monitoring system; and develop a long-term operation and maintenance strategy. 

“EPA is requiring this work to protect a vital drinking water source for communities from Las Vegas to Phoenix,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This will prevent the release of over 17 million pounds of contaminants each year.”

Under the settlement, Republic is utilizing clean diesel technology to place 1 million cubic yards of soil and rock within the site. These efforts are especially important because diesel exhaust is linked to reduced lung capacityand asthma, and is a likely human carcinogen.

The EPA-approved remedy ensures effective control of the landfill with a durable and cost-effective landfill cover and stormwater system that address the unique geographic and climatic characteristics of Nevada’s arid desert landscape.  Since 2008, five new groundwater monitoring wells have been drilled and 41 wells completed for quarterly sampling, as well as 30 landfill gas monitoring probes installed around the perimeter of the landfill. 

An inadequate cover and stormwater system coupled with a storm in September 1998 resulted in a discharge of waste into the Las Vegas Wash and, ultimately, Lake Mead -- a primary drinking water resource for southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas metro area, as well as the Phoenix metro area and southern California. 

Sunrise Mountain Landfill is unlined and contains more than 18 million tons of waste, including municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, asbestos, and construction waste. 

The landfill was operated on behalf of the County by entities related to Republic Services of Southern Nevada from the 1950s through 1993. Following the landfill cover failure in 1998, EPA cited Republic Dumpco and the Clark County Public Works Department for violations of the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. At that time, EPA ordered the company to implement stormwater control plan; repair the existing drainage system; upgrade the landfill cap to federal standards; control and monitor methane and groundwater; and submit a plan to maintain and monitor the site.

 For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/sunrise and http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/features/sunrise-landfill

###

Proposed Storm Water Permit Incorporates Low Impact Development

News release from EPA Region 10:


EPA’s Proposed Stormwater Permit for JBLM Incorporates Low Impact Development to Protect Puget Sound

(Seattle – January 31, 2012) Due to its size, population and proximity to Puget Sound, Joint Base Lewis-McChord has received a proposed Municipal Stormwater discharge permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The permit, when final, is expected to help guide how stormwater is managed across nearly 142 square miles of base property over the next decade and beyond.

Located just south of Tacoma, JBLM is recognized as the largest military installation on the West Coast. The most recent population estimate for the base was 95,000 people, including military personnel, military dependants residing on base, civilian employees, and visitors.

"JBLM plays a vital role in our national security and the regional economy," said Mike Bussell, Director of EPA’s office of Water and Watersheds in Seattle. "So we designed this new permit to help them accomplish their mission of providing a safe, healthy community for those who serve our country, while reducing the storm water pollution threat to base streams, lakes and Puget Sound."

Stormwater (surface runoff from rain and snow melt) is recognized as a major source of pollution to the Puget Sound. Commercial and housing development alters the land’s natural ability to absorb and evaporate rainfall. Expanding impervious surfaces (like roads and roofs) then converge with a growing population to produce more vehicle related pollution that settles on those surfaces. When it rains, it all runs off into lakes, rivers, streams and ultimately the Puget Sound.

EPA’s draft municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit for JBLM is the first such proposed permit for a military or other federal facility in western Washington. The draft permit requires specific actions and activities that must be accomplished over at least the next five years to protect local waters.

JBLM has been implementing a stormwater program for several years in anticipation of receiving a permit from EPA. Among the new requirements under the proposed permit, the base must control runoff from all construction sites; control runoff from all new development and redevelopment sites; map, inspect, and maintain the storm system, and engage JBLM employees and the community about preventing pollutants in storm water runoff.

Due to its proximity to Puget Sound, the Base permit also requires:

• stormwater runoff from redevelopment and new projects must meet performance standards through use of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques and, if needed, traditional stormwater features (detention ponds);
• a new construction project threshold of 5,000 square feet or greater;
• a program to reduce runoff from the existing developed areas;
• a biological stream health monitoring program using aquatic insects in Clover and Murray Creeks.

EPA’s proposed permit requires LID practices such as rain gardens, permeable pavement, native vegetation areas, and green roofs to avoid or lessen the reliance on traditional stormwater pipes and ponds. By using LID, a larger portion of rainfall will be intercepted, infiltrated, evaporated, or reused to avoid excess runoff. These actions will help maintain or restore a more natural stream flow throughout the year, replenish groundwater, and help protect fish and other aquatic organisms. It will also reduce the influx of pollutants washed into the streams, creeks and lakes on the base or into Puget Sound.

EPA will hold a public meeting to discuss the permit on:

Monday, March 19, 2012

Lakewood Library

6300 Wildaire Road Southwest

Lakewood, Washington 98499

6:00 pm open house & 6:30 – 8:00 pm public meeting

Comments on the Draft Permit Will Be Accepted through March 30, 2012

Send or e-mail comments by March 30, 2012 to:

EPA Region 10

Office of Water and Watersheds, OWW-130

Attn: NPDES Stormwater – JBLM

1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900

Seattle, WA 98101

or via email to the following address: vakoc.misha@epa.gov

After the comment period ends EPA will consider and respond to all comments, and make any necessary changes to the draft permit. The Washington Department of Ecology will also consider certifying the permit in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The EPA Director of the Office of Water & Watersheds will then make a final decision about permit issuance.

For a copy of the Draft Permit:


http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/WATER.NSF/stormwater/homehttp://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+public+notices/jblm-ms4-pn-2011

For more about how EPA works to protect water quality from stormwater in the Pacific Northwest: 

http://www.epa.gov/region10/stormwater

EPA to Provide Funding for Beach Cleanup

News release from EPA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2012

EPA To Provide Nearly $10 Million to Clean Up Beaches Across the Nation

The agency launches improved website for beach advisories and closures

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will provide $9.8 million in grants to 38 states, territories and tribes to help protect the health of swimmers at America’s beaches. The agency also launched an improved website for beach advisories and closings, which will allow the public to more quickly and easily access the most current water quality and pollution testing information for more than 6,000 U.S. beaches.

The website, called BEACON, has the capability to update as frequently as every two hours based on new data provided by states, territories and tribes. Users will have access to mapped location data for beaches and water monitoring stations, monitoring results for various pollutants such as bacteria and algae, and data on public notification of beach water quality advisories and closures. For the first time, users can also access reports that combine notifications and water quality monitoring data. The enhanced system also uses enhanced map navigation and report display tools.

The majority of beach advisories and closures in the United States are due to water test results indicating bacterial contamination, which can make people sick. Bacterial contamination comes from a variety of sources. Some examples are sewer overflows, untreated stormwater runoff, boating wastes, wildlife and pet waste, and malfunctioning septic systems.

During each swimming season, state and local health and environmental protection agencies monitor the quality of water at the nation’s beaches. When bacteria levels in the water are too high, these agencies notify the public by posting beach warnings or closing the beach.

The grants will help local authorities monitor beach water quality and notify the public of conditions that may be unsafe for swimming.

This is the 12th year that EPA is providing beach grant funds, bringing the total amount EPA has made available to nearly $111 million. As a result, the number of monitored beaches has more than tripled to

more than 3,600 in 2010. Grant applications must be received within 60 days of publication of EPA’s notice in the Federal Register. EPA expects to award the grants later this year.

View EPA’s enhanced beach advisory and closing information: http://watersgeo.epa.gov/BEACON2/<http://watersgeo.epa.gov/BEACON2/>

More information on the grants: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/beachgrants/index.cfm<http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/beachgrants/index.cfm>

EPA Releases New Water Pollution Tool

News Release form EPA Headquarters:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2012

EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S.

EPA to host webinar on how to use tool to access information on pollutants released into local waterways

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama’s transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities.

“Transparency leads to greater accountability and better information about pollution in our nation’s communities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By making the data we collect available in easy to use tools, we are keeping Americans informed about the health of the environment in their neighborhoods.”

Searches using the DMR Pollutant Loading Tool result in “top ten” lists to help users easily identify facilities and industries that are discharging the most pollution and impacted waterbodies. When discharges are above permitted levels, users can view the violations and link to details about enforcement actions that EPA and states have taken to address these violations.

Facilities releasing water pollution directly into our nation’s waterways, such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial manufacturers, must receive a permit to discharge under the Clean Water Act. Each permit sets specific limits for how much can be discharged. It also requires the permittee to frequently sample their wastewater discharges and report the data to their state or EPA permitting authority.

A link to the new tool can be found on EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website, which provides information about inspections, facility compliance, and state and federal enforcement actions. EPA has also released several new ECHO features, including a search for criminal enforcement cases and web developer tools that make it easy to tap into ECHO reports and maps.

Information about the webinar:

WHAT: A webinar to demonstrate how to use the new Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool.

WHO: Members of the media, non-profit organizations, industry, business, and citizens interested in learning how to use the tool are encouraged to participate.

WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10 a.m., Eastern Time

HOW: To participate, please use the following dial-in numbers.

Audio Contact Instruction:

(1) Dial the toll-free dial-in number: (866) 358 1366

(2) At the recorded prompt, enter the Conference Code (2025661014) and the "#" sign, using the telephone keypad.
(3) Wait for the Leader to join and the conference to begin.
(4) To disconnect, hang up the telephone.

To access the Webinar use GoToWebinar link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/192410536

*** YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR***

DMR Pollutant Loading Tool: http://www.epa.gov/pollutantdischarges

ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo

More information about new features in ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/recent_additions.html