EPA Report Links Hydraulic Fracturing and Drinking Water Contamination near Pavillion, WY

EPA has released a highly-anticipated report in which they claim there's a link between hydraulic fracturing for enhanced natural gas production and drinking water contamination in the area of Pavillion, Wyoming. Results of EPA's investigation may or may not be conclusive; however, the report does indicate that regional geological conditions must be taken into consideration whenever hydraulic fracturing is proposed. The report also supports Department of Energy recommendations for more extensive groundwater investigation before and after hydraulic fracturing activities, greater transparency on the chemical composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids, and greater emphasis on well construction and integrity requirements and testing. Read More>>

Vapor Pin Receives Pollution Engineering 2011 Editor's Choice

Cox-Colvin & Associates, Inc's Vapor Pin has received Pollution Engineering's 2011 Editor's Choice Award.  The Vapor Pin is a unique, patented, reusable sub-slab soil gas sampling device designed to eliminate many of the problems associated with traditional sub-slab soil gas sampling methods.  For more information on the Vapor Pin, click here.

California Sets Public Health Goal for Hexavalent Chromium

The State of California has set a public health goal (PHG) of 0.02 parts per billion (ppb) for hexavalent chromium (CR6), the first drinking water standard for the metal in the United States. The move by California is prompting calls for EPA to accelerate their pursuit of a national MCL for Cr6.
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EPA Proposes Sweeping Revisions to UST Regulations

EPA is proposing sweeping revisions to the 1988 40 CFR Part 280 underground storage tank (UST) regulations that will have far-reaching impact on all existing and new UST systems. While fuel distribution facilities ultimately will bear the greatest burden of these changes, the proposed revisions also will end the leak detection deferral for USTs used for fueling emergency power generators, field constructed tanks, airport hydrant systems, and wastewater treatment tanks not covered by Clean Water Act regulations. Read More>>

Ohio Vows to Leave National Association of Clean Air Agencies

Ohio has vowed to leave the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) over non-consensus support of recent US EPA rule-makings and guidance. In addition, Ohio is spearheading the development of a competing group of state air officials. The NACAA currently represents air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 major metropolitan areas across the United States.
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California Releases Final Vapor Intrusion Guidance

In October 2011, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (California DTSC) released the final version of their Vapor Intrusion Guidance. Many states have followed California's lead on vapor intrusion issues, and this could be a preview of EPA's final guidance, which is expected in 2012.
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Renewable Energy Production on Contaminated Sites

As part of the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative, the EPA and US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, hazardous waste, and former landfill or mining sites. EPA is investing about a million dollars for the project that pairs EPA's expertise on contaminated sites with the renewable energy expertise of NREL. Wind, solar, biopower, or geothermal production on use-restricted property makes a lot of sense, and should be considered in evaluating long-term use of contaminated property. For more information, visit EPA's Repowering website.

Cox-Colvin Presented on Soil-Gas Prospecting at AIPG Meeting

I presented a talk in September 2011 at the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) National Meeting in Bloomingdale, Illinois titled "The Use of Innovative Soil-Gas Sampling Methods to Locate VOC Sources". The presentation, which discussed how Cox-Colvin used the Vapor Pin to collect soil gas from beneath the floor of a large industrial facility to locate sources of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination, was very well received. The use of the Vapor Pin, combined with collecting soil gas into disposable, evacuated glass vials, allowed us to collect approximately 240 samples over the entire building footprint in one week, using only hand-held equipment.

As we've seen at other sites, VOC contamination at this site was not located beneath former degreasing operations or storage tanks. Instead, using aerial photos and historic maps to reconstruct the building's history, we found that the contamination was located where loading docks and back doors used to be prior to building expansion. Before the Clean Water Act in 1977, it was accepted practice to dump used solvents on the ground - commonly through the nearest door. By now it's unlikely that any present employees remember dumping of waste, or would be comfortable discussing it if they did. But by sampling subslab soil gas in a grid over the entire building, and tying the analytical results to the building expansion history, we located an unsuspected source of VOCs and determined that it probably resulted from spillage or dumping prior to 1952. Better yet, the sample points were installed, sampled, and plugged each day at minimal cost and without interrupting plant operations. And when we're done locating sources, the soil-gas data will be useful for assessing vapor intrusion.

EPA to Study Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources

EPA recently published its plans to conduct a comprehensive national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The study will evaluate the impacts associated with the entire hydraulic fracturing water life cycle. The results, which will be available in 2014, have the potential to significantly impact the perception and regulation of hydraulic fracturing.
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Vapor Pin Video

FINALLY! Sub-slab vapor sampling equipment that installs in minutes, eliminates the need for grout or other adhesives, and is easily retrieved for reuse.

See for yourself just how easy it is to install, use, and retrieve Cox-Colvin's patented Vapor Pin sub-slab vapor sampling device!

For more information on the Vapor Pin, click here.

Cox-Colvin Announces Commercial Release of the Vapor Pin™ - An Innovative Sub-slab Soil Gas Sampling Device

Cox-Colvin proudly announces the commercial release of the Vapor Pin, a patented, reusable sub-slab soil-gas sampling device that eliminates many of the frustrations associated with traditional sub-slab vapor sampling methods. Because of its ease and speed of installation, sample collection, extraction, and reuse, we believe the Vapor Pin will become the new standard for sub-slab soil gas sampling.
Click here for Vapor Pin Press Release.
Click here for more information on the Vapor Pin.

Cox-Colvin to present posters at RemTEC Summit 2011

Two Cox-Colvin & Associates Principal Scientists are heading to Chicago this week to present posters at the RemTEC Summit 2011 on May 17 - 19. George Colvin, Vice President of Cox-Colvin, will present a poster titled "Benefits of Incorporating GSR Concepts into an Inherently Less Green and Sustainable Alternative: Case Study on a HVDPE System". Craig Cox, President of Cox-Colvin, will present a poster titled "Methods for Dissecting Large Commingled VOC Plumes".

C0x-Colvin also will be exhibiting at RemTEC Summit 2011. Visit us at Booth 59 and check out the Vapor PinTM - Cox-Colvin's new innovative sub-slab vapor sampling device!

Additional Labs VAP-Certified for Cis-DCE in Air

In August of last year our newsletter discussed the fact that only one lab was certified to analyze cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) in air under Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP). Cis-DCE is a breakdown product of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE),which are present at more than half of all RCRA sites, and is a ubiquitous constituent of concern in vapor-intrusion investigations. Unfortunately, cis-DCE has long been an orphan in the regulations, since it is a breakdown product and rarely or never a manufactured product. Many of us are familiar with the phrase “Appendix IX-plus-CIS” when discussing groundwater under RCRA. Until recently, only one lab was certified to analyze cis-DCE in air under Ohio’s VAP, and it used EPA Method 8260, which was designed for groundwater, not air.

TestAmerica’s Knoxville lab and Pace’s Indianapolis lab are now certified for cis-DCE in air under the Ohio VAP. Both use EPA Method TO-15, which is specifically designed for air and gives more accurate results. The availability of two new labs will allow far more flexibility for air sampling, and will prove to be especially helpful when dealing with vapor intrusion issues.

Cox-Colvin Lends Support to ODNR Core Lab & Coauthors Publication

For several years, I’ve participated as a committee member at the ODNR Division of Geological Survey’s H. R. Collins Core Lab at Alum Creek State Park, Delaware County. The Core Lab is a priceless repository of rock and soil cores from Ohio, which are extremely useful for study and research. The cores were gathered from various sources, including Cox-Colvin, at significant expense and are permanently archived and available for public use.

Last year, several Geological Survey employees and committee members put together a core workshop to help people hone their soil and rock examination skills. The workshop will be repeated on April 20 and 25 of this year. The group also put together a manual for the workshop, which has been published as:

Schumacher, G.A., Angle, M.P., Mott, Brian, and Schmidt, M.A. 2011. Central Ohio's Geology in Core and Outcrop Workshop II:, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1, 44 pages.

We hope that the significance of the Core Lab will be understood by higher-ups in state government, and that budget cuts will not result in the loss of this irreplaceable asset.

Online Waste-Related Resources

Are any of you old enough to remember calling the RCRA Hotline with waste-related questions, and actually talking to a real person? Although a similar phone operated service still exists as the Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP, and Oil Information Hotline (1-800-424-9346), it no longer handles waste-related questions. At the federal level, there are several web-based services worth visiting, including RCRA Online and the recently started Wastes - Frequent Questions. RCRA Online is your best bet for finding published resources, while the newer "Wastes - Frequent Questions" site includes frequently asked questions and allows you to e-mail questions to technical staff. If you miss talking to a real person, you may stand a better chance working through your state agency.

Green and Sustainable Remediation Progress

I'm headed to Minneapolis this week to attend the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council's (ITRC) spring meeting. As a member of the ITRC Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) team, I will be assisting with the completion of the draft GSR Technical Regulatory Guidance Document. An earlier team document, the GSR Overview Document, will be published in the near future. Both documents will provide a significant contribution to the further evolution of the GSR approach.

On a separate, yet related note, Cox-Colvin & Associates was recently profile in Green Business Quarterly. The article discussed the firm's industry-leading efforts in the realm of GSR. Click here to read the article.

EPA Re-Evaluates the Risk from Fluoride Exposure

There has long been a debate about the use of fluoride in drinking water, pitting those who strongly believe in the benefits of fluoride to dental hygiene against those who even believe that there is no safe exposure level for fluoride. Recent EPA risk analyses of fluoride in groundwater will likely result in lower drinking water standards for fluoride. While the major impacts of these efforts will likely be to drinking water fluoridation and the use of fluoride-based insecticides in agriculture, industries with environmental issues that include fluoride will also feel the backlash, resulting in greater investigation and remediation costs. Click here to Read More.

Will EPA Meet Its 2020 Goals for the RCRA Corrective Action Program?

EPA recently reported in its annual performance report for 2010 that remedy construction has been completed at 37 percent of the 3,746 facilities on the RCRA Corrective Action 2020 baseline. To meet the goal of the 2020 Initiative, EPA and authorized states need to have achieved remedy construction status at 95 percent of the baseline facilities by the year 2020. With only nine years to go, what are the chances of meeting this ambitious goal?
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Is Excavated Soil Considered Hazardous?

Through the use of the Area of Contamination (AOC) policy, soil contaminated with a listed waste or exhibiting a hazardous waste characteristic which is excavated during pipeline work or construction may not need to be managed as hazardous if the soil is kept within the immediate area and returned to the trench. Read More

EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

On October 30, 2009, EPA released a final rule requiring the mandatory reporting of green house gas (GHG) emissions from suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial GHGs, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and various other applicable public and private sector facilities. Generally, applicable facilities and suppliers were required to begin collecting data and complying with the requirements of the GHG rule on January 1, 2010. Click here to read more.

Planning, Implementing, Maintaining, and Enforcing Institutional Controls

On November 30, 2010, EPA released for public comment its interim final guidance titled Institutional Controls: A Guide to Planning, Implementing, Maintaining, and Enforcing Institutional Controls at Contaminated Sites. Comments were accepted through January 14, 2011. The guidance document applies to CERCLA, Brownfield, federal facility, underground storage tank, and RCRA site cleanups. Click here to read more.

EPA Considers Establishing an Enforceable MCL for Hexavalent Chromium

Since 2008, EPA has been re-evaluating its 20-year old drinking water standard for total chromium with respect to the carcinogenicity of orally ingested hexavalent chromium (chromium-6), the more toxic species of the metal. EPA is being pressured about the findings of a draft assessment of chromium-6 by both industry (claiming overestimate of risk) and environmental groups (claiming underestimate of risk). Whatever the outcome of the argument, EPA is likely to establish a chromium-6 MCL that is significantly lower than the current total chromium standard. This will have major implications for sites investigating, monitoring, or remediating media impacted by chromium-6, as well as for our nation's municipal drinking water supply systems. Click Here to read more.

Ohio EPA Issues Latest Version of Draft 506 Rules (Multi-Program Groundwater Monitoring Rules)

Ohio EPA's first draft of the multi-program groundwater monitoring rules (OAC 3745-506), issued in 2006, was met with substantial comment from stakeholders and interested parties. On January 3, 2011, Ohio EPA issued their revised draft 506 Rules. Other draft rules issued recently by Ohio EPA appear to indicate that they intend to fast track implementation of the multi-program rules. Cox-Colvin is currently reviewing the draft language and will be providing periodic updates as we approach the April 1, 2011 comment deadline. Click Here to read more.

Changes in Asbestos Reporting Requirements

In the past, many asbestos assessments were reported in a highly casual way. Although they might have met the immediate needs of the property owner, the lack of documentation often made it difficult to interpret the results years later, and resulted in weak evidence when asbestos issues went to court. Consequently, effective January 1, 2011, as explained in a memo from the Ohio Department of Health on August 24, 2010, “Asbestos Hazard Evaluation Specialists shall collect all bulk samples for asbestos in accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) 40 CFR Part 763.86 [O.A.C. 3701-34-06(C)(9)] and prepare a detailed AHERA type report for each site where bulk samples are collected [O.A.C. 3701-34-06(C)(10)].”

The AHERA rules were designed to protect public school students from asbestos, but increasingly are applied to other settings. Asbestos assessments in Ohio must now include the exact location where each bulk sample is collected, dates that samples are collected, and homogeneous areas where material is assumed to be asbestos-containing. The report must also describe the manner used to determine sampling locations, and must provide other documentation concerning the credentials of the asbestos inspector.

Cox-Colvin & Associates Staff to Speak at Ohio Brownfield Conference 2011

Cox-Colvin staff will be presenting three talks at the Ohio Brownfield Conference 2011, to be held at the Embassy Suites in Dublin, Ohio on January 19 - 20, 2011. Craig Cox, CP will be presenting two case studies of brownfields successfully completed by Cox-Colvin, entitled "Remediation of a Skeet Shooting Range" and "Successful Closure of a DNAPL site". In addition, Nick Petruzzi, PE will be presenting his expertise on "Green and Sustainable Remediation: Application, Uncertainties/Barriers and Future Direction". Cox-Colvin also will have an exhibit booth at the conference. Stop by and see us!