DERR Biocriteria/QHEI Training

On May 25 and 26 I attended an Ohio EPA, Department of Emergency and Remedial Response sponsored Biocriteria/Stream Habitat training. The training was geared toward environmental professionals working in the Voluntary Action Program (VAP) who may not be completing Biocriteria/Stream Habitat assessments on a regular basis, but need to know the basics because these types of assessments may be included in No Further Action (NFA) letters for VAP sites. During the training we were provided with an overview of the three components of Biocriteria/Stream Habitat assessments, including:

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI, fish evaluation),
Invertebrate Community Index (ICI), and
Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI).

On day one, all the participants were given the opportunity to electro-fish and set out invertebrate samplers (Hester-Dendy) in Blacklick Creek, which flows behind the Ohio EPA Field Office. Day two was set aside for QHEI field work, which was completed in Blacklick Creek and a small recovering drainage swale near Brice Road.

Throughout the training, a general theme emerged - the biology of a stream is a better indicator of a VAP site's impact on that water body than chemical parameters monitored through surface water and sediment grab samples. Often, even if chemical standards are not met, biological/habitat assessment activities are able to demonstrate that the stream meets it Ohio EPA use designation, and that additional assessment or remedial activities are not needed. Interestingly, the instructors indicated that the stream and riparian habitat, or lack thereof, is more often the cause of stream impairment at VAP sites, not the release of chemicals of concern to the stream. The take home message was that chemical analysis alone may not give a CP the complete picture of how a VAP site affected the stream; rather a biological/habitat assessment including an IBI, ICI, and QHEI provides a better representation.

Ohio EPA Signs First Facility Lead Corrective Action Agreement

Ohio EPA recently signed its first formal facility lead RCRA Corrective Action agreement. Facility lead RCRA Corrective Action is one of several ways some facilities subject to RCRA Corrective Action can address the requirements of the program. The facility lead agreement is a non-binding written agreement between Ohio EPA and the facility which charts a mutually agreeable path forward, promotes communication, less agency oversight, and focuses on results over process. For more information and to determine if this is an option for your facility, contact George H. Colvin at 614-526-2040. Click here to view the complete agreement.

pH Probe Maintenance

Several of our clients perform some of their own routine groundwater sample collection or wastewater monitoring. Parameters such as pH, conductivity, and temperature, commonly are measured in the field. Proper pH probe maintenance ensures a faster response, more reliable measurements, and a longer life. A few tips to get the most out of your pH probe are provided below.

The pH probe should be cleaned regularly according to the manufacturer’s recommended procedure and at a frequency dependent on the fluid being measured. Clean probes with a mild detergent solution. When deposits are difficult to remove from a probe, a diluted hypochlorite solution may be used, but it is always best to learn manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Different probes require different cleaning methods. Calibration should be performed after every cleaning.

Many probes are sealed and the reference solution can’t be replaced; however, some have a small opening near the top of the probe where fresh solution can be added - check with the manufacturer of the probe regarding correct solutions and filling procedures. The reference electrode chamber should consistently have the appropriate amount of reference solution and without air bubbles. Most manufacturers recommend that probes should not be wiped; this is to prevent transfer of static charge onto the glass bulb resulting in slow or drifting readings.

If the probe is used routinely, store the probe in a pH 4 solution or a storage solution (usually obtainable from the manufacturer). If the probe isn’t used for weeks at a time, dry storage is recommended; however, immerse the probe in a pH solution, allow sufficient wetting time, and calibrate before proceeding with measurements. Storing the probe in distilled water isn’t recommended (the filling solution will become diluted and probe response will be slow). With proper maintenance, a probe will have an average life of two years.

Cox-Colvin Employee Honored by AIPG

Martin (Mort) Schmidt, my colleague at Cox-Colvin & Associates, recently was honored for his distinguished service to the Ohio Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG). Mort received the Outstanding Service to the Institute Award for his outstanding contribution of time and effort to the Ohio Section. Details were provided in the May/June 2010 issue of AIPG's The Professional Geologist magazine, as follows: "As editor of the Ohio Section newsletter from 1992 through 2009, Martin (Mort) A. Schmidt, has greatly contributed to the Ohio Section's effort of promoting the geologic profession in the State of Ohio. In fulfilling his duties throughout these many years, Mort has devoted countless hours to compiling information, designing and distributing the Ohio Section newsletter (even before email), and sending special announcements, as warranted. Through his exceptional dedication and perseverance, Mort Schmidt has shown an outstanding level of devotion and service to the Ohio Section".

Mort received his BS and MS degrees in Geology and Mineralogy from The Ohio State University, and has been a Cox-Colvin & Associates employee since 1997. His areas of expertise include vapor intrusion and contaminant investigation and analysis, and he currently serves as Cox-Colvin's Health & Safety Officer. Mort is a Certified Professional Geologist with AIPG (CPG-08432), and is a registered Geologist in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Congratulations, Mort!

ODNR Core Lab Workshop

On April 20th, I assisted with the Ohio Department of natural Resource's (ODNR) Ohio Geological Survey's (OGS) first core workshop. As a board member on OGS's Collins Core Repository, we decided that we could provide the public with a better understanding of how rock cores are collected, analyzed, and used, and that we could teach them how to recognize Ohio's various rock formations when they examine cores.

The morning consisted of presentations on Paleozoic bedrock from Ohio's Chief Geologist, Larry Wickstrom, Assistant Chief Mac Swinford, and Greg Schumacher and Mike Angle of the OGS. Brian Mott of DLZ and I discussed the collection and interpretation of the younger Ice Age sediments. In the afternoon, students did hands-on exercises with the cores. We had a turnout of 30 people of various backgrounds and experience levels. The results were very positive, and we plan to repeat the exercise later in 2010. We assembled a workbook for the exercise that includes fact sheets for the Glacial Sand and Gravel, Ohio Shale, Berea Sandstone, and other formations that are encountered in Central Ohio. Over time, the workshop will be expanded to cover other parts of Ohio. When the workbook is put on ODNR's website, we'll add a link to it from the Cox-Colvin website.

ITRC's Green and Sustainable Remediation Team

I recently became a member of the Interstate Technical and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) Team. The team's purpose is to facilitate discussion, information exchange, and technology transfer about GSR among regulatory agencies and other interested parties. As a team member, I'm looking forward to contributing to the evolution of the GSR initiative, including the development of a technical guidance document. Check out the team's webpage, and let me know if you have any input.

EPA Region 5 Greener Cleanups Workshop

I recently attended EPA Region 5's Greener Cleanup Workshop, which provided an overview of Region 5's progress and future direction associated with green and sustainable remediation. I summarized the information presented at the Workshop for the benefit of those interested in green and sustainable remediation who could not attend. My summary was incorporated into Cox-Colvin's first Green & Sustainable Remediation Bulletin.