Monitoring Potential Soil Contamination Is Cheap, Easy And Makes Good Business Sense.
Between provincial regulations and new, relatively inexpensive technology, there is neither a reason nor an excuse not to be testing for soil contamination frequently.
– by Isaac Rudik
Farmers have known for centuries that crops won’t grow in contaminated soil. Likewise, engineers have known for at least a quarter-century or longer that contaminated soil can make a plant – a manufacturing plant, that is – unusable.
Yet far too few factories, warehouses and similar businesses bother testing to see whether they are contaminating the land around their facility. Frequently, the stated reason for this is that it’s either “too complicated” or “too expensive.” But as countless companies have learned the hard way, it is much more complex and costly to clean up soil contamination than it is to monitor it regularly.
Indeed, between provincial regulations and new, relatively inexpensive technology, there is neither a reason nor an excuse not to be testing for soil contamination frequently.
The Gong Show
Early last year, the three owners of a mid-sized manufacturing company not far from Toronto were surprised when pollution inspectors from the province showed up to sample the soil around their facility, which is located in a semi-rural area. Two days later, the owners were stunned when they were served with a sworn complaint that discharge from their factory was seeping into the soil and, eventually, ground water.
The inspection and grievance was prompted by calls to the Ministry from nearby farmers who suspected that contamination from the facility was both damaging crops and causing birth defects in livestock. To make matters worse, not only did the company not realise it was causing problems, the owners had no idea that anything in their manufacturing process was potentially harmful.
The company faced two unpleasant and hugely expensive propositions. Either it could pay for decontaminating the soil or close down; in any event, the business and its owners were facing enormous fines and possible criminal citations.
“It was like being on The Gong Show,” one of the owners told us not long ago. “No matter what we did, we were going to be rung off stage.”
In the end, the business negotiated a settlement with the province and neighbouring farmers, and assumed responsibility for part of the clean-up costs. But threatened with its very existence, the company learned an extremely costly lesson.
An Ounce Of Prevention
Whether located in an urban, semi-rural or country setting, monitoring soil contamination is critical. All companies with a potential risk should be doing so at least one a week; daily testing is even better for businesses that know they are dealing with hazardous material. Moreover, farms should also be testing frequently since agriculture has the most to gain – and lose – by knowing soil quality.
Fortunately, keeping an eye on possible contamination is easy thanks to one of the many “handy” measuring instruments that are available today.
There are four smart, simple ways of providing protection through an ounce of prevention:
· Depending on the industry, there are specific test kits available to determine the contamination level of land surrounding a plant.
· Agribusinesses may use a pH-Meter to determine whether a specific crop has the best condition to grow in a given soil.
· Both industry and agriculture should use dissolved salt meters to determine if drainage is working properly.
· Use standardized samplers to obtain a standard soil sample ensuring all tests are showing comparable results.
Today, new, rapidly emerging technology makes it increasingly easy to manage and prevent soil contamination at an affordable cost. As the Ontario manufacturer and its farm neighbours learned the hard way, testing is cheap and cleaning up a mess is awful.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s leading provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, agricultural, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Measuring Water Flow Reduces Costs And Helps Prevent Contamination.
Measuring Water Flow Reduces Costs And Helps Prevent Contamination.
Groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality: It is more widespread than realised and is cheaper to monitor than ever before.
– by Isaac Rudik
Unplug the cable or satellite cord from a television for a moment and then switch it on. A tiny fraction of the static on the screen is the remains of a radio signal that dates back to the Big Bang. Now turn on the faucet at the kitchen sink. Most of what is flowing out the tap is ground water and a tiny fraction it is nearly as old as the earth itself.
Until sometime during the 1970s, the purity and availability of ground water was taken for granted. After all, H20 has been around forever and what could possibly harm it? Much of ground water is held in aquifers buried deep beneath the surface; the rest saturates the tiny spaces between sand, gravel, silt and clay or the crevices and fractures in rocks.
But some 30 years ago, scientists were beginning to discover that man-made pollutants were seeping into ground water and, within the past five-to-10 years, academics realised to their horror that water was actually disappearing.
Clearly, groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality:
• Approximately one-third of industrial water needs are fulfilled by using groundwater.
• Scientists estimate that groundwater accounts for more than 95% of all available fresh water.
• Nearly 95% of rural residents rely on groundwater for their drinking supply.
• About half of all irrigated cropland uses groundwater.
• On average, about 40% of the flow of the nation’s rivers depends on groundwater.
Countless Threats
There are countless, serious threats to the purity of groundwater and scientists are discovering new ones on what seems like a weekly basis. They fall into one of several broad categories:
• Inorganic Compounds include all compounds that do not contain carbon. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and heavy metals are two examples.
• Pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, have been credited with causing more than 50% of the waterborne disease outbreaks in the US.
• Organic Compounds include benzene, toluene, xylene, napthaline, phenol PCBs and pesticides.
They seep into ground water in numerous ways: Discharge from a pipe such as at a sewage treatment plant, factories, livestock farms and stockyards, and landfill. Point sources are easily identified because they usually come out of a "pipe." Examples include sewage treatment plants, large injection wells, industrial plants, livestock facilities, landfills, and others. At the same time, non-point sources like septic systems, cattle grazing, and everyday urban runoff spread seemingly insignificant amounts of pollutants which, cumulatively, threaten water quality and natural systems.
Other sources include underground petroleum storage systems, dry cleaners, restaurants, and auto repair shops. Although a large number of underground storage tanks have been removed or upgraded, a significant number remain. Businesses can threaten groundwater with a wide variety of potentially contaminating substances.
Easy Monitoring
It’s become relatively easy to monitor potential runoff problems, thanks to technology.
Indeed, water flow meters can measure open channels, tubes, partially filled pipes, streams, rivers, wastewater and industrial process waters among other places. Many water flow meters are designed for metering pump pacing or water treatment control, but they can aid in rain water runoff studies and sewer flow measurements, and measuring flows in bodies of water. In plumbing, water flow meters are used to measure the amount of fluid running through a tube for efficiency purposes. Industrial water flow meters are also available for larger-scale applications.
The best thing about the meters is they also provide quick information for simple flow monitoring. They are as convenient as they are lightweight, waterproof, and reliable.
Today’s new technology makes it easier to manage potential contamination and save water at affordable costs.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s leading provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, agricultural, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354
Measuring Water Flow Reduces Costs And Helps Prevent Contamination.
Measuring Water Flow Reduces Costs And Helps Prevent Contamination.
Groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality: It is more widespread than realised and is cheaper to monitor than ever before.
– by Isaac Rudik
Unplug the cable or satellite cord from a television for a moment and then switch it on. A tiny fraction of the static on the screen is the remains of a radio signal that dates back to the Big Bang. Now turn on the faucet at the kitchen sink. Most of what is flowing out the tap is ground water and a tiny fraction it is nearly as old as the earth itself.
Until sometime during the 1970s, the purity and availability of ground water was taken for granted. After all, H20 has been around forever and what could possibly harm it? Much of ground water is held in aquifers buried deep beneath the surface; the rest saturates the tiny spaces between sand, gravel, silt and clay or the crevices and fractures in rocks.
But some 30 years ago, scientists were beginning to discover that man-made pollutants were seeping into ground water and, within the past five-to-10 years, academics realised to their horror that water was actually disappearing.
Clearly, groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality:
• Approximately one-third of industrial water needs are fulfilled by using groundwater.
• Scientists estimate that groundwater accounts for more than 95% of all available fresh water.
• Nearly 95% of rural residents rely on groundwater for their drinking supply.
• About half of all irrigated cropland uses groundwater.
• On average, about 40% of the flow of the nation’s rivers depends on groundwater.
Countless Threats
There are countless, serious threats to the purity of groundwater and scientists are discovering new ones on what seems like a weekly basis. They fall into one of several broad categories:
• Inorganic Compounds include all compounds that do not contain carbon. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and heavy metals are two examples.
• Pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, have been credited with causing more than 50% of the waterborne disease outbreaks in the US.
• Organic Compounds include benzene, toluene, xylene, napthaline, phenol PCBs and pesticides.
They seep into ground water in numerous ways: Discharge from a pipe such as at a sewage treatment plant, factories, livestock farms and stockyards, and landfill. Point sources are easily identified because they usually come out of a "pipe." Examples include sewage treatment plants, large injection wells, industrial plants, livestock facilities, landfills, and others. At the same time, non-point sources like septic systems, cattle grazing, and everyday urban runoff spread seemingly insignificant amounts of pollutants which, cumulatively, threaten water quality and natural systems.
Other sources include underground petroleum storage systems, dry cleaners, restaurants, and auto repair shops. Although a large number of underground storage tanks have been removed or upgraded, a significant number remain. Businesses can threaten groundwater with a wide variety of potentially contaminating substances.
Easy Monitoring
It’s become relatively easy to monitor potential runoff problems, thanks to technology.
Indeed, water flow meters can measure open channels, tubes, partially filled pipes, streams, rivers, wastewater and industrial process waters among other places. Many water flow meters are designed for metering pump pacing or water treatment control, but they can aid in rain water runoff studies and sewer flow measurements, and measuring flows in bodies of water. In plumbing, water flow meters are used to measure the amount of fluid running through a tube for efficiency purposes. Industrial water flow meters are also available for larger-scale applications.
The best thing about the meters is they also provide quick information for simple flow monitoring. They are as convenient as they are lightweight, waterproof, and reliable.
Today’s new technology makes it easier to manage potential contamination and save water at affordable costs.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s leading provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, agricultural, institutional and government facilities. E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354
Groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality: It is more widespread than realised and is cheaper to monitor than ever before.
– by Isaac Rudik
Unplug the cable or satellite cord from a television for a moment and then switch it on. A tiny fraction of the static on the screen is the remains of a radio signal that dates back to the Big Bang. Now turn on the faucet at the kitchen sink. Most of what is flowing out the tap is ground water and a tiny fraction it is nearly as old as the earth itself.
Until sometime during the 1970s, the purity and availability of ground water was taken for granted. After all, H20 has been around forever and what could possibly harm it? Much of ground water is held in aquifers buried deep beneath the surface; the rest saturates the tiny spaces between sand, gravel, silt and clay or the crevices and fractures in rocks.
But some 30 years ago, scientists were beginning to discover that man-made pollutants were seeping into ground water and, within the past five-to-10 years, academics realised to their horror that water was actually disappearing.
Clearly, groundwater is a hidden and declining resource. Government, business and citizens are waking up to a jarring reality:
• Approximately one-third of industrial water needs are fulfilled by using groundwater.
• Scientists estimate that groundwater accounts for more than 95% of all available fresh water.
• Nearly 95% of rural residents rely on groundwater for their drinking supply.
• About half of all irrigated cropland uses groundwater.
• On average, about 40% of the flow of the nation’s rivers depends on groundwater.
Countless Threats
There are countless, serious threats to the purity of groundwater and scientists are discovering new ones on what seems like a weekly basis. They fall into one of several broad categories:
• Inorganic Compounds include all compounds that do not contain carbon. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and heavy metals are two examples.
• Pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, have been credited with causing more than 50% of the waterborne disease outbreaks in the US.
• Organic Compounds include benzene, toluene, xylene, napthaline, phenol PCBs and pesticides.
They seep into ground water in numerous ways: Discharge from a pipe such as at a sewage treatment plant, factories, livestock farms and stockyards, and landfill. Point sources are easily identified because they usually come out of a "pipe." Examples include sewage treatment plants, large injection wells, industrial plants, livestock facilities, landfills, and others. At the same time, non-point sources like septic systems, cattle grazing, and everyday urban runoff spread seemingly insignificant amounts of pollutants which, cumulatively, threaten water quality and natural systems.
Other sources include underground petroleum storage systems, dry cleaners, restaurants, and auto repair shops. Although a large number of underground storage tanks have been removed or upgraded, a significant number remain. Businesses can threaten groundwater with a wide variety of potentially contaminating substances.
Easy Monitoring
It’s become relatively easy to monitor potential runoff problems, thanks to technology.
Indeed, water flow meters can measure open channels, tubes, partially filled pipes, streams, rivers, wastewater and industrial process waters among other places. Many water flow meters are designed for metering pump pacing or water treatment control, but they can aid in rain water runoff studies and sewer flow measurements, and measuring flows in bodies of water. In plumbing, water flow meters are used to measure the amount of fluid running through a tube for efficiency purposes. Industrial water flow meters are also available for larger-scale applications.
The best thing about the meters is they also provide quick information for simple flow monitoring. They are as convenient as they are lightweight, waterproof, and reliable.
Today’s new technology makes it easier to manage potential contamination and save water at affordable costs.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s leading provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, agricultural, institutional and government facilities. E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Smart Air Pollution Treatment Cuts Both Your Costs And Footprint.
Smart Air Pollution Treatment Cuts Both Your Costs And Footprint.
It’s hard to grasp the idea of an entire planet undergoing climate change. Yet it is easy to understand the idea that one factory can make simple changes that result in significant cost savings and make the business environmentally friendly.
– By Isaac Rudik
With the new Obama Administration in Washington poised to push for tougher global standards for reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, and boosting energy efficiency, even Canada’s reluctant Harper government is likely to be nudged into becoming more aggressive in acting to cut the risk of climate changes.
But the fact is that even without a new Kyoto-like treaty or tougher laws and regulations, it makes more business sense than ever for companies to review their own air pollution issues because they are key factors in boosting – or cutting – the efficiency of a plant.
Indeed, everything from the handling of air inside a factory to drying, heating, cooling, process control, and combustion all are key factors that flow straight through to the bottom line of a business. Maximizing the performance of your equipment reduces energy needs which will mean both lower costs and a much smaller environmental footprint.
Sustainable Means Profitable
Despite another recent round of articles and speeches downplaying the importance or impact of climate change based on “phoney science,” the fact is that more than 3,000 of the world’s best, unbiased, scientific minds stated conclusively in a series of UN reports that global warming is happening – and faster than anyone previously thought.
But it’s hard to grasp the idea of an entire planet undergoing climate change; it’s too vast a concept for most people. Yet it is easy to grapple with the notion that one factory can make simple changes that result in significant cost savings while making the business “sustainable,” in the language of green, as it reduces its environmental impact on the entire globe.
Protecting the environment saves money and hassle.
Optimizing air flow, implementing secondary heat recovery systems using heat exchangers, and improving plant heating and cooling systems together deliver environmental compliance – before an inspector shows up from the ministry – and reduces operating costs at the same time.
Easy Implementation
Thanks to advancements in old systems coupled with new, lower cost technology that makes cleaning air cheaper and more effective. For example, many industrial processes move raw material or finished products on a conveyor belt through a heater or cooker. But, typically, the heater is open on both ends, creating enormous, energy robbing, heat loss.
The smart way to protect air quality typically involves three approaches:
· Provide all sources of heat – direct, indirect, or semi-indirect – with heater boxes or plenums to satisfy process-heating needs.
· Steam or either hot or chilled water can be supplied through adding waste heat boilers or absorption chillers.
· In areas where building heat is required, water or glycol systems can be installed to capture heat from the manufacturing process and used to pre-heat building air.
Like it or not, the drive to tougher environmental protection will accelerate. Companies implementing smart air quality measures now will avoid having to do so when the costs are much higher – while avoiding the wrath of environmental inspectors now.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
It’s hard to grasp the idea of an entire planet undergoing climate change. Yet it is easy to understand the idea that one factory can make simple changes that result in significant cost savings and make the business environmentally friendly.
– By Isaac Rudik
With the new Obama Administration in Washington poised to push for tougher global standards for reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, and boosting energy efficiency, even Canada’s reluctant Harper government is likely to be nudged into becoming more aggressive in acting to cut the risk of climate changes.
But the fact is that even without a new Kyoto-like treaty or tougher laws and regulations, it makes more business sense than ever for companies to review their own air pollution issues because they are key factors in boosting – or cutting – the efficiency of a plant.
Indeed, everything from the handling of air inside a factory to drying, heating, cooling, process control, and combustion all are key factors that flow straight through to the bottom line of a business. Maximizing the performance of your equipment reduces energy needs which will mean both lower costs and a much smaller environmental footprint.
Sustainable Means Profitable
Despite another recent round of articles and speeches downplaying the importance or impact of climate change based on “phoney science,” the fact is that more than 3,000 of the world’s best, unbiased, scientific minds stated conclusively in a series of UN reports that global warming is happening – and faster than anyone previously thought.
But it’s hard to grasp the idea of an entire planet undergoing climate change; it’s too vast a concept for most people. Yet it is easy to grapple with the notion that one factory can make simple changes that result in significant cost savings while making the business “sustainable,” in the language of green, as it reduces its environmental impact on the entire globe.
Protecting the environment saves money and hassle.
Optimizing air flow, implementing secondary heat recovery systems using heat exchangers, and improving plant heating and cooling systems together deliver environmental compliance – before an inspector shows up from the ministry – and reduces operating costs at the same time.
Easy Implementation
Thanks to advancements in old systems coupled with new, lower cost technology that makes cleaning air cheaper and more effective. For example, many industrial processes move raw material or finished products on a conveyor belt through a heater or cooker. But, typically, the heater is open on both ends, creating enormous, energy robbing, heat loss.
The smart way to protect air quality typically involves three approaches:
· Provide all sources of heat – direct, indirect, or semi-indirect – with heater boxes or plenums to satisfy process-heating needs.
· Steam or either hot or chilled water can be supplied through adding waste heat boilers or absorption chillers.
· In areas where building heat is required, water or glycol systems can be installed to capture heat from the manufacturing process and used to pre-heat building air.
Like it or not, the drive to tougher environmental protection will accelerate. Companies implementing smart air quality measures now will avoid having to do so when the costs are much higher – while avoiding the wrath of environmental inspectors now.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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