BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER WHO CAN HELP?

Transcription

1 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER WHO CAN HELP? Environmental Management in Swine Production Casselton, ND January 12, 2007

2 Environmental Consultants

3 Evolution of Consultants Past 30 years Industrial/Hazardous Waste SuperFund Groundwater Remediation Due diligence Phase I & II Solid Waste Management Land fills Storage Tank Management Reclamation

4 Evolution of Consultants Work force Engineers Environmental Civil Mechanical Geologists Hydrologists Environmental Scientists

5 What Happened? Demand Shift

6 Why? 40 % of U. S. waterways still do not meet water quality goals Runoff from city streets and agricultural activities are largely blamed New Regulations

7 Leading Sources of Water Quality Impairment Rank Rivers Lakes Estuaries 1 Agriculture Agriculture Municipal Point Sources 2 Municipal Urban Runoff Urban Runoff Point Sources & Storm Sewers & Storm Sewers 3 Urban Runoff & Hydrologic/Habitat Agriculture Storm Sewers Modification 4 Resource Municipal Industrial Extraction Point Sources Point Sources Source: EPA National Water Quality Inventory Report to Congress

8 Evolution of Consultants In the past agricultural consultants were... Production Based Nutritionist Crop Consultant Accountant Marketing Specialist

9 Evolution of Consultants Now consultants are... Production & Environmentally Based Nutritionist Crop Consultant Accountant Marketing Specialist Environmental Consultants/Managers

10 Engineering Evolution of Consultants Livestock waste containment Facility Designs Manure and Wastewater Treatment Alternatives Management Nutrient Management Plans/CNMPs Air and Odor Management Environmental Assessments Conservation Plans

11 Evolution of Consultants Agricultural Engineering Natural Transition Geotechnical Hydrological Challenges Functionality Appropriateness

12 Evolution of Consultants Agricultural Management New Training Required Application of principles used in production agriculture Shared resources Ex. Water Quality

13 Evolution of Consultants Work Force Agricultural Engineers Agronomists Animal Scientists Water Quality Specialists PLUS Hydrologists Geologists Etc.

14 Who are the Clients? PRODUCERS!

15 NRCS EQIP Contracts A&E Who are the Clients? Individuals Lawyers Utility Districts Large Corporations

16 Nature of the Business Permit applications New or existing facilities Local, State or Federal Organic certification Nutrient Management Plans NRCS required or part of permit application

17 Nutrient Management Plans Includes site assessment Production, Collection, Storage, Transfer, Treatment, Utilization of manure and wastewater Mapping Production Unit Fields Sensitive areas Surface water, wells Recommendations

18 Education Employee training Nature of the Business Lobbying Commenting on proposed regulations Cooperation with industry groups

19 Nature of the Business Litigation Support Direct consultation with lawyers DNA tracking of contaminants Quality assurance/validation

20 Nature of the Business Facility Assessment, Design, Etc. On-site assessments Geo-technical investigation, design and construction Alternative Use Anaerobic Digester Wind Energy Due Diligence

21 Facility Assessment, Design, Etc. Assessment of existing system Facility Manure Management System Followed by... Calculations & schematics Geo-technical investigation Design approval Construction over sight Certification

22 Alternative Use Anaerobic Digesters Design Support Geo-technical investigation Technical assistance Results of co-digestion on effluent and potential impacts from land application

23 Due Diligence Site assessments for compliance with existing regulations or management plans For Example: Housing density Compost facility Well inspection Fuel storage assessment

24 Ongoing Needs... Data Management & Record Keeping Environmental Managers

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26 What is e:monitor? CRA software program designed for field data collection on mobile computers. Data stored in centralized database

27 Data Collection Data collected on handheld units is downloaded daily onto main system Supervisor reviews and accepts data before it is saved onto main server Daily data can be printed out to maintain a hard copy

28 Forms developed for each data set being collected Limits established for each parameter that flags out of range data 3 months of historical data are available to review by user in field Data Entry

29 Soil, wastewater, manure and plant analysis Application records for manure Manure transfer records Emergency spill reporting Wastewater storage levels Cropping information Operations and Maintenance Inspections Sample Applications Works for any type of data collection!

30 Example: Operations & Maintenance

31 Data Management Once data is collected, approved, and transferred, it can be accessed by Site personnel. Data is available from anywhere with an Internet connection as soon as it is synchronized Site information includes topographical drawings, aerial photographs, field maps Historical data can be added to populate database

32 Features Mapping GPS Digital Photos

33 Features History and Graphing

34 Desktop Spreadsheet and GIS Export Reports and Tables Automated Report Generation Data View Window

35 Desktop Allows all project staff to examine field data Supports custom reporting

36 Environmental Managers Why would I need one of those? I bet they cost money!!

37 Environmental Managers With or without the use of data management tools, an Environmental Manager can help with: Quarterly reports Internal audits Annual reports Awareness of new regulations

38 Environmental Managers

39 Summary Consultants can provide a multitude of services...and the list keeps growing!! How do you find a good consultant?

40 Finding a Good Consultant Check resumes of Team Education Experience Contact References Study Cost Schedule Understand contract Establish a clear understanding of Scope of Work

41 QUESTIONS?