Environmental Issues

Dr. Lorne Everett was invited by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) to be the Keynote speaker for the ACWA Region 5 Annual Meeting at the Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta, California on September 17, 2017. The title of Lorne's presentation was "Recycled Water and Water Reuse." Lorne stressed the need to understand the flow and sampling of waste applications to land in the solid and liquid form. He also noted the risks faced by water agencies from emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP), chlorinated volatile organic compounds, and glyphosate - the main ingredient in the widely used herbicide, Roundup.

California has established a stringent limit on the agricultural chemical, 1,2,3-TCP in drinking water. TCP has already been detected at the newly enforceable level of 5 parts per trillion in over 100 water systems serving nearly a million people across the state.

Citing a rise in incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders, scientists and medical professionals call on the nation to do better protecting children from toxic chemicals.

There is a growing body of research pointing to very significant temporal and spatial variability in vapor intrusion, which is a contaminant transport mechanism that can lead to the occurrence of toxic chemicals in indoor air. Current sampling protocols, as recommended by many environmental regulatory agencies will not adequately characterize such dynamic behavior, possibly leading to flawed decision-making regarding the risks posed by vapor intrusion.

LEA�s Bill Schaal, PG, recently made a presentation related to metal element contamination to regulatory staff at the California Department of Substances Control (DTSC) in Chatsworth, California. Bill was joined Jeff Hess, PG, Technical Director of Gilbane Company. Bill and Jeff, together with colleague, Mark Sorensen, PG, are advancing the state-of-the-art within the environmental industry by applying geochemical methods to determining whether metal elements are naturally occurring or anthropogenic (man-made). The present state-of-practice within the environmental industry relies heavily on professional judgment, limited statistical analysis, and analytical methods that were developed to evaluate bioavailable compounds thus were not intended for this purpose.

Endocrine disruptors are a class of synthetic chemicals that may mimic the action of hormones in animals and humans. Recent statements by scientists and policy makers highlight the controversy over how these chemicals should be regulated.

A recent study in western Pennsylvania found a high incidence of methane in private drinking water wells at homes near natural gas drilling operations. Homes closest to natural gas wells had (on average) methane concentrations six times higher than homes farther away.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued two draft guidance documents concerning vapor intrusion. Vapor intrusion is the migration of volatile chemicals from contaminated soil or groundwater into overlying buildings. One important concept that is emphasized by EPA is spatial and temporal variability of indoor air concentrations. LEA has been a vocal advocate for appreciating and accounting for this variability when addressing vapor intrusion problems.

One of the great accomplishments of the environmental movement in the US has been to secure clean drinking water for the vast majority of Americans and to protect the waterways and aquifers that serve as sources of clean drinking water. In fact, The Clean Water Act of 1972 and The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 are considered two of a handful of federal laws that ushered in the modern era of environmental protection. Considering all the progress that has been made, it is easy to forget that the work of the SDWA is not done. It is not just third-world problem: many folks right here in the U.S. still lack access to safe drinking water.

L. Everett & Associates recognizes the importance of understanding and assessing uncertainty associated with the various sources of information and data that has to be considered in each case or project.