The Wave | Spring 2015

MA UST Regulations Approaching

T&H Happenings

CT DEEP Dam Project

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IN THIS ISSUE Manganese in Drinking Water: A New Concern ................................. 1 A Green Superbowl, By The Numbers............................................... 2 MA Underground Storage Tank Regulations.......................................... 2 T&H Happenings............................... 3

Tata & Howard Awarded CT DEEP Dam Inspection Contract............... 4

Spring 2015

Manganese in Drinking Water: A New Concern States throughout the region are taking a tough stance on the levels of manganese in local drinking water.

Manganese is prevalent in New England groundwater which often makes its way into our drinking supplies at concentrations exceeding the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level. This can cause excessive amounts of oxidized materials in water mains.

Additionally, the latest research from the EPA indicates health concerns with high levels of Manganese are also prevalent.

The Massachusetts Office of Research and Standards and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have indicated that long-term exposure to manganese exceeding 0.3 mg/L can have negative health effects on infants less than six months of age. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has included a more stringent age cutoff of one year in Drinking Water Standards and Guidelines. Additionally, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, following the World Health Organization guidance level to protect against manganese toxicity, has set a drinking water Action Level for manganese of 0.5 mg/L. It is imperative that communities take action to reduce manganese in drinking water supplies to safe levels. Tata & Howard appreciates that mitigating manganese levels in drinking water requires a well-thought out and executed balance between maximizing quality while minimizing costs. Many options are available, including polyphosphate addition, replacement wells, filtration, and revised operational procedures. Contact us for more information on how we can help you preserve your valuable water supply sources.

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A Green Superbowl, By the Numbers…

Held in Glendale, Arizona, Superbowl XLIX was definitely one that will go down in the history books. Of course, this past Superbowl was a dream for those of us that are Patriots fans! And apart from all the records broken on the field, there were several energy records broken off the field as well: •

Super Bowl XLIX was the first NFL Championship game played entirely under LED lights. The super efficient lights use one quarter of the energy used by the previous lighting system and produce a fraction of the heat, lowering air conditioning costs as well.

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Stadium restrooms have eco-friendly fixtures requiring less water to operate.

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For the past ten years, the NFL Urban Forestry program has planted trees around the host Superbowl city.

This year, they planted indigenous trees in and around Phoenix that require very little water in the city’s dry, arid, and severely water-challenged ecosystem.

Additionally, two of the chosen Arizona non-profits to receive part of a $2M grant from the NFL Foundation were The Ecological Restoration Institute and Northern Arizona University. Both institutions focus on protecting water supplies in Arizona.

Massachusetts Underground Storage Tanks Regulations Fast Approaching A new regulation by the Massachusetts DEP under 310 CMR 80.00 regarding underground storage tank (UST) systems will require all single-walled steel USTs to be removed from the ground or permanently closed by August 7, 2017. While that may seem like it is in the distant future, many owners of such tanks may want to begin considering this process in their budgeting practices.

Leaking UST systems pose a significant threat to groundwater quality in the United States.

It has been reported that groundwater supplies drinking water to approximately 50 percent of the nation’s overall population and 99 percent of the population in rural areas. For over 30 years, federal and state UST programs have significantly reduced the risk of new leaks by implementing leak-prevention and detection standards.

According to the Ground Water Protection Council, federal and state leaking underground storage tank (LUST) programs have overseen the cleanup of nearly 351,000 leaking tank sites. The continued widespread use of UST systems requires that following regulations such as 310 CMR 80.00 is important to further minimize threats to public health and safety and the environment.

Many municipalities in the Commonwealth have DPW garages that have singlewalled steel tanks still in the ground. It is important that these municipalities find out more information regarding the impending regulations well in advance of the removal deadline. Organizations that have tanks needing extraction should start the planning process for FY18 budgets.

For more information on the new regulations, please visit our website at www.tataandhoward.com/resource-library/resources.

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Water Fact

You can refill an 8-oz glass of water approximately 1,500 times for the same cost as a 24-oz. bottle of packaged spring water.

Happenings

Tata & Howard

Tata & Howard Staff Visit Directional Drilling Site While visiting a Tata & Howard water main project on Pinebrook Road in Wayland, MA, a group of T&H’s young engineers witnessed the process of directional drilling for installing water mains. Directional drilling is mainly used where there are utility or water body crossings. Because the Wayland water main project crosses an aqueduct owned by the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, directional drilling was utilized to install the main.

Staff who visited the site included, from left to right, Marie Rivers, Molly Coughlin, Brooke Cotta, Matt Morganelli, and Collin Stuart.

We Keep Growing, and So Does Our Team!

Kenneth M. Fischer, CPA, CGMA, CEPA Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer Ken brings over 35 years of financial experience with a strong general management background to the T&H team.

His previous positions as CEO/President, COO, and CFO of several mid-cap companies provided him with a successful track record as point person in numerous strategic and complex financial transactions. He has significant experience in manufacturing, engineering, distribution, healthcare, and financial services industries. His current affiliations include the following: •

Director of the Schepens Eye Research Institute (affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA)

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Trustee, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA)

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Trustee and Chair of Finance Committee, Executive Service Corps New England (ESCNE), Boston, MA

Ken holds an MS in Taxation from Bentley, an MBA from Babson, and a BA in Economics from Providence College, as well as advanced certifications from Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and Boston University.

James Field IT Systems Administrator James has joined our Marlborough office and has over six years of experience working as an IT Systems Engineer. He oversees the technology needs of all offices and assists users with any IT requests. He has a Microsoft certification (MSCA) and builds iOS apps in his spare time.

Internal Promotions: •

Ryan Cain, P.E. has been promoted to Senior Project Engineer and will also be responsible for coordination of all wastewater engineering services.

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Matt St. Pierre has been promoted to Senior Project Engineer and will also be responsible for coordination of all stormwater engineering services.

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Liam Sullivan has been promoted to Project Engineer.

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Will Nickerson has been promoted to Assistant Project Engineer.

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Heidi White has been promoted to Marketing Communications Manager

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Carmen Perkins has been promoted to Senior Administrative Assistant.

Current news and events can be found on our website at www.tataandhoward.com/news-events.

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Tata & Howard Awarded CT DEEP Contract The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently announced that Tata & Howard has been awarded a contract to perform field inspections for 36 state-owned dams in the Western District of Connecticut.

The Tata & Howard team’s inspections for the state-owned dams will consist of several elements per DEEP requirements. Existing DEEP files will be reviewed for the history of each dam, any available construction plans, design reports, prior inspection reports, and photographs. A thorough visual inspection will be conducted to assess the condition of each dam, including taking measurements of major dam components where plans are not available. The reach downstream of each dam will be observed to estimate the potential hazard from a dam failure and to conform or modify the dam’s potential hazard classification.

Each dam inspection report will include a description of the dam, photographs of the various components of each dam, sketches of the dam, and any deficiencies noted. Recommendations will be made for both routine maintenance and repairs to each dam, as applicable.

Tata & Howard’s Waterbury staff, formerly RHI, has over 40 years of experience working on earthen embankment, concrete, and stone masonry dams, including dam inspections, hydrologic and hydraulic evaluations, development of emergency action plans, stability analyses, and design of dam and gatehouse repairs and modifications, as well as providing construction administration and resident engineering services for dam repair and reconstruction projects.

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