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Tales from the Trenches
Regional Land and Water News You Can Use
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are receiving this email newsletter because of your existing or past
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ALWI Presented at ECO3 Regional Planning Symposium in Virginia
By the invitation of the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association, in October 2009, Mark W. Eisner, ALWI President, presented at the ECO3 planning symposium at Chincoteague Island on the moderate and longer-range sustainability of groundwater resources on the Delmarva peninsula.
At the symposium, Mark presented on saltwater intrusion, aquifer drawdown and the assimilative capacity of receiving streams and tributaries in placing finite constraints on whether, how and to what degree continued growth can occur.
Mark also reviewed the evolution of regulatory permitting and management policy in the context of greater restrictions and limitations on water resource utilization.
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ALWI Projects in the News
Supported by our favorable water resources impact evaluation, the Somerset County Sanitary District secured a long-sought water appropriation permit for two high-capacity wells completed in the Patapsco Aquifer.
In issuing this key permit, MDE concurred with us that the planned water use can be supported by deep, prolific aquifers for which little competition exists. The added water capacity will help end a local development moratorium and facilitate long-planned economic development in Princess Anne and the surrounding area. |
Did You Know: The CWA Favors Spray Irrigation of Wastewater for Protecting the Chesapeake Bay? Many jurisdictions have implemented Enhanced Nutrient Reduction (ENR) technologies and related wastewater
treatment upgrades to accommodate requirements set forth within the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) vis-à-vis Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). If
these wastewater plants are at or approaching full capacity, an altogether
new disposal option is required to accommodate future capacity expansion.
One
such option is to implement spray irrigation. This wastewater discharge method affords a means to offset nutrient loads while providing a source of irrigation for surrounding
agricultural and/or aesthetic uses. Spray irrigation may be implemented in
proportion to plant uptake needs, or in excess of agricultural needs if soil and
groundwater conditions prove sufficiently accommodating.
 In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, adopted nutrient loading strategies make little allowance for new
point-source discharges and generally mandate treatment upgrades along with increases in discharge volumes. For some growing systems
already implementing ENR (or seeking to
avoid the cost of an ENR upgrade), spray irrigation constitutes a viable option
provided that sufficient acreage of suitable land is available.
Under most present TMDL implementation programs, nutrient
loads "go away" when treated wastewater is discharged via a land treatment
method such as spray irrigation. As municipalities and other wastewater utilities implement recommendations set
forth in recently completed Water Resources Elements and Comprehensive Plans,
groundwater discharges such as spray irrigation will be increasingly popular as
a means to support continued economic growth in a manner protective of natural
resources such as the Chesapeake Bay.
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Contact Us:7540 Main StreetSuite 7Sykesville, MD 21784info@alwi.com410-795-4626 phone 410-795-4611 fax
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ALWI Spray Irrigation Expertise
ALWI specializes in planning, testing and permitting spray irrigation facilities.
We take great pride in our successful track record, and we stand
ready to provide accurate and timely feasibility evaluations. We provide cost-effective soils and hydrogeologic testing, analyses and permitting support.
Please feel
free to contact our office to schedule a meeting where we can discuss whether spray irrigation or another discharge option may meet your local
sanitary service, economic growth, TMDL and land stewardship needs. |
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About Us - Read More at www.alwi.com
Advanced Land and Water, Inc. is a hydrogeological and environmental consulting firm with extensive Mid-Atlantic regional experience in water supply and wastewater disposal. Our water supply experience extends to both groundwater and surface water, and includes exploration, development, permitting, management and protection of both new and existing supplies. Our wastewater services include soil classification and suitability evaluations, percolation tests, spray and drip irrigation studies, infiltrometer tests, groundwater mounding calculations and nitrate loading assessments. We also provide a diversity of GIS mapping, environmental and other specialty consulting services. | |
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