Mark your calendar!

2014 Kansas

 Environmental Conference

Governor Sam Brownback Issues a Call for a Vision for Water

At the Governor's Water Conference held in Manhattan, KS on October 30, 2013, Governor Brownback announced that he was charging the Kansas Water Office, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and Kansas Water Authority, along with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, to develop a 50-year vision for the future of water in Kansas.  The effort will also involve the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors due to the fact water and the economy are so closely linked.

Over the next six months, outreach will be conducted with many stakeholder groups throughout the state.  An attempt will be made to reach out to groups representing the variety of uses for water that exist in Kansas. Feedback gained from these stakeholder meetings will serve the basis of the draft Vision for the Future of Water in Kansas.

The goal is to have the Vision completed and submitted to the Governor by November 2014.

Kansas TMDL Program - A National Leader

Tom Stiles, of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Bureau of Water, helped lead the 2013 National Training Workshop on CWA 303(d) Listing and TMDLs held April 2-4 in Shepherdstown, W.Va. The theme of the workshop, 'A Long-Term Vision for Assessment, Restoration, and Protection under CWA Section 303(d) Programs', references an ongoing EPA-State initiative to improve the Clean Water Act's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program. The well-attended forum included representatives from 49 states, an interstate organization, and two tribes, as well as all EPA Regions, and EPA HQ. Participants spent two full days working through each of the six goals highlighted in the draft Vision: Prioritization, Assessment, Protection, Alternatives, Engagement, and Integration.

"This TMDL Vision is an opportunity for States to take committed ownership of their TMDL programs and set the direction for the next ten years," Stiles remarked. "Kansas has been a leader in moving its TMDL program toward successful environmental outcomes."

KDHE Solicits Pollution Prevention (P2)

Award Applications

The application for the 2014 P2 award is available at http://www.kdheks.gov/sbcs/p2_pollution_prevention_awards.html.  

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) offer Pollution Prevention Awards annually to businesses, industries and organizations who have made a significant improvement in protecting our environment by preventing pollution.  This annual award program recognizes projects that eliminate or reduce the generation of pollutants or wastes at the source or projects that conserve natural resources.

Interceptor Systems Installed in Old West Lawrence Neighborhood

by Scott O'Neal and Randy Carlson, KDHE

Presta Oil, Inc. and their environmental consultant, SCS Aquaterra, are in the process of installing three interceptor systems in Old West Lawrence in the 800 block of Ohio St. This remedial action is an extension of a remedial system installed in 2006 at the Presto gas station at 9th and Louisiana. In 2006, a wood frame apartment house in the 800 block of Louisiana St. was totally destroyed by a fire. The City of Lawrence Fire Department determined the fire resulted from gasoline vapor entering the house and igniting. It was also determined that an improperly abandoned well located beneath the house was a pathway for the gasoline vapors. 

Immediately after the fire, KDHE staff determined that the source of the gasoline was the Presto service station located at 9th St. and Louisiana St. Gasoline had leaked from the aging underground storage tank (UST) through holes caused by corrosion.

Presta Oil, Inc., a responsible party, replaced the old UST's prior to continuing operations at the service station. KDHE directed remedial actions to cleanup soil and groundwater contamination be conducted at the site. Approximately 1800 gallons of gasoline was recovered from the tank basin. Also removed at that time were 3,400 tons of contaminated soil and 35,000 gallons of petroleum impacted groundwater. A product and vapor recovery system was installed in and around the location of the house that was destroyed and a petroleum vapor recovery system was installed onsite at the Presto facility. During the years since the start-up of the remedial system, an additional 1200 gallons of gasoline have been recovered from the interceptor system as well as other petroleum contaminants remediated through soil vapor recovery and induced biological remedial activity. Remedial efforts at the site were hampered by the dense clays in the subsurface and the presence of residential and commercial development in the area.

Because of the difficult nature of the site and the potential concerns for additional contaminants migration, 50 monitoring wells were placed in the area in and surrounding the plume to actively monitor the remedial process. In March of 2013, twelve inches of gasoline was encountered in one of the groundwater monitoring wells located one block to the northeast on Ohio St. Migration of gasoline product such a distance was not anticipated but may have occurred because of the recent drought. The migration of gasoline into this area represents a potential hazard to the homes along both sides of the 800 block of Ohio St. In response to this discovery, KDHE instructed the responsible party to conduct further investigative work and develop a plan to mitigate the environmental impacts.

SCS Aquaterra and KDHE determined the best course of action would be to install interceptor systems in Ohio St. to cut off the leading edge of the migrating gasoline contamination, as well as two additional interceptor systems between the existing remedial system and the Ohio St. system. The interceptor systems are currently under construction and consist of buried French drains placed to a depth of 18 feet below the ground surface. The systems are designed to intercept and remove petroleum contaminated groundwater and gasoline. The French drain type systems are necessary due to the low yield of the underlying clays. The fluids will be pumped to the treatment building installed in 2006 which is designed to collect gasoline for recycling and remove dissolved gasoline constituents from the water prior to discharging water to the City of Lawrence sanitary sewer. KDHE, SCS Aquaterra, and the City of Lawrence have been working closely together on this project to help facilitate the best possible outcome.

This project is being funded through the Kansas Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.

Smart Roofs: Portfolio-Based Roof Asset and Energy Management

February 12 Webinar 12pm - 1pm Central Time 

The way you manage your roofs can have a big impact on your energy consumption and carbon footprint, and position you as a community leader. Hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership (GPP), this webinar will demonstrate, through a case study in our nation's capital, how you can turn your roofs from a liability into a sustainable asset. 

For additional details and to register, please visit:  http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/events/14feb14_webinar.htm 

KOR/KDHE Works! Conference

March 31 - April 3

Ramada Hotel & Convention Center, Topeka

Additional information is available at http://www.kskor.org/events/works-conference 

Bureau of Air Due Dates

Class I and Class II Emission Inventories    

Due April 1*

*The forms must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2014 to be deemed complete.

2014 Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference: Innovating for Success

April 1 - 2

Cleveland, OH

The purpose of this conference is to show how innovations in green chemistry drive advances in business, academia, policy, and human health protection in the Great Lakes region, and how integration and collaboration in these areas is crucial for success. 

For more information please contact:  glgreenchemistry@gmail.com

Buildings in Balance: IEQ and Energy Efficiency

April 17 Webinar 12pm - 3pm Central Time

This webcast will feature industry experts who will identify the link between energy efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) through the integrated design process. Viewers will be able to recognize the importance of the four cornerstones of IEQ and how system selection can benefit both energy efficiency and IEQ.  Speakers include: Tim McGinn, Jerry Sipes and James Bochat

To register please visit: https://www.ashrae.org/membership--conferences/webcasts

2014 Kansas Environmental Conference

August 5 - 7

Marriott Hotel, Wichita

Mark your calendars to attend the 2014 Kansas Environmental Conference. 

Look for the conference agenda in June at http://www.kdheks.gov/sbcs/environment_conf.html. 

Are you a small business that has questions regarding compliance with environmental regulations or permits? 

Don't hesitate to call Kansas State University's Small Business Environmental Assistance Program for free, confidential technical assistance! Simply call 800-578-8898 or visit www.sbeap.org.