broward environmental times remediation · remediation systems as a design strategy to compensate...

Broward Environmental Remediation

TimesNovember/December 2003

Announcing the 9th Annual Florida Remediation Conference

The Ninth Annual Florida Remediation Conference (2003) will be heldNovember 20th and 21st, 2003, at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary. Produced bythe the National Technical Communications Co., Inc. (publishers of the FloridaSpecifier), the Conference provides members of the environmental consulting,regulatory, and support service communities with the opportunity to learn aboutemerging treatment technologies and the state of environmental issues andscience.

The current agenda includes topics such as global risk-based cleanup, an update onarsenic, and the cleanup of lead-contaminated soil at a shooting range. Registration forthe 2003 Florida Remediation Conference is $295 (For one day, $195). TheConference registration form can be found athttp://www.enviro-net.com/main.asp?page= frc2003form. The fee includesregistration for the conference, conference presentation materials, continentalbreakfasts, breaks, and luncheon(s). Room reservations should be make directly withthe Orlando Marriott Lake Mary by calling 1-800-380-7724. Florida-registeredProfessional Engineers can earn continuing education credit for attending theConference.

For general questions about attending the 2003 Florida Remediation Conference, call(407) 671-777, toll-free 1-800-881-6822, or email [email protected] Related Link:Orlando Marriott Lake Mary: http://www.marriott.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=MCOML

Also in This Issue...

Noise Pollution and Remediation Systems Page 2

An Introduction to Maintenance of Traffic Page 3

Employment Opportunity To Become Available Page 4

An Official Bimonthly Publication of Broward County’s Department of Planning and Environmental Protection

BROWARD COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS - An Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider of ServicesJosephus Eggelletion, Jr. Ben Graber Suzanne N. Gunzburger Kristin D. Jacobs Ilene Lieberman Lori Nance Parrish John E. Rodstrom, Jr. James A. Scott Diana Wasserman-Rubin

Visit us on the internet: www.broward.org/dpep

http://www.enviro-net.com/main.asp?page=frc2003form

http://www.marriott.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=MCOML

http://www.broward.org

http://www.broward.org/dpep

mailto: [email protected]

Noise Pollution and Remediation Systems

For as long as we have had remediation systems at contaminated facilities, we all have experienced the high level ofsound that some of the equipment installed can produce. Oftentimes during site visits, consultants or regulatory staff havehad to turn equipment off in order to maintain a "not-shouting-out-loud" conversation. Also, many times regulatory staffhave received complaints from owners of the adjacent dwellings or businesses regarding the high level of soundemanating from remediation compounds.

The most common culprits of these high levels of sound, "noise pollution," at a remediation compound are blowers(originally used in pump and treat remediation systems but presently and most commonly used in Vapor Extractionsystems), air compressors (in Air Sparging and in Dual Phase Treatment systems), and bleed air and dilution air valves. The recently released updated "Draft" of the Remedial Action Initiative (RAI) Update #3 includes a recommendation to"…over design…" remediation systems as a design strategy to compensate for the inability to predict length of cleanup,air flow distributions, localized mass concentrations, etc., during the preparation of a Remedial Action Plan. Thisrecommendation would most likely be a cause for remediation systems to end up using larger and, consequently, noisierequipment components.

The Broward County Air Quality Section is in charge of enforcing the noise rules and regulations described in Chapter27, Article VII, Sections 27-231 through 27-237 (Revised March 2003). Table 1 of Section 27-235 (reproduced below),mandates that 55 decibels (dbA) is the L50 sound level for receiving residential properties and 65 dbA is the L50 soundlevel for receiving commercial/business facilities. The L50 is defined as the sound level exceeded fifty (50) percent of thetime, based on any measurement period of not less than ten (10) minutes. The maximum allowable sound level applicableat all times is 65dbA for a receiving residential property and 75dbA for a receiving business/commercial facility. Anexceedance of more than 5 dbA of these standards constitutes an enforceable violation of this Article. The applicablecode can be found at: http://livepublish.municode.com/LivePublish/newonlinecodes.asp?infobase=10288.

Specific procedures for measuring sound can also be found in this Article; however, standard procedure is to obtain abackground reading of the sound level at the remediation compound with the remediation equipment turned off. Once abackground reading of the sound level has been obtained, the system is turned on and a sound level reading is taken at theproperty line where the dwelling is located.

MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SOUND LEVELS

Receiving Property Category Time L50 Sound Level (dBA) Lmax Sound Level (dBA)

Residential property, or residentialportion of a multi-use property

At all times 55 65

Government facilities, communityservice facilities,

commercial/business facilities

At all times 65 75

So, what can you do to avoid a fine due to noisy equipment? Several things: regulatory staff and consultants couldchoose and use high quality components for remediation equipment that would provide high run times and efficiency;equipment manufacturer's maintenance requirements should be followed for each system component; during the designphase, the noise levels produced by the equipment and/or its components should be researched, since differentmanufacturer's will have different sound levels; and the system could include silencers and/or sound proof covers orcontainments made of sound- absorbing materials for those components that are known to produce the highest soundlevels. Maintaining the proper regulation of air valves will also help reduce noise pollution. The end result will besmoother, more efficient, and quieter- running remediation systems and, ultimately, happier neighbors.

Questions or Comments? Contact Mr. Bernardo Lopez, P.G., at (954) 519-1445 or [email protected].



http://livepublish.municode.com/LivePublish/newonlinecodes.asp?infobase=10288

mailto: [email protected]



An Introduction to Maintenance of Traffic

As our highways and byways become more heavily traveled and the intensity of trafficincreases, the incidence of soil and groundwater contamination from vehicular accidents hasalso increased. Therefore, it will be increasingly likely that environmental consultants willbe called upon to perform assessment and cleanup in the easements alongside the roadway,both in an emergency containment situation and as a subsequent assessment/remedialactivity. Many of the roads in Broward County are maintained by the Florida Departmentof Transportation (FDOT), others are maintained by the County or the local municipality. In order to perform environmental work alongside the roadways, the environmentalconsultant/contractor will usually be required to obtain maintenance of traffic (MOT) permitin order to properly maintain traffic while working near or alongside roadways.

An MOT plan is a site-specific plan that is to be developed to ensure workerand traffic safety prior to work performance. The purpose of the MOT is toshow how temporary traffic control equipment including (but not limited to)cones, barricades, arrow boards, signs, and variable message panels, andutilization of trained personnel such as flagmen and traffic controlsupervisors will be arranged and utilized to control traffic in a constructionsituation. It should also include a site diagram, verification of propertraining, proof of insurance, and permission (i.e., permit) from the properregulating authority. The temporary traffic control equipment can bearranged in various layouts, and the appropriate guidance for these layoutscan be located in a FDOT reference called "Design Standards 2002,"available for purchase online athttp://www.dot.state.fl.us/mapsandpublications/. Multiple roadway closure

scenarios are presented within Index 600 of this reference (also referred to as the '600 series'). There are different layoutsfor rural and urban driving, numbers of lanes, presence/absence of turn lanes, and various other possibilities. The firststep in developing the MOT is to choose the traffic layout which most closely matches the situation at the affected site. This layout should then be modified (or red-lined) as necessary to fit specific site conditions. It is important to keep inmind while developing the MOT that variations in traffic flow must be considered. For example, it is best to avoid laneclosure during rush hour. Once the MOT is developed it will need to be submitted for review and approval by theappropriate regulatory agency, which could be FDOT, Broward County, or a local municipality. Please note thatBroward County does review MOTs by contract for many cities within the county.

It is important to be aware at this time that there are training requirements for people who design, implement, and fieldsupervise an MOT. It should be noted that while the MOT is being performed, a certified MOT supervisor must bepresent the entire time while work is being performed and the MOT is actively controlling traffic. Several companies areavailable to supply the appropriate cones, barricades, arrow boards, variable message panels, etc., and will be able todesign a MOT approved by a certified traffic supervisor. These companies generally do not supply the services of acertified field supervisor (although some may) so it will usually be necessary to provide in-house training. To carry outthe MOT during the work effort, it will be necessary to have a certified FDOT traffic control supervisor at the site duringthe MOT implementation. Flagmen, if required by the MOT, also need to be trained and maintain their wallet-sizedcertification card with them. The requirement for MOT training required by FDOT in the topic number 625-010-010-ctitled "Maintenance of Traffic Training" that became effective on January 6, 2003. Information regarding thisrequirement, FDOT-approved vendors to supply MOT training, and related traffic safety information can be located athttp://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/mot/mot.htm. Contacts and information for MOTs submitted to Broward County (forBroward County-owned right of way) can be found at http://www.co.broward.fl.us/traffic/tei01004.htm.

Any questions or comments? Contact Mr. John Gomolka, P.G., at (954) 519-1279.



http://www.dot.state.fl.us/mapsandpublications/

http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/mot/mot.htm

http://www.broward.org/traffic/tei01004.htm



Employment Opportunity with Broward County DPEP toBecome Available

A Hydrogeologist II Position with the Environmental Assessment and RemediationSection will become available soon. The position will entail the following duties and willrequire the following experience and educational background:

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: This is advanced professional and technical workperforming hydrogeologic analyses of contaminated sites in the County. Work involves managing contaminationassessment and cleanup projects, conducting field investigations and review of technical reports. Employee in this classexercises judgment and initiative within federal, state and county rules and regulations. Work is reviewed by a technicalsupervisor through conferences and review of reports. Performs related duties as required.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Masters degree in geology, hydrogeology or engineering from an accreditedcollege or university; four (4) years progressively responsible professional experience in the assessment and remediationof contaminated sites, including government and environmental regulatory experience; or any equivalent combination oftraining and experience.

Salary Range $43,192 - $67,291 per year (dependent upon qualifications)

The position will be posted on Broward County’s Human Resources website at http://www.broward.org/careers/ when itis open to applicants, so check in frequently!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The staff of Broward County’s Department of Planning andEnvironmental Protection wishes all of you a safe and

enjoyable holiday season, as well as a prosperous new year!



http://www.broward.org/careers/



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