Ethanol Refining Releases more Pollutants than Previously Thought

Ethanol fuel refineries could be releasing much larger amounts of some ozone-forming compounds into the atmosphere than current assessments suggest, according to a new study that found emissions of these chemicals at a major ethanol fuel refinery are many times higher than government estimates.

New airborne measurements downwind from an ethanol fuel refinery in Decatur, Illinois, show that ethanol emissions are 30 times higher than government estimates.  VOCs and nitrogen oxides react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, the main component of smog.

If emissions at the more than 200 fuel ethanol refineries in the US are also being underestimated, these plants could be a higher source of VOC emissions than currently thought, according to the new findings accepted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

Ethanol, a renewable transportation fuel made from corn, constitutes approximately 10% of the fuel used in gasoline vehicles in the US, according to the new study. The renewable fuel standard mandating the use of ethanol and other renewable fuels aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and petroleum imports, while encouraging development and expansion of the US renewable fuels sector, according to the EPA.

The new study is one of the first and most detailed investigations of emissions from ethanol fuel refining, according to its lead author Joost de Gouw, a scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Information about the refining process is one piece of examining the entire lifecycle of ethanol fuel emissions, from growing the corn used to make the fuel to the effect of emissions on urban air quality, he said.

“Over the past decade, because of the renewable fuel mandate, we have added 10% of ethanol to all the gasoline that is sold in the US and so the question is: what does that do to the environment,” de Gouw said. “That is a very complicated question and it has many different aspects. One of the aspects is the air-quality implications and, to get at them, we have to know what are the emissions associated with producing ethanol and using ethanol. That is where this study fits in.”

To make the measurements they report, de Gouw and his colleagues flew an airplane downwind of an Archer Daniels Midland ethanol refinery, the third largest producer of fuel ethanol in the US, and took air-quality readings at three different distances from the plant. The researchers used those to calculate emissions of various gases, including VOCs, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide.

They then compared their findings with government emissions estimates from 2011. Emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides—compounds generated by the coal-burning plant—were in-line with government estimates, but emissions of VOCs, including ethanol, were higher than government estimates. De Gouw said the VOC emissions are likely generated by the refining process, not the coal burning that powers it.

The researchers also used government estimates and ethanol production numbers from the Renewable Fuels Association to analyze emissions from all fuel ethanol refineries in the US and compare those to emissions from burning ethanol in motor vehicles.

Prevailing estimates had indicated that refining ethanol fuel and burning it in cars and trucks generate equivalent amount of VOCs, including ethanol. But, the new emissions measurements from the Decatur plant show that ethanol emissions from production of one kilogram of ethanol at the refinery are 170 times higher than what comes out of a vehicle burning the same amount of ethanol, de Gouw said. If the Decatur refinery is like most other refineries in the US, he added, “the higher emissions of ethanol and VOCs that we calculated from our data would make the refining process a larger source of these gases than burning the ethanol fuel in your car.”

“Obviously, this was just one refinery that we looked at, so we’d like to do more and see if these findings are more universal or if this plant was just exceptional,” de Gouw added.

The new study points to the need for more measurements of emissions coming from ethanol fuel refineries, said Dylan Millet, an associate professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. He was not involved with the new research. Additional observational data will help scientists better understand the emissions and their impact on air quality, he said.

“If we are going to accurately assess the air-quality implications of our fuel choices, then these are important emissions to know,” Millet said.

Learn DOT’s New Rules for Lithium Battery Shipments

• Enhance packaging and hazard communication requirements for lithium batteries transported by air
• Replace equivalent lithium content with Watt-hours for lithium ion cells and batteries
• Adopt separate shipping descriptions for lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries
• Revise provisions for the transport of small and medium lithium cells and batteries including cells and batteries packed with, or contained in, equipment
• Revise the exceptions for small cells and batteries in air transportation
• Revise the requirements for the transport of lithium batteries for disposal or recycling
• Harmonize the provisions for the transport of low production and prototype lithium cells and batteries with the ICAO Technical Instructions and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
• Adopt new provisions for the transport of damaged, defective, and recalled lithium batteries

If you ship batteries by ground or air, you must comply with the latest DOT and IATA/ICAO regulations that specify how the batteries must be packaged, marked, labeled, and transported. The rules apply not only to batteries, but also to equipment or vehicles that contain batteries as well as batteries packed along with equipment. Virtually all types of batteries are regulated, including lithium, lead-acid, nickel cadmium, and metal hydride alkaline. According to 49 CFR 172.704, all personnel involved in the classification, packaging, marking, labeling, or shipment of batteries must receive initial and recurrent transportation training.

Baltimore RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training

Chattanooga RCRA and DOT Training

Irvine RCRA and DOT Training

Washington Department of Ecology Announces First Quarter Environmental Penalties

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued $198,160 in penalties of $1,000 or more January through March in 2015.

Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.

The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to settlement or court rulings. Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts.

Ecology strives to protect, preserve, and enhance Washington’s environment and promote wise management for current and future generations. When someone pollutes Washington’s air, land, or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.

Test Devices Inc. Penalized for Hazardous Waste Violations

. It also did not meet the waste oil management requirements of marking and posting an accumulation area and labeling containers.

The company has met with MassDEP and demonstrated that it has corrected the violations.

Through a consent order, the company must pay the penalty and maintain compliance. Part of the penalty will be directed towards the purchase of emergency spill response equipment for the Hudson Fire Department under MassDEP's policy for Supplemental Environmental Projects.

"Managing waste oil safely is integral to protecting the environment," said Lee Dillard Adams, director of MassDEP's Central Regional Office in Worcester. "The company has implemented a system to reduce the risk and will benefit the local community with its Supplemental Environmental Project."

EPA Directs DuPont to Remove Mercury from Pompton Lake

The EPA recently released its final plan to remove mercury contamination from areas of Pompton Lake in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, including the areas where the Acid Brook flows into the lake, called the Acid Brook Delta. These areas are collectively referred to as the Pompton Lake Study Area. Areas of the sediment on the bottom of the lake have become contaminated with mercury and lead that flowed down the Acid Brook into the lake. The EPA proposed the plan in November 2014 and received public comment on the plan for three months. The estimated cost of the cleanup is $43 million.

Under the final plan, in the form of a modification of its existing federal permit, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc., will be required to dredge lake-bottom sediment from a 36 acre area of the Acid Brook Delta and also remove sediment from two other areas of the lake. These two areas total an additional three acres in size. The final permit also requires DuPont to remove contaminated soil from a shoreline area (referred to as upland soil areas) where the Acid Brook flows into the lake, and replace it with clean soil. All of the sediment and soil will be sent to a licensed disposal facility. A long-term monitoring plan will be designed and implemented to assess Pompton Lake after the work is completed.

Mercury in the lake sediment and soil can build up in the tissue of fish and other wildlife and pose a threat to people who eat them. Exposure to mercury can damage people’s nervous systems and harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune systems. Fish consumption advisories are in effect, and fish consumption warning signs are posted around Pompton Lake.

The EPA finalized a permit modification requiring the removal of contaminated sediment from the bottom of Pompton Lake in December of 2012. That permit modification was appealed by DuPont and the Passaic River Coalition to the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board and was later withdrawn by the EPA. The final permit modification now being issued reflects new information, including sampling data, which has allowed the EPA to identify additional contaminated areas of the lake that require dredging, and further refines the area of the Acid Brook Delta that needs to be dredged.

A public comment period was held from November 3 through February 2, 2015. The EPA also held a public session in Pompton Lakes on November 12, 2014, to discuss the draft permit modification and held a formal public hearing in the community on December 8, 2014.

DuPont will be required to develop work plans for the work, which must be submitted to the EPA for approval. The cleanup will be financed and conducted by DuPont with EPA oversight. The EPA is currently reviewing a request by DuPont to transfer the Pompton Lakes Works facility cleanup permit to the Chemours Company, which DuPont expects to spin off as a separate and independent company on July 1, 2015. When the transfer is complete, environmental requirements at the site will become Chemours' obligations.

The E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc. operated the Pompton Lakes Works facility, located at 2000 Cannonball Road, from 1902 to April 1994. Products manufactured at the facility included explosive powder containing mercury and lead, detonating fuses, electric blasting caps, metal wires, and aluminum and copper shells. The manufacturing operations and waste management practices contaminated soil, sediment, and ground water both on and off-site. Lead and mercury from its operations were released into Acid Brook, which flows through the eastern part of the facility and discharges into the Acid Brook Delta of Pompton Lake. DuPont’s operations also contaminated the ground water with chlorinated volatile organic compounds, such as tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, cis 1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride.

The final permit modification will become effective on June 22, 2015, pending any requests for appeal submitted prior to that date.

Plans to clean up the remaining areas of contamination will be proposed through future permit modifications after ongoing investigations by DuPont have been completed and reviewed by the EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Opportunities for public participation will continue to be provided through regular updates, public notices, and public meetings.

AK Steel to Pay $1.3 Million Civil Penalty for Clean Air Violations

The settlement will resolve 42 violation notices issued by MDEQ and two notices of violation issued by EPA alleging violations resulting from a wide variety of air emission sources issued against Severstal, the previous owner of the Dearborn facility. AK Steel purchased the facility in September 2014 and has taken responsibility for past violations and improving its compliance with environmental regulations.

“This settlement will result in better management and monitoring practices at the AK Steel facility and measures that will help prevent and reduce dust and hazardous air pollution in neighboring communities,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “In agreeing to this judicially enforceable settlement, AK Steel is committed to prevent the violations of its predecessor from recurring, inform the public about its future environmental compliance and provide cleaner air for local school children.”

“People living in Dearborn and southwest Detroit have long been concerned about air pollution from this steel mill,” said Regional Administrator Susan Hedman for EPA. “The consent decree will result in improved air quality in these communities and help prevent future violations of the Clean Air Act.”

The consent decree will require AK Steel to develop an environmental management system for the facility with third-party auditing every six months, annually inspect and continuously monitor the performance of the pollution control equipment at the facility’s basic oxygen furnace, and implement a fugitive dust control policy to prevent large particulate emissions into the adjacent neighborhoods. Upon full implementation of the consent decree requirements, particulate matter emissions, including metal hazardous air pollutants, from AK Steel should be reduced by approximately 100 tons per year.

“Manufacturing facilities that are located near neighborhoods and schools have a responsibility to protect the clean air that residents breathe,” said US Attorney Barbara L. McQuade for the Eastern District of Michigan. “This settlement will directly improve air quality for our community in Dearborn and Southwest Detroit.”

“This is welcome news for residents who live near the steel mill,” said Director Dan Wyant of MDEQ. “We are pleased to finally have the past environmental violations addressed and resolved and we look forward to a strong working relationship with new plant owners AK Steel.”

“We have an obligation to protect our air, lands, and waterways across the state of Michigan,” said Attorney General Bill Schuette for the state of Michigan. “This is a step forward for cleaner air for the residents of Dearborn.”

Los Angeles County Flood Control District Fined $99,000 for Violating Clean Water Act

The proposed Administrative Civil Liability Order alleges the Flood Control District violated terms of its 401 Certification requirements by conducting unauthorized construction activities on a section of the levee on the San Gabriel River in Long Beach. The Order alleges the Flood Control District failed to report noncompliance; keep the project area free of trash and debris; implement adequate best management practices downstream; and failed to obtain a 401 Certification amendment for grouting activities along a portion of the soft-bottom channel of the San Gabriel River. The Flood Control District also failed to submit an adequate surface water diversion plan as required by the 401 Certification.

The San Gabriel River is a freshwater habitat for aquatic life and vegetation. It is also designated a habitat for the survival of rare, threatened, or endangered animal and plant species. The river is also identified as a municipal, domestic and agricultural water supply, as well as a recreation area by the Regional Board.

The Flood Control District conducts routine maintenance on flood control channels throughout Los Angeles County. These channels move storm water from open spaces and urban areas within the tributary watershed. This work is done to protect communities from potential flooding and fire hazards and allows these facilities to function as designed.

During a site inspection on November 14, 2012, Regional Board staff discovered that the Flood Control District had injected grout underneath a concrete-lined channel without authorization from the Regional Board. The Flood Control District also diverted water without an approved surface water diversion plan.

“The San Gabriel River is a vital resource and protecting the river and the beneficial uses it provides has become more and more critical in this extended drought,” says Paula Rasmussen, the Regional Board’s assistant executive officer.

This manual will set methods and standard operating procedures to follow when deploying water or stream diversions when doing projects permitted under a 401 Certification.

The Flood Control District has also agreed to create a Sampling Plan Guide that will set methods and standard operating procedures when conducting water quality testing in compliance with a 401 Certification. The Water Diversion Manual and Sampling Plan Guide will be submitted for the Regional Board executive officer’s approval within six months of the settlement agreement. The Flood Control District will provide the Regional Board with an annual report describing the application of the Water Diversion Manual and Sampling Plan Guide to LACFCD projects.

Marathon Petroleum Violates Clean Air Act at Facilities in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio

 EPA and DOJ allege that Marathon failed to comply with certain Clean Air Act fuel quality emissions standards and recordkeeping, sampling and testing requirements. These violations may have resulted in excess emissions of air pollutants from motor vehicles, which can pose threats to public health and the environment. Marathon self-reported many of these issues to EPA.

Under a consent decree lodged in United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Marathon will spend over $2.8 million on pollution controls to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds on 14 fuel storage tanks at its distribution terminals in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Marathon will also pay a $2.9 million civil penalty and retire 5.5 billion sulfur credits, which have a current market value of $200,000. Sulfur credits are generated when a refiner produces gasoline that contains less sulfur than the federal sulfur standard. These credits can be sold to other refiners that may be unable to meet the standard.

“Fuel standards established under the Clean Air Act play a major role in controlling harmful air pollution from vehicles and engines,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “If unchecked, these pollutants can seriously impair the air we breathe, especially during summer months when they can reach higher levels. This settlement incorporates innovative pollution control solutions to reduce air pollution in overburdened communities.”

“The changes required by this settlement will positively impact air quality in communities across the Midwest,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “All Americans deserve to enjoy the benefits of clean air, land, and water. These benefits spring from our nation’s bedrock environmental laws and we will use them vigorously in the pursuit of environmental justice.”

“This agreement will help reduce air pollution emissions in Ohio and elsewhere,” said US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach. “We’re pleased this settlement will protect the air we breathe while promoting the use of next-generation technology.”

In their complaint, EPA and DOJ allege that Marathon:

• Produced about 356 million gallons of reformulated gasoline at its Texas City, Texas, refinery during 2007 that did not meet Clean Air Act standards for reducing volatile organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds are one of the primary constituents of smog and react in sunlight to form ground-level ozone. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion, and can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Children, the elderly, and people who have lung diseases such as asthma are particularly prone to these problems.
• Produced more than 40 million gallons of gasoline at the Texas City, Texas, refinery in 2009 that exceeded standards for sulfur levels. The goal of the Clean Air Act program that regulates sulfur in gasoline is to minimize emissions from vehicles and to ensure emissions control systems function effectively.
• Sold about 12 million gallons of gasoline that contained elevated levels of ethanol. Excess ethanol in gasoline can harm emission control components on some vehicles and engines.
• Sold about 1 million gallons of gasoline at its Tampa, Florida, terminal in 2013 that exceeded standards for volatility, known as the Reid Vapor Pressure, that help control ground level ozone during summer months. Gasoline with higher volatility results in increased emissions of volatile organic compounds, which contribute to the formation of ground level ozone.
• Failed to comply with numerous sampling, testing, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for fuel production. EPA discovered these violations during inspections of Marathon refineries and laboratories in 2008 and 2009. The sampling, testing, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements of the fuels program provide the foundation for EPA’s compliance program.

Marathon will also install geodesic domes, fixed roofs, or secondary rim seals and deck fittings on 14 fuel storage tanks at several of its fuel distribution terminals in order to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds. Marathon is also required to use innovative pollutant detection technology during the implementation of the environmental mitigation projects. Marathon will use an infrared gas-imaging camera to inspect the fuel storage tanks in order to identify potential defects that may cause excessive emissions. If defects are found, Marathon will conduct up-close inspections and perform repairs where necessary.

Many of the facilities where the pollution controls will be installed are located in areas that may present environmental justice concerns.

Pennsylvania DEP Fines Washita Valley Enterprises Inc. $53,344 for Residual Waste Violations

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Washita Valley Enterprises, Inc., of Ulster $53,344 for repeated residual waste violations at the company’s well pipe and casing reconditioning facility in Sheshequin Township, Bradford County.

“This company was operating in a manner that did not adhere to our residual waste regulations and threatened the environment,” said DEP North-central Regional Director Marcus Kohl. “Our staff continued to find violations nearly four months after a notice of violation letter was sent to the company, and this lack of effort to comply is unacceptable.”

Department staff conducted an inspection at the business in April 2014, and discovered waste sandblasting abrasive being disposed on the ground, and unlabeled drums of residual waste, and waste cutting oil spilled on the ground.

Washita also failed to submit a biennial report and a chemical analysis of its waste streams as required by the Chapter 287 residual waste regulations.

The department issued a notice of violation letter to Washita on May 1, 2014, requiring correction of the violations but an August 20, 2014, inspection found sandblasting abrasive continuing to be disposed on the ground.

A second notice of violation letter was sent on August 28, 2014. The violations were found to be corrected by DEP staff in February 2015.

New Hampshire Auto Dealer Settles with EPA for Oil Spill

Howe Motors, Inc., a Claremont, New Hampshire, auto dealer, has agreed to pay a penalty of $17,500 to settle EPA claims regarding a January 2014 oil spill and inadequacies in Howe’s oil spill prevention plan.

The January 2014 oil spill originated from tanks stored at the Howe Motors dealership, when a small quantity of oil was released to an unnamed stream that leads to the Sugar River. 

After the spill, the facility has worked cooperatively with EPA and has prepared an acceptable SPCC plan.

“This case demonstrates clearly the value and importance of preparing sufficient plans and taking actions to prevent oil spills before they occur,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.

City of Granby, Missouri, Agrees to Three-Year Deadline to Settle Clean Water Act Violations

The city of Granby, Missouri, has agreed to an administrative civil settlement with EPA that requires the city to take a series of actions by July 2018 to correct a series of violations related to the operation of its wastewater treatment facility.

According to an administrative order for compliance on consent, filed May 13 in Lenexa, Kansas, EPA staff performed a compliance sampling inspection of the wastewater treatment facility from September 29 through October 2, 2014. 

Among the violations noted by EPA, the inspection found Granby had unauthorized discharges from its system, failed to properly operate and maintain its facilities, allowed the unpermitted bypass of more than a half-million gallons of untreated wastewater to a receiving stream, and failed to comply with effluent limitations for ammonia and total suspended solids.

Information obtained during the inspection and review of the city’s sludge management records indicate that approximately 90 dry tons of activated sludge was discharged to the stream, an unnamed tributary of Shoal Creek, over the last three years.

As part of its settlement with EPA, Granby must submit a compliance plan and schedule to EPA no later than October 31, 2015, outlining the actions it will take to be in compliance with its NPDES permit and the Clean Water Act, and the timelines for completing those actions. The city must also provide EPA with copies, on a quarterly basis, of the monthly monitoring reports that it is required to submit to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Finally, by no later than July 1, 2018, the city must submit certification to EPA that it has completed all corrective actions necessary to comply with its NPDES permit.

Failure to comply with terms of the agreement could result in additional civil enforcement action.

Pennsylvania DEP Fines Maryland Demolition Company for Illegal Waste Disposal

Pennsylvania DEP ordered a Maryland business owner to stop the unpermitted disposal of residential and commercial construction and demolition waste at a site in Bedford County, and issued a $13,500 civil penalty for past violations.

Stanley N. Boinovych, of Cumberland, Maryland, is the owner and manager of Dilapidated Demolition. On multiple occasions between February 2012 and June 2014, DEP inspectors observed construction and demolition waste at a Boinovych-owned 85-acre commercial property in Colerain Township. DEP had not authorized or permitted the transportation of, or disposal of solid waste at the site.

“The Solid Waste Management Act regulates the disposal of such waste to protect the environment and the health and safety of local residents,” said DEP South-central Regional Director Lynn Langer. “For more than three years, Mr. Boinovych has taken disposal matters into his own hands and repeatedly ignored the department’s requests to clean up the site and have him obtain the necessary permits. Such blatant disregard for the regulations of the Commonwealth cannot be tolerated.”

DEP issued a Notice of Violation to Boinovych in July 2014. He cancelled a scheduled meeting with DEP officials in February, and has ignored all further communications from the department. DEP’s action orders Boinovych to cease the transportation and processing of the waste material at the site, and gives him 60 days to ensure that the site has been brought into compliance with department regulations.

Strategy to Reduce District’s Sewer Overflows will Include Green Infrastructure

The EPA, the District of Columbia (District), and DC Water recently announced an agreement to modify a 2005 federal consent decree (CD) allowing DC Water to incorporate green infrastructure in its long-term strategy for curtailing combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

The modification, filed recently in Federal District Court in Washington, DC, gives DC Water the go-ahead to pursue an integrated green/gray infrastructure approach to address water quality issues in the Rock Creek and Potomac watersheds resulting from combined sewer overflows. This integrated approach utilizes green infrastructure in a targeted and sound engineering manner to reduce combined sewer overflows. Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and natural processes that mimic nature, to soak up and store rainwater water where it falls to control wet weather pollution and create healthier urban environments.

“This modification represents significant efforts by all the parties to make green infrastructure an integral part of the solution to curtailing sewer overflows and protecting urban waters,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “We expect that the green infrastructure components of this modification will provide a model of sustainability for others to follow.”

“This innovative plan will significantly reduce sewer overflows into our rivers and capture rainwater in the area’s ecologically important watersheds,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This plan puts Washington, D.C. among America’s green city innovators, and it reflects the Justice Department’s and EPA’s commitment to work with cities to safeguard public health, adapt to climate change, and improve aging sewer infrastructure using smart and environmentally sound solutions.”

The green infrastructure projects in Rock Creek and Potomac watersheds are slated to begin in 2015 and 2016 respectively, providing more immediate pollution reductions, enhancements to community livability, and green jobs opportunities.

Specifically the CD modification includes:

• Using green infrastructure to retain the first 1.2 inches of rainwater on 365 acres in the Rock Creek area and 133 acres in the Potomac watershed.
• Potentially eliminating the Rock Creek storage tunnel and significantly decreasing the size of the Potomac tunnel depending upon the success demonstrated by green infrastructure.
• The District providing the public space necessary for DC Water to construct the proposed green infrastructure projects, and making changes to District regulations, codes, standards, guidelines, and policies needed for implementation.
• Requiring the District and DC Water to work together to coordinate capital projects and expenditures for implementing green infrastructure, enabling the efficient use of resources, and minimizing costs to rate-payers and taxpayers.

As part of the agreement, DC Water will have an additional five years to complete implementation in the Potomac and Rock Creek watersheds beyond those provided for in the original 2005 consent decree, which established a compliance schedule to construct tunnels in the Anacostia, Potomac, and Rock Creek watersheds. The schedule for completing the Anacostia tunnel remains unchanged.

Under this consent decree, DC Water will continue moving forward under this consent decree on the construction of the overall CSO control project, which is known as the Clean Rivers Program. This program involves completion of, besides the components described above, control structures and tunnels for the Anacostia watershed, which contributes more than 65% of the sewage discharged to District waters annually. Major portions of this tunnel system are scheduled for completed and in operation in 2018. When the Anacostia tunnel complex is fully completed in 2025, it will nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia in an average rainfall year.

In November 2011, DC Water proposed to EPA to incorporate green infrastructure into its overflow control strategies for the Potomac and Rock Creek watersheds. As part of the request, DC Water submitted analysis demonstrating that modified CSO controls in the Potomac and green infrastructure in Rock Creek could provide equivalent pollution reductions to those in the original plan and were economically feasible.

In early 2014, after conducting a public participation process, DC Water filed a request to EPA to modify the plan for CSO controls and deadlines set forth in the 2005 CD.

During the CD modification discussions, DC Water has continued to move forward in a timely fashion to enhance its nutrient reduction treatment systems at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. This is an important element of the Bay watershed restoration effort because the Blue Plains facility is the largest point source of nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay drainage area. 

Lovell Federal Healthcare Center in North Chicago Wins EPA Federal Green Challenge Award

The EPA recently announced that the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center in North Chicago, Illinois, has won a Federal Green Challenge award for education and outreach. The Challenge encourages federal agencies throughout the nation to lead by example by conserving energy and resources, cutting waste, reducing pollution, and saving money.

Lovell’s staff used a formula to identify activities at the healthcare center that caused the greatest environmental impacts. Education and outreach efforts were then targeted to reduce the facility’s energy consumption and GHG emissions.

High School Student Receives Prestigious Award for Developing a Low-Cost Method to Reduce Water Pollution

EPA announced the winner of its Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award to Joshua Zhou of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for his work to develop a sustainable, affordable solution to improve water quality and reduce pollution.

Zhou, a sophomore at East Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, created a low cost semiconductor using natural light to reduce pollutants from combustion that enter waterways, which are often drinking water sources.

“Through EPA’s Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability award, the agency is encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers to put their passion for innovation to work to help us tackle our most pressing global challenges,” said Tom Burke, deputy assistant administrator for research in EPA’s Office of Research and Development and the Agency’s science advisor. “EPA is proud to recognize and encourage students who are working to protect public health and our environment for generations to come.”

Zhou was selected from 1,702 student scientists and engineers competing in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for his project, "Low-cost Heteronanostructure Semiconductor Uses Visible Light Energy to Efficiently Degrade Toxins Threatening Aquatic Life." By receiving the EPA’s Hurd Sustainability Award, Zhou will participate in the National Sustainable Design Expo in 2016.

The award funds the student winner and a chaperone to participate in and display the student's project at the EPA's National Sustainable Design Expo.

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Trivia Question of the Week

How much water is used to produce 1 kg of paper?

a) 100 liters

b) 200 liters

c) 300 liters

d) 400 liters