One textbook definition of pollution is, “A substance present in greater than natural concentration as a result of human activity that has a net detrimental effect upon its environment or upon something of value in that environment” (Environmental Chemistry, Ninth Edition). Not bad, but even this definition is loaded with qualifiers. For those of us who have environmental management responsibilities, we need to clearly understand not only the textbook definition of...
Read MoreFive Environmental Resolutions for 2015
It’s that time of year again, time to make some resolutions for the New Year. Here are some potential environmental resolutions for you to consider as you begin to plan your 2015. Resolve to Reassess Long-Term Remediation We begin here because, for many companies, this can be a major expense and headache. The operations and maintenance on your groundwater remediation system and the quarterly or semi-annual monitoring costs add up pretty fast. A good starting point is to...
Read MoreWater Discharge Results in Significant Fine
Here’s a riddle: You can drink it, you can bathe in it, and you can brew your coffee or tea in it – but if you discharge it to a river, you can get fined – a lot! Answer: Water Here’s the background: Environment Canada fined Norellco Contractors $185,000 after it pleaded guilty to one count under the Fisheries Act. There were two separate releases of “chlorinated water” that resulted in the fine. Discharge Events The first record of a release was on June 26, 2012, when...
Read MoreVapour Intrusion from TCE – The Politics and the Science
One of my colleagues in our US office recently completed presenting a series of five environmental seminars that spanned several months. The seminars were part of continuing education classes for a group of real estate professionals. His role was to provide an update on some of the more recent environmental regulatory developments. One of the main points he focused on was vapour intrusion (VI). My colleague said, “The group had some lively dialogue at these seminars about...
Read MoreChemicals Management Plan Approaches the Third Phase
Triclosan, mentioned in our July 17th blog, is just one of thousands of existing chemicals and compounds that are being assessed under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). CEPA has been called the “catch all legislation” because it is meant to address chemicals and compounds that were already in use in Canada that may not have been assessed. These 23,000 existing chemicals and substances are found on the Domestic Substance List. Substances not on this list...
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