Dragun’s Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation Webinars Available Here:
Seven Common, Environmental Site-Assessment Mistakes
In our last blog, I asked Dr. Michael Sklash questions relating to TCE – how it behaves in the environment, what to do if you had a release, etc… While Mike did not mention it in our interview, a great number of our projects (regardless of the contaminant) begin with a peer review of the existing work (investigation, remediation, etc). So, I asked Mike to share, based on his experience, the most common mistakes he has seen over the last 27 years when doing peer reviews. The Seven Common Mistakes Figures not drawn to scale. It is hard to...
read moreTCE Found in London, Ontario, Groundwater: What you need to know about TCE
On March 10th, CTV reported that elevated levels of trichloroethene (TCE) were found in groundwater along Brydges Street in London, Ontario. It is not currently known if there is any immediate health risk to the local community. As we understand, indoor air will be tested to assess the potential for vapour intrusion in homes (read more about vapour intrusion). The current London issue aside, TCE has been amongst the most common chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater we have assessed/addressed over the past 25-plus years. In fact,...
read moreProtecting the Great Lakes – Will This Act Help?
It’s back. The “it” is the Great Lakes Protection Act, and, in February 2015, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change announced that the Act had been reintroduced. For those of you who have been following this issue, you know that the bill was first introduced in June 2012, but it didn’t get much traction. So what’s changed? And why is this legislation again being considered? If I were to speculate, based on recent environmental news stories, I would say that it might be a matter of the right “climate” to reintroduce this Act....
read moreWhat to do When You Discover a Leaking Underground Storage Tank?
You’ve just discovered that your underground storage tank (UST) and/or associated underground piping has been leaking petroleum products into the environment. The difference between this becoming an expensive nightmare and “just” a response activity may depend on your measured response. Certainly, you need to make sure you are doing everything you can to minimize your release and the subsequent impact to human health and the environment while maintaining compliance. While you will likely be in “emergency mode,” remember to document...
read moreKeystone XL Pipeline – Good for the Environment?
The recent train derailment in West Virginia that was, reportedly, carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota’s shale fields may very well put the Tar Sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline … and the politics thereof … back into the top of the news cycle. It was just last month The Globe and Mail reported that the current US Legislative “revolt” over the Keystone XL Pipeline is just a delay and that, “The revolt will likely be a temporary setback to the legislation.” In other words, politics as usual. Political positioning aside, is the Keystone...
read moreThis is Why You Choose Your Environmental Experts Carefully
In our August 29, 2014, blog, we outlined a favourable outcome in a case in which we were environmental experts. In the end, our client was awarded over $4.5 million. In this case, the environmental expert for the opposing side lacked a disciplined approach to understanding the environmental contaminants. In an environmental case and subsequent ruling in British Columbia (BC), lacking a disciplined approach was the least of the problems. Environmental Appeals Board Ruling The ruling came last September (2014), and the attention it received...
read moreNew NPRI Data Published
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 pollution, but the regulatory definition and what the public may view as...
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 have a meeting with your consultant and ask them for an update on when...
read moreDragun Associates Earn Professional Designations
Congratulations to Dragun Associates, Katherine Rey, Andrew Tymec, and Khaled Chekiri, who have earned professional designations in 2014. Environmental Professional Katherine Rey was recently awarded the “Environmental Professional” Certification from the Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board (CECAB). The CECAB is responsible for overseeing the administration, evaluation, and approval of the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO), Canada’s certification of Environmental Professionals (EP). Katherine’s EP designation by ECO...
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 Environment Canada received notice that a contractor had broken a...
read more