Latest News & Press Releases - Soil & Groundwater

Better protection for homes and communities from flooding and drought

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:20:03 GMT

Communities, homes and businesses will be better protected from the risk of flooding and water shortages in future under plans published in the Flood and Water Management Bill by Defra today. The Bill addresses many of the recommendations from Sir Michael Pitt�s review of the summer 2007 floods. It will give the authorities that manage flood risk better powers to do so, putting local authorities in charge of dealing with local flood risk and the Environment Agency in charge of overseeing f...

BTEX contamination of soil and water

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

BTEX is an acronym for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. They are all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in petroleum hydrocarbons. Contamination of soil and groundwater from BTEX has occurred at petroleum and natural gas production areas, gas stations and areas with underground and above-ground storage tanks of petroleum products. The compounds are also produced in large scale by industry for industrial use as solvents and for manufacturing materials such as plastics and pesticide...

Copper-zinc interactions increase toxicity in soils, say researchers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:56:47 GMT

Agricultural soils accumulate trace metals, particularly copper and zinc, as a result of their presence in wastes (sewage biosolids and manures) and fungicides that are applied over long periods of time. Regulations and guidelines for tolerable concentrations of these potentially plant-toxic elements in soils are based on the assumption that the toxic effects of the metals are substantially independent and not additive. However, additivity would imply that soil tolerance limits for each metal mu...

EPA announces environmental justice showcase communities

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:07:41 GMT

U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced a national initiative to address environmental justice challenges in 10 communities. EPA has committed $1 million to this effort over the next two years.

�These 10 communities will serve as models for the EPA�s committed environmental justice efforts, and help highlight the disproportionate environmental burdens placed on low-income and minority communities all across the nation,� said EPA Administrator Lisa P...

Treatability study of bioremediation of dinitrotoluene

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dinitrotoluene (DNT) ground water contamination at the Propellant Burning Ground has been controlled by a pump and treat system since 1990. Alternative approaches to improve the cost effectiveness are under evaluation, including reducing the amount of ground water extraction by treating contaminants in place. Bioremediation has been evaluated and shown to be effective, but required an engineered application (J. Spain, 2001). This study evaluated the feasibility of bioremediation using a comme...

Nevada’s second-largest county switches to MWH soft geospatial technology

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:27:53 GMT

MWH Soft, a leading global provider of environmental and water resources applications software, today announced that Washoe County, Nevada, has adopted the company�s industry-leading InfoWater Executive and InfoSewer Pro Suite software as its standard water and sewer network modeling, design, and management solution. The software will serve as the foundation for continued development of a comprehensive GIS-centric solution for the County�s complex drinking water and sanitary sewer systems.

T...

Solving history’s ‘largest mass poisoning’

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:42:28 GMT

Researchers in MIT�s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering believe they have pinpointed a pathway by which arsenic may be contaminating the drinking water in Bangladesh, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists, world health agencies and the Bangladeshi government for nearly 30 years. The research suggests that human alteration to the landscape, the construction of villages with ponds, and the adoption of irrigated agriculture are responsible for the current pattern of arsenic concen...

Crops and Weeds: Global climate change`s first responders

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:17:06 GMT

A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant physiologists is studying how global climate change could affect food crop production--and prompt the evolution of even more resilient weeds.

Lewis Ziska, Richard Sicher and Jim Bunce all work at the ARS Crops Systems and Global Change Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Over the past several years, the three scientists have conducted research on a range of food crops-including soybean, rice, wheat and corn-to learn more about how rising tempera...

Scientists find ozone levels already affecting soybean yields

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:27:17 GMT

Current atmospheric ozone levels are already suppressing soybean yields, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university cooperators studying the effect of global climate change on crops.

ARS plant physiologists Don Ort and Carl Bernacchi, molecular biologist Lisa Ainsworth and geneticist Randall Nelson have been working with University of Illinois scientists on a project called `soyFACE` short for Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment to measure how the projec...

What`s in your mixing tank? hole-in-one news from RPI

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:52:54 GMT

When Tiger Woods addresses the ball, what do we all yell? �Put it in the hole!�

As in situ remediation injection contractors and remediation product suppliers for many years, it never dawned on us that putting BOS 100� or BOS 200� directly in excavations to mitigate residual contamination might be a great idea.

Some very smart customers started this practice and caught us totally by surprise. Initially, we couldn�t even tell them how much product to buy! ...

Blue Marble volunteers at local schools for GIS day

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:33:15 GMT

Blue Marble Geographics announces its participation in National GIS Day, November 18th 2009. Employees will go to local schools and present a demonstration on how GIS is a part of our every day life.
Blue Marble�s geospatial data manipulation and conversion solutions are used worldwide by thousands of GIS analysts at software companies, universities, oil and gas companies, civil engineering, surveying, technology, enterprise GIS groups, government and military organizations.

Blue Marble ...

GreasePaK – environmentally friendly method of preventing drains from getting blocked!

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

GreasePaK effectively prevents drains getting blocked by removing and then preventing grease build-up and keeping drains clear of FOGs, fats, oils and greases.

GreasePaK also reduces the need for regular maintenance and cleaning on mechanical grease traps and cuts the demand for the collection of fats, oils and grease � boosting sustainability.

Recommended for warewashing facilities, installed in minutes and simple to maintain, GreasePaK is a fully automatic dosing unit that treats...

ISMAR7, the premier event for aquifer management, is now accepting abstracts.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:02:56 GMT

Recognized as the world`s pre-eminent conference devoted entirely to aquifer recharge, this event offers you access to the latest scientific advances, project case histories, and technological innovations in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR).

ISMAR7 (the seventh in the conference series) will be held in Abu Dhabi, October 9 - 13, 2010 at the Armed Forces Officers Club (AFOC). Hundreds of government officials, environmental consultants, regulatory representatives...

Mouchel welcomes flood protection plans but voices funding concerns

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mouchel welcomes flood protection plans but voices funding concerns.

Consulting and business services group Mouchel has welcomed the Environment Agency�s new corporate strategy to improve flood protection in England and Wales, but expressed concerns over funding.

The Environment Agency�s five-year strategy, unveiled at its annual conference on Tuesday 10th November, includes plans to increase flood protection to 200,000 homes and businesses by 2015 in light of stark warnings that c...

Hydrologix� gets US Patent for first successful in-situ wastewater bioremediator

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hydrologix� Systems LLC announces that it has been awarded US Patent No. 7,615,156, Device for In-Situ Bioremediation of Liquid Waste. �We are the first to achieve commercial success with our Hydrologix� Grease Reduction System�s treatment of kitchen and sewage wastewater, at the source or �in-situ�. This makes the Hydrologix� Grease Reduction System the �greenest� and most cost effective way today to handle disposal of foul industrial, domestic and agricultural wastewater� (

SLP Environmental Consultants (Cambodia) offer ISO and ASTM standard environmental due diligence services in Cambodia

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies in the ASEAN grouping with an enviable growth rate of about 10% a year from 2004 to 2007 and a respectable 5% achieved in 2008 in the face of the global economic downturn. This growth has largely been driven by expansion in the garment, construction, agriculture and tourism sectors, although there is also significant potential in the oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates and hydropower sectors. The garment sector is parti...

America recycles day - Beyond bottles to buildings

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:39:56 GMT

America Recycles Day is November 15, 2009. Recycling is a way that every American can help to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. By recycling at home and at work, you can help to reduce carbon emissions associated with extracting natural resources, manufacturing new products and waste disposal.

While what we traditionally think of as recycling - cans, bottles, paper - are great opportunities for every American to help protect the environment, there are other ways that co...

Satellites can help monitor and manage African droughts

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:37:16 GMT

Kenyan MP and remote sensing expert, Wilbur Ottichilo, argues the time is ripe for using satellites to spot developing African droughts.

The six million square kilometres of the Greater Horn of Africa are home to about 200 million people.

Ecologically and environmentally, the region is highly precarious � more than 60 per cent of it is arid or semi-arid and most countries experience irregular rainfall and frequent droughts.

These conditions often lead to massive crop failur...

Thompson Pump VP celebrates 25 years of service

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thompson Pump & Manufacturing Co., Inc. of Port Orange, Fla., celebrates the 25th employment anniversary of Dale Conway, Vice President of Engineering.

Conway has held many positions in the manufacturing and engineering sectors of Thompson Pump since 1984. He currently oversees all engineering departments and technical aspects of the pump business such as manufacturing engineering, quality assurance and research & development.

Conway is a graduate of the University of Centr...

CL-Out receives US EPA design for the environment designation

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The US EPA has awarded CL-Out the Design for the Environment (DfE) designation in recognition of the safety and environmentally-friendly formulation of the product. The DfE designation indicates to customers that CL-Out meets the DfE challenge to incorporate environmental and health benefits into their product selection decisions.

CL-Out is a blend of specialized bacteria formulated for the remediation of organic chemicals in soil and ground water. CL-Out has been widely used to remediat...

August Mack announces promotion of Indianapolis employee to Senior Manager

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

August Mack Environmental, Inc., a full-service environmental, health and safety consulting firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of Brian Wilson to Senior Manager in its Indianapolis office. Since joining August Mack in 2008, Wilson has served as a project manager.

With more than eight years of experience, Wilson specializes in environmental property assessments, All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) Phase I site assessments, industrial hygiene investigations, asbestos, mold and lead invest...

13C-enriched PCE Study to Evaluate the CL-Out Aerobic Cometabolic Pathway

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

CL Solutions partnered with Microbial Insights Laboratory of Rockford, Tennessee to evaluate the cometabolic pathway that CL-Out utilizes to completely degrade PCE. Field applications have demonstrated the effectiveness of CL-Out�, but laboratory investigations have lagged behind our field progress. Other researchers have demonstrated an aerobic pathway for PCE and TCE utilized by pseudomonas stutzeri. This investigation showed that CL-Out organisms were able to completely degrade PCE using dext...

Solutions IES patent reexamination

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:15:05 GMT

In August of 2008 Solutions IES reissued their US patent on vegetable oil emulsions with expanded claims.�RNAS challenged two of the broad and unsupported claims on the basis of extensive prior art on the use of vegetable oil and vegetable oil emulsions for bioremediation.�The patent was recalled for reexamination and on October 8th, 2009 the US Patent office issued a final rejection of not only the two targeted claims but seven additional claims.�Claims 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 40, 42, and 43 we...

SGS Soil Fertility Services now available in Canada

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:35:22 GMT

This year SGS Canada, in conjunction with SGS Mid-West Seed Services in Brookings, SD (USA), has started work with large fertilizer dealers in Western Canada. SGS is offering custom GPS (Global Positioning System) soil sampling and analysis for more than one million acres of farm ground within Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Through SGS Crop Services, these retailers are able to have confidence that their soil samples are handled by one company from collection to analysis. ...

Miliband sets strategic direction for overhaul of energy system

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:49:39 GMT

Faster and fairer planning decisions on new energy infrastructure were a step closer as Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband laid before Parliament draft texts setting out the national need for a low carbon secure energy mix. He also set out an ambitious new policy for the transition to clean coal.

The draft National Policy Statements (NPSs) published today are a crucial part of reforms that will remove unnecessary planning delays facing large energy proposals. They will be the ba...