University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Transportation Research Center Conducts Dust Control Tests
Now we’re talking. The science of dust control is becoming part of our everyday vernacular. As Environmental Science courses and degrees begin to populate our Universities, our industry, dust control, is becoming an important part of our country’s future – as it should be!
Case in point; a crew from the UAF Civil & Environmental Engineering department are trying to perfect a dust monitoring system to determine the effectiveness of dust control/dust-settling agents vs. calcium chloride which is usually used on the roads in this borough. We’re thrilled and excited that UAF is taking a lead on the testing. The more testing the better. We need to significantly reduce particle dust on our roads for cleaner air and water and a healthier overall environment.
Re: EPA has agreed to strengthen the oversight of animal feedlots where bacteria, virus and parasites from animal waste allegedly pollute nearby waterways.
As the kids would say, this is a “shout out” to our industry. I consider the EPA our friend. We in the Dust Control industry have spent our lives developing solutions to help make the air we breath and the water we drink clean from toxins, pollutants, chemicals, dirt. It’s why we get up every morning. Here is another example of an opportunity where we can help.
The Natural Resource Defense Council, Sierra Club and Waterkeepers Alliance have helped set the stage. As feedlots get ready to meet new EPA standards, dust control manufactures can play their role in helping to reduce particle pollutants from feedlots.
Simple statement I know. Just take a look at the images below. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words! Here’s the quick story. The first image was the customer’s work done with Midwest product. This was a Midwest customer for about ten years. The second image is the same project/customer done with a competitive product this year. The customer put this out for bid, specified our product or equal, they received a lower bid price, but really did not realize what they were buying – in part because the vendor provided them with what was thought to be credible information but was in fact intended to mislead. I’ve written blogs on “Buyer Beware” and this is again another example. All the cliché’s… you get what you pay for… clearly an issue in the dust control industry. When you put a project out for bid, you must be sure you are receiving estimates/prices that not only completely match regarding the formulation of the product, but that the company you are buying from guarantees that you will be satisfied with the result.
This is not about selling product or making profits. I am a proud American, and with our troops still committed to the war overseas, everyone, including the people here at our company, should be doing everything possible to assure their safety.
Reading about the April 8 crash of a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that killed four; two Air Force Special Operations Command airmen, a US soldier and a civilian, when there are theater solutions that could prevent it, bothers me to the core. The report identified “brownout conditions” caused the crash. (A brownout happens when the dust caused by the rotor wash from a helicopter raises dust which is so extreme that it impedes pilot vision and safety.)
Why am I so bothered? Because there’s no reason for a brownout condition. There are chemical solutions that can be applied to helipads in these remote and tactical locations that will eliminate dust and assure pilot visibility. My company, Midwest Industrial Supply, manufactures such products, as do other companies. And whether I believe we have the best product is not the point; it’s that there are solutions. There’s also new avionic technology in the field to help pilot visibility in brownout conditions but it will take time to fully deploy this technology. In the meantime, our chemical solutions working hand-in-hand with technology would enhance pilot safety.
The Army Corp of Engineers has worked exhaustedly to find effective tools and already tested Midwest solutions and today all branches of the Service use our products. We need to step up, and find ways to quickly treat these helicopter landing pads in theater conditions so we never again read a story like this. I know this is unacceptable to our military leaders, and it’s their goal as well.
Environmental Solutions will support the building and maintenance of these important projects.
Great to read about the detailed research that is taking place to develop best practices for Solar Energy Developers, which is so important to the energy alternative solutions this country so desperately needs. The Dust Control, Soil Stabilization and Erosion Control Industry will play a major role in helping our country not only build these new energy plants with a commitment to mitigating negative environmental impact during this process, but maintaining these plants as well with a focus on “green” and safety.
Building these projects requires construction roads, service roads, heavy equipment movement as well as post construction maintenance to keep Solar panels and wind farms in optimum condition. It is critical that these projects use best green practices during the construction and maintenance process and do not overlook unintended consequences which could harm the environment if not planned properly.
Guidelines for Solar Development in Arizona
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, March 12, 2010
On March 12, 2010, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (“AGFD”) released finalized guidelines for solar development in Arizona (“Solar Guidelines”), the objective of which “is to assist energy developers in identifying potential impacts to wildlife and wildlife habitats from their proposed development and potential alternatives to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate for these negative impacts.” The AGFD encourages local governments and permitting authorities to integrate the recommended study proposals described in the Solar Guidelines. The document is organized around five basic project development steps:
Wildlife Protection Regulations
AGFD Regulations and Review
Gather preliminary information and conduct site screening
Identify potential impacts to wildlife
Mitigation
The Solar Guidelines were compiled by the AGFD employees and have not undergone any external public review or input from the solar energy industry. It should be noted that some of the information contained in the Solar Guidelines was taken from the AGFD’s wind guidelines. In light of the fact that county officials often defer to the AGFD in matters of wildlife concerns, special attention should be given to the section of the Solar Guidelines focused on “Avoiding or Minimizing Impacts” and the recommendations contained therein.
In addition, AGFD identified several areas in which information regarding the impacts of utility-scale solar development on wildlife and habitats is lacking. Specifically, AGFD believes that research is needed on the following topics:
Determine the “effective footprint” of utility-scale solar development so mitigation strategies can be implemented at the spatial extent of the impact.
Need to determine the potential effects of a proposed solar project on the demographics of
select wildlife species.
Evaluate the alteration of vegetation and micro-climate adjacent to solar facilities.
Identify the impact that utility-scale solar development has on wildlife corridors.
Evaluate the movement and behavior patterns of select wildlife species (e.g., ungulates,
grassland passerines, raptors) pre- and post construction
Examine the impacts to migratory birds and bats.
Develop mitigation strategies to reduce the impacts of water impoundments associated with
solar facilities.
The time right for this effort. I know first hand how the international market is seeking solutions to environmental challenges regarding dust control and soil stabilization for a multitude of major projects around the world. We track the visitors to our website and international visitors have become a significant percentage of traffic. These visitors are not only spending time on our site learning about our products and services, but also requesting for quotes on a variety projects that need environmentally-friendly solutions. We have active projects in India, Egypt, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UK to name a few, so the time is certainly right to help both US companies and international markets expand their relationships and help provide environmental goods and services at lower costs and efficiencies.
Below is a recent article outlining the process the US Trade Representative is moving on.
This CNN Q&A regarding the war in Afghanistan struck a chord with me. The environmental difficulties our troops encounter is really unimaginable for most of us. Just reading this list of questions and answers caused me to stop and pause, almost tasting the “choking sandstorms” soldiers weather in the summer. In just a few sentences regarding their challenges, you cannot but be affected by the condition of unpaved roads and the threat they pose to our troops; much is being done and much more needs done to counter these conditions. Midwest has helped the military in the past with similar dust issues, as illustrated by Major Steven A. Baker in this article published in Engineer – The Professional Bulletin of Army Engineers.
What I love about this business is that even after 35 years, you learn something new every day.
We took a look at the business we had not won this last year and realized that even though we knew we were proposing the best damn dust control solution for the given problem, customers had financial and budget issues, wanted a lower-cost alternative and were willing to forgo the longer-term cost savings for shorter term relief.
So we went and developed the best basic dust control solution at the most competitive price – Earth Armour™. Now our customers have an economical dust control solution in situations where temporary dust control is the objective rather than significant long term stabilization of the surface.
Earth Armour also fulfills our pledge to live our Midwest Values; “we will understand our customer’s requirements and deliver on our commitments.” I mention this in this blog because it does no good at all to have values if they are not actively practiced, everyday. So Earth Armour fits into our portfolio of products because it represents living a Value which is the foundation of everything we do as a company.
If you have a chance, learn more of exactly how Earth Armour does this by learning more on our website.
ReGeneration Productions is a company whose mission is to “create educational media that communicate the ideals and practice of urban sustainability.” Their first endeavor, Mission:Sustainable, gives a “green” makeover to individuals needing to integrate sustainable practices into their lives. In a recent blog post titled “Working soil so that soil works for us,” ReGeneration states that they believe that “sustainability comes down to knowing that each choice we make has a ‘cost.’ The true ‘cost’ is a combination of the economic, social and environmental costs set against the offsetting benefits associated with each choice we make.” This concept has interesting value to the commercial and industrial segment of our earth community.
As stewards of clean air, clean water and human health, our mission is to help make improvements in the work processes used by industrial customers that deliver economic, social and environmental benefits that exceed the cost of those improvements. The main areas of our work revolve around dust control, especially pm10 and pm2.5 health risks; sediment and erosion control, which pose risks to water and aquatic life; and stabilization that provides the social benefit of smooth, pothole free roadways for area residents while delivering improved business results and operating performance.
The amazing thing is that this is absolutely, positively doable today. There is so much improvement possible with the choices we make in the commercial and industrial arena while providing significant economic and social and environmental returns that we often say, “the best choices will not cost, they will pay.”
There certainly is a lot of attention being devoted to coal ash ponds in the media today from the60 Minutes broadcast to all the recent print coverage. The media of course uncovers a few bad eggs, but we know that the industry itself has been dealing with ash pond management for decades. At Midwest, we have helped utility customers be stewards of their ash ponds for over 30 years. In our company lore and history, everyone at Midwest recalls the phone call we received from a customer on Super Bowl Sunday, January 31, 1993. The Dallas Cowboys played the Buffalo Bills (Dallas won 52-17!), and our utility customer had major problem; their very large ash pond surface had dried and frozen, resulting in it becoming a major source of dust for the local area. I said “we will be there in six hours with at least one crew and equipment and more will follow. And we will not leave until the pond is secure.” For two weeks in sub-zero conditions, our team sealed the pond surface and stopped any and all dust from blowing from it.
So what does it take to continually manage and monitor your ash pond to avoid emergencies like this and those mentioned in the media?
-Spray a surface sealant on the pond that penetrates to the desired depth, creating a bonded matrix consisting of the sealant and the ash.
-This bonded matrix locks all fines and particles into the surface matrix and eliminates the root cause, free particles, from becoming airborne and a nuisance or hazard to the local area.
-Maintain this application cycle on a yearly basis.
We can provide product and guidance for coal ash pond issues or do a complete turnkey installation.
Posted in Dust Control, Environmental Certification/Independent Testing by Bob Vitale
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