 One Wall Street, Attleboro, next to the City's New Bus Terminal at the Intermodal Transportation Center ES&M was excited to sponsor and participate in the recent NEWMOA Brownfields Summit held on May 18 and 19, 2022 in Devens, Massachusetts. Our Brownfields Practice Team was on hand to exhibit ES&M’s wide range of experience and capabilities, and capitalized on the great networking opportunities and technical workshops.
Our Principal Doug Heely, LSP, teamed with the City of Attleboro and MassDevelopment to present the Massachusetts State Showcase Project, “The Revitalization of Attleboro’s ITC Area.” Doug described ES&M’s role in the City’s achievement of the goals set out in its Urban Renewal Plan. ES&M’s successful assessment and cleanup of a complex Brownfields site led to the development of an intermodal transportation center, and a transit-oriented development that includes a new riverfront residential neighborhood and expanded public access to the Ten Mile River. The new ITC area provides opportunities for new commercial development with aesthetic and pedestrian-friendly streetscape improvements.  Source: https://www.poah.org/news/senator-reed-joins-partners-and-residents-celebrate-affordable-apartments-narragansett ES&M was part of the design team along with Union Studios and EDS to prepare the design plans, specifications and Construction Administration services for the renovation upgrades to (2) affordable housing communities. Beachwinds Apartments, just blocks from Narragansett Sound, is a 104-unit affordable housing community consisting of two senior developments – Beachwood Apartments and South Winds Apartments. The properties were originally built in 1977 and comprise 4 buildings rented to low and moderate-income seniors containing 94 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom apartments. In late 2020 POAH (Preservation of Affordable Housing) applied and received approval for tax-exempt bonds from RI Housing. Financing was provided thru RI Housing providing $9 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that made the project possible.
Renovation upgrades included: new exterior siding, improved insulation, replacement and roof repair, new windows, new ventilation systems, kitchen and bathroom upgrades, two renovated and expanded community rooms and outdoor space, conversion of 6 apartments to fully compliant ADA units, common area and office upgrades, site work to improve erosion control, stormwater runoff, new porous pavement parking spaces, parking lot re-paving and striping, ADA ramps and concrete walkway repairs. Union Studio completed all the architectural design components of the renovation upgrades; EDS completed all the Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing design components of the upgrades and ES&M completed all the Civil design components which included site stabilization to improve erosion control, stormwater runoff, new porous pavement parking spaces, parking lot re-paving and striping, ADA ramps and concrete walkway repairs. EPA signed the new 2022 Construction General Permit (2022 CGP) on January 18, 2022. It becomes effective February 17, 2022, and replaces the 2017 CGP. The CGP outlines requirements for covered construction projects located in states and territories where EPA is the administrating agency for stormwater permitting under the Clean Water Act.
Key Requirements of the new CGP
EPA is hosting a webinar to review the final permit and answer questions on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at 1:00 pm EST. For more information about the CGP and the webinar, visit EPA's CGP website at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/2022-construction-general-permit-cgp#2022cgp  Tracey Costa, LSP, CHMM, TURP, ENV-SP, LEED Green Associate Senior Project Manager Brownfields Practice Leader We are pleased to announce that Tracey Costa has joined ES&M as a Senior Project Manager and Brownfields Practice Leader. As Senior Project Manager, Ms. Costa offers over 20 years of experience in environmental assessment, investigation and remediation of petroleum and hazardous waste sites, with specific expertise under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. Tracey offers technical support services and expert review for a variety of environmental consulting projects for municipal, non-profit, federal, state, and private-sector clients, including Toxics Use Reduction (TUR) Planning. She also provides solutions-based strategic approaches for clients and stakeholders. As our Brownfields Practice Leader, Tracey partners with clients to secure state and federal funding to spur redevelopment and revitalization and participates in community engagement and outreach. Tracey can be reached at 508-951-5879.
 Congratulations on PACE-RI's new East Providence Headquarters and Flagship Center PACE recently received their Certificate of Occupancy for their new East Providence Headquarters and Flagship center.
PACE-RI was founded to help local elders live safely at home, stay out of the hospital and nursing home, and reduce strain for their caregivers. PACE has had steady growth since opening their original center in Providence back in 2005 followed by opening centers in Westerly (2013), Woonsocket (2016), and Newport (*Pending CMS approval). ES&M played a key role in PACE-RI’s $10.5M redevelopment of their new flagship center and headquarters. Located on Tripps Lane in Riverside, Rhode Island, this facility provides day center services (the most participants of any other PACE site) and is home to PACE-RI’s administrative, operational, and clinical staff. ES&M completed all the civil (site/utilities) engineering and permitting for this project. We also provided construction administration services through the final punch list walkthrough and project completion certification. ES&M’s engineering design efforts included:
Tiffany Skogstrom, Executive Director of Massachusetts' TURA Administrative Council, released the following letter notifying the public that a Public Comment Period will open on Friday, September 24, 2021, concerning proposed amendments to 301 CMR 41: Toxic or Hazardous Substance List (TURA List).
Good afternoon, I am writing to let you know that a Public Comment Period will open this Friday, September 24 concerning proposed amendments to 301 CMR 41: Toxic or Hazardous Substance List (TURA List). These proposed amendments, if adopted, will add Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Not Otherwise Listed (PFAS NOL) to the Toxic or Hazardous Substance List, and will add a definition of the term “substance” to the regulation as a means of clarification. Draft regulations were filed on Friday, August 20, 2021. Copies of the proposed regulations may be downloaded here, or may be obtained by sending an email to Tiffany Skogstrom at tiffany.skogstrom@mass.gov or calling 857-275-1561. Written testimony will be accepted until 5 p.m. on October 15, 2021. Written testimony should be submitted via email tiffany.skogstrom@mass.gov or via mail to: Tiffany Skogstrom, Executive Director of the TURA Administrative Council, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114. A public hearing will be held virtually on Zoom from 1pm to 3pm on October 15, 2021. Please note that this meeting is being conducted remotely, consistent with An Act Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency. This Act includes an extension, until April 1, 2022, of the remote meeting provisions of Governor Baker's March 12, 2020, Executive Order resulting from the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, known as “COVID-19." Use this link to access the Zoom public hearing between 1pm and 3pm on October 15, 2021 (Meeting ID: 885 2870 7255, Passcode: C5TCLa, Telephone Passcode: 562031) or find your local phone number. Reasonable accommodations to participate in the public hearing are available upon request. Include a description of the accommodation you will need; please include as much detail as you can. Also include a way we can contact you if we need more information. Please allow at least two weeks (14 days) advance notice. Last minute requests will be accepted, but we may be unable to fulfill the request. Please send an email to Melixza G. Esenyie, ADA and Diversity Manager at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at Melixza.Esenyie2@mass.gov or call 617-626-1282. Further details may be found in the Notice of Public Hearing published in the Massachusetts Register on September 3, 2021. RI OEV21000313 - MPA 584 |
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EPA signed and issued the 2021 Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for industrial stormwater discharges on January 15, 2021. The 2021 MSGP will become effective on March 1, 2021, and will replace the 2015 MSGP.
Operators must submit a new Notice of Intent by May 30, 2021, to obtain authorization under the new 2021 MSGP. The new 2021 MSGP has some new requirements not included in the 2015 permit. These include but not limited:
Material handling and storage, equipment maintenance and cleaning, and other activities at industrial facilities are often exposed to the weather. Runoff from rainfall or snowmelt that comes in contact with these activities can pick up pollutants, and transport them directly to a nearby river, lake, or coastal water or indirectly via a storm sewer and degrade water quality. The new Permit is effective March 1, 2021, and operators must submit a new Notice of Intent by May 30, 2021, to obtain authorization to discharge in accordance with the deadlines set forth in Part 1.3.3. of the 2021 MSGP. |
EPA will host a public informational webinar on Thursday, February 18, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (eastern standard time) on the new 2021 MSGP. This webinar will cover industrial stormwater program basics, discuss the structure and requirements of the new permit, including how to renew coverage or get coverage for the first time, and highlight new provisions and changes from the 2015 MSGP. To register for this webinar, visit EPA’s 2021 MSGP website at: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater-discharges-industrial-activities EPA’s 1990 stormwater regulations first established NPDES permit requirements for industrial stormwater discharges in 11 categories of industrial activity. The first Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for those facilities was issued by EPA in 1995. The most recent MSGP (2015 MSGP) expired on June 3, 2020, and was administratively continued for discharges that were covered prior to permit expiration. |
ES&M's installation of a Permeable Reactive Barrier near Lagoon Pond on Martha's Vineyard
11/11/2020
  | ES&M's PRB installation was featured in a November news article published in the Martha's Vineyard Times. The PRB ES&M installed recently for the Martha's Vineyard Commission is the first of its kind on the island. A PRB is a barrier installed in the subsurface to lower nitrate levels in groundwater passing through it. The article states "Nitrogen occurs naturally in the environment, but excess nitrogen enters the pond primarily through septic systems and fertilizers from densely populated areas. Excess nutrients cause blooms, blooms cause oxygen starvation, and oxygen starvation smothers other organisms such as fish, shellfish, and plants in the ecosystem." MVC Executive Director Adam Turner said that "PRBs are site-specific, and can’t work for every area, but that it’s one way to address the nitrogen problem in coastal ponds. Excess nitrogen is a problem in every pond on the Island." The photos to the left show our staff at work on the project and the equipment used to install the PRB. |