Mark Nale September 5, 2010 8:38am EDT in the Centre Daily Times:
A battle rages in central Pennsylvania over the right of the Philipsburg Rod and Gun Club to resume operations at the 23-acre shooting range that they lease in Centre County’s Black Moshannon State Park. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Recourses closed the range in 2006, and according to the club, has stonewalled all efforts to reopen the facility.
At first glance, it seems as if the shooting activities of club members have contaminated the park soil with lead to the point that it must pose a serious hazard to park patrons or park wildlife. A closer inspection shows something is amiss. Please bear with me as we examine this complicated issue.
The PRGC shotgun range had been in operation in various Moshannon State Forest locations since before the park opened in 1937. According to club president Dave Laux, at the suggestion of the Bureau of Forest and Waters, they moved the range to its current location over 60 years ago.
In the 1960s, they built a large brick clubhouse on their leased land — the building, according to the club, is now valued at $250,000. Club secretary Paul Bobby said that the club had a good relationship with park management until things went sour in 2006. Until four years ago, the park had considered the club’s range a positive addition. The agency even encouraged the club to increase the number of traps to six. At the time, their club membership listed 150 shooters.
“Park management called a meeting in the fall of 2006. They told us that they had found soil samples with high levels of lead and that they wouldn’t renew our lease to shoot on the property,” Bobby said. With no place to shoot, club membership has declined. However, the current membership has vowed to do anything reasonably possible to get the range up and shooting again.
Using a grant, DCNR hired a professional testing company — Baker Engineering & Risk Consultants — to do soil testing and groundwater testing. I have not seen this data, but according to the club, only one small area of the shooting range showed high soil lead levels, and only one of the many wells showed even a trace of lead contamination. The lead levels in the soil turned out to be a tenth of what DCNR had originally claimed. The club’s consultants have confirmed this. Regardless of the results, DCNR stipulated that the club needed to have ecological and human health risk assessments done for the 23 acres.
DCNR gave them a list of recommended consultants from which to choose. That assessment, done at club expense, was conducted in 2008, by Converse Consultants of State College, one of the DCNR suggested firms. Contrary to DCNR hopes, the assessments found no excessive human or ecological risks associated with the shooting range activities, as long as the club implemented best management practices and monitored the site. Bill Brusse of Converse Consultants said, “In our opinion, the club has to manage the site and not clean up the area at this time. They should be in a management phase with a later recovery of lead. No large-scale remediation is necessary at this time. Measured concentrations of soil lead above any real level of concern are found in only one small area.”
Bill Brusse
DCNR balked at the results, which further irritated the club. “We used one of their recommended consultants and did what they had asked us to do,” said Laux. “The results didn’t turn out the way they planned, so they started to criticize them.” DCNR Deputy Press Secretary Terry Brady responded, “Perhaps the findings aren’t what we think they should have been. We have serious concerns about the long-term effects of the lead as well as in the findings in their consultant’s report.”
“The intent of this department never was to surrender its right to contest findings or question long-term, protective measures,” Brady said. Nonetheless, if DCNR will not honor the results of the study, Laux wonders why the club paid for it in the first place. According to the club, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy also looked at the site and found the levels of lead did not pose a risk to existing species. John Norbeck, DCNR’s Director of Parks, disagrees with the study’s findings. “I think that there is a serious issue at Black Moshannon. Lead is oxidizing and some of it is migrating into a wetland. They need to follow a good Environmental Stewardship Plan.”
All parties agree that the acidic soils found at the site could speed up the leaching of lead into the environment. Following Brusse’s risk assessments, the club contacted Dr. Richard Peddicord, a very well-known expert in lead management. Peddicord wrote the management plans for all of the Pennsylvania Game Commission shooting ranges. In addition, he has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Shooting Sports Foundation to develop best management practices for shooting ranges. He has consulted on lead management all over the world and throughout much of the United States. Peddicord’s job (again at club expense) was to do what Norbeck suggested — draw up an environmental stewardship plan for the PR&GC range. Peddicord’s plan — over 20 pages in length — outlines goals, objectives and actions for management of lead at the range. “My plan is a site-specific implementation of EPA guidelines for the Philipsburg Rod and Gun Club,” Peddicord said. “At some point, but not now, they will need to reclaim and recycle the shot to the extent practical. The lead at the one ‘hot spot’ can be easily stabilized with EcoBond, a product that makes lead inert to the environment,” Peddicord said. “In other areas, the acidic soil can be tested and its pH managed with applications of lime, while the club monitors the wetland. I’m convinced that we can do that — get into the recommended EPA soil acidity range — without changing the wetland.”
Peddicord also recommended that the club stop shooting at Trap 1, the trap closest to the wetland. Norbeck agrees that the trap should be shut down, and he even allows that the club could add a trap at the other end to replace Trap 1. However, Norbeck claims that many of Peddicord’s other actions do not go far enough. “The plan should contain a cocktail of things, including a cleanup of lead on the ground, chemical treatment of some of the lead in the soil, closing the trap that is closest to the wetland and an installation of a system that will make future lead easier to pick up,” Norbeck said. “We want them to do it right and I know that it can be done.”
DCNR cites a letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, calling for vacuuming of lead, completing further ecological studies and having the club switch to non-toxic shot. It would be well within DCNR’s rights to terminate the lease with the PRGC. However, that would place the responsibility for clean-up directly on DCNR, and ultimately, the taxpayers would end up footing the bill. “One can always ask for further studies, but I personally see nothing wrong with Brusse’s work,” Peddicord said. “Nothing raises any eyebrows — it feels right.”
According to Peddicord, vacuuming lead at this site would be very impractical, and based on what has been attempted at other ranges, it probably would not work at all. “The club is willing to follow Peddicord’s stewardship plan,” said Laux. “He is the expert. DCNR is asking us to take impractical, expensive and unnecessary steps. Who are their experts? I know one thing for sure — we aren’t starting any cleanup or treatment unless we have a signed lease.”
According to Laux, many DCNR promises have been broken along the way. Club members have evidence to support their allegation that DCNR actually wants their land and clubhouse for use by a snowmobile club. It could be a stopping point along the proposed North-South Snowmobile Trail. The club claims that DCNR’s actions are just an excuse to remove the club. DCNR, of course, denies this. One thing for certain — at this point, the club’s level of trust is low and their level of frustration is high.
Seeing no other recourse, they have involved a number of elected officials. One of those is Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair), who has been involved for over a year. “In April, during the Senate confirmation process for (DCNR secretary) John Quigley, he promised me that if he was confirmed, he would have the club up and shooting again soon,” Eichelberger said. “As far as I know, the club has done everything that they have been asked to do. Since this is now September, we are long past any reasonable definition of the word, ‘soon.’”
Former PRGC president Bob Nuss puts it this way, “No matter what we do, they change the rules or add more to what they say we need to do. If any group did to DCNR what they are doing to us, they’d be in front of a judge so fast your head would spin. This has gone on for four years— it is just ridiculous.” Even though DCNR has also closed down the 7H Skeet Club range adjacent to Prince Gallitzin State Park last Thursday, John Norbeck looked me in the eye and said that DCNR was not opposed to having organized shooting ranges in state parks. If there is truly no hidden agenda, I do not see why the Philipsburg Rod and Gun Club had to stop shooting while the studies were being done. Nothing would have changed. If the club hired the top lead expert in the world, why is his plan not good enough? If the EPA is happy with the plan, why is State Parks not satisfied?
Eichelberger put it this way, “Something is amiss. When has DCNR become an environmental expert where they claim to know more than DEP or the EPA?” I hope that common sense prevails and that club members are soon able to use their shooting range again.
Mark Nale, who lives in the Bald Eagle Valley, is a member of the PA Outdoor Writers Association. He can be reached at MarkAngler@aol.com. Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2010/09/05/2189472_throwing-lead.html#ixzz0yrY9e6KA
Mr. Bill Brusse is the Executive Vice President; the Northeast Regional Manager for Converse offices in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and a registered Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania. Mr. Brusse is responsible the operation and management of the offices, staff development, technical management and the maintenance of long term working relationships with major clients in the Northeast Region. Mr. Brusse is an experienced Brownfield's consultant, presented a paper (Brownfield's in Small and Rural Communities) at a National Brownfield's conference; and has used and provided seminars on the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Cleanup Standards Act.
Converse Consultants routinely provides lead, asbestos and other environmental surveys for public and private entities nationwide. For more information please contact:
bgeorge@converseconsultants.com.
April, 2010
Converse Consultants would like to congratulate Mr. William Ragsdale in completing his certification as a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).
CPESC certification requires that the applicant must successfully pass a written examination designed to determine proficiency in the principles, practices, and legislation of erosion and sediment control. In addition they must also have earned a qualifying BS degree or higher in an applicable field plus three (3) years of professional experience in the soil erosion and sediment control profession.
Mr. Ragsdale has been with Converse Consultants for over 12 and can assist you with these soil erosion and sediment control services:
- Stormwater Permitting,
- Preparation of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs),
- Amend current SWPPPs to comply with the new General Permit,
- Stormwater Inspections,
- Stormwater Training of onsite personnel, and
- Stormwater sampling, monitoring, reporting and record keeping.
In the words of one regulatory agency staffer, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Ohio may "have a tiger by the tail!" These states contain potentially-recoverable natural gas reserves in the Devonian Marcellus Shale Formation.
Formerly viewed as a marginal target for gas development, the Marcellus became prominent when hydrofracturing (i.e., using water and additives under high pressure to fracture rock) proved to be successful in the similar Barnett Shale in Texas. Penn State Professor Terry Engelder and SUNY Professor Gary Lash estimated that the available gas in the Marcellus might be on the order of approximately 50 trillion cubic feet (TCF). For perspective, the US now uses about 23 TCF of natural gas per year. Additional work to refine the estimate of potentially available gas based on production data boosted the estimate of potentially available gas to over 363 TCF.
What's new? The hydrofracturing technology has been around for some time. New, more efficient hydrofracture additives have been developed that make the process more efficient. A major technological advace has been the use of directional drilling. A gas well formerly penetrated the gas-bearing strata vertically, which meant that the gas-yielding portion of a borehole that passes through a 200-foot thick gas-bearing rock unit might be no more than 200 feet. With the ability to steer the drilling process and to turn the drilling to 90 degrees (i.e., horizontal boring at a target depth, or boring parallel to bedding planes), a borehole can now be developed that encounters thousands of feet of productive rock. In addition, directional drilling is allowing the drilling to occur on relatively small, 5-acre pads that can contain 6 boreholes, each radiating away from the pad.
Land leasing has been proceeding at a feverish pace in northcentral Pennsylvania, and the number of permit applications for new wells has increased exponentially over previous years. PADEP has taken on new staff, even at a time when State budgets are being cut and members of PADEP staff in other programs have been laid off.
Yes, there is a potentially "dark" side to Marcellus gas development. Some of the borings have been improperly sealed, and the briny water from depth can be forced to the surface, which can be disastrous for the shallow groundwater aquifers that many of the small, northern tier communities use for drinking water supply. New York State is completing a study on the environmental impacts of Marcellus development, since much of the desirable land is in the water supply area for New York City. The quantity of water that can be required to hydrofrac one well can be enormous: 1 million gallons or more. Of this, only a percentage is returned to the surface, but that water is heavily laced with deep bedrock minerals such as sodium, chloride, barium, and other exotic minerals. As a result, the use of water for hydrofrac'ing gas well is considered to be "consumptive", and use of groundwater or surface water to ‘frac wells is now regulated by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which underlies approximately 72 percent of the Susquehanna River Basin. In addition, treatment of the "return" water is presenting an engineering challenge.
These are challenging times, with boundless enthusiasm for gas development from the economic development perspective, and with concern for the potential adverse environmental effects of the gas development from others.
The Converse State College, PA Office is involved with a number of water providers in Northcentral and Western PA who seek authorization of the SRBC to provide water to the gas developers.
Some references for further reading:
PA DCNR Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey "Pennsylvania Geology" (Vol 38, No. 1)
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/pub/pageolmag/pdfs/v38n1.pdf
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
http://www.srbc.net/programs/projreviewmarcellus.htm
PADEP:
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/minres/oilgas/new_forms/marcellus/marcellus.htm
U.S. Department of Energy "Shale Gas Primer 2009"
http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/naturalgas_general/Shale_Gas_Primer_2009.pdf
USGS "Water Resources and Natural Gas Production from the Marcellus Shale"
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3032
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California region held it's annual Conference this week in Sacramento, combining the Conference, Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet and Legislative Visit Day into one issues-packed week.
The Conference, with the theme Back in Black: Paving the Road to Economic Recovery kicked off on Monday morning with the General Session breakfast and an inspiring keynote speech by U. S. Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina. At lunch we were given an overview of the California Forward's principles and plans for pursuing nonpartisan government reform by Jim Mayer, the Executive Director of California Forward.
The roundtable discussion, breakout sessions and panel topics included GIS, Water, Transportation, Healthcare, Labor Law and Marketing.
The hallmark of the Conference is always the outstanding networking opportunities, timely topics and interesting speakers. The staff of ACEC, led by Jenny Devine, routinely does an exceptional job organizing and putting on these events.
Converse Consultants is an active member of ACEC CA and several of our senior staff and principals are members of various committees.
A nationwide coalition is undertaking the task of repairing, restoring and, in some cases, saving the Great Waters of our nation.
The America's Great Waters Coalition is an alliance of more than 30 national, regional, state, and local organizations working to protect, preserve, and restore America's Great Waters, which include, but are not limited to, the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Louisiana, the Everglades, Great Lakes, Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, Mississippi River, Puget Sound, San Francisco/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The goals of the America's Great Waters Coalition are to:
- Make the restoration of our country's great waters a national priority
- Secure sustainable dedicated funding for restoration
- Enact and ensure sound implementation of restoration projects
According to Jennifer S. Vey, fellow, Brookings Institution in this article in Waterworld, "Research has found that cleaning up the Great Lakes and its waterways -- by improving water and sewer infrastructure, restoring and preserving wetlands and coastal habitats, and cleaning up toxic areas -- would create jobs and inject billions of dollars into the regional economy....This indicates that directing public investments toward improving the health of all of the nation's Great Waters -- from the Chesapeake to the San Francisco Bay -- simply makes good economic sense."
A complete list of coalition members can be found here.
See the full size map here.
This effort can result in a widespread investment in our national infrastructure which, in turn, can give a boost to the A/E/C industry. The water/wastewater treatment plants, surface and groundwater resource management and transportation systems in our country can be upgraded to be more efficient and ecologically sound.
Converse Consultants is ready to assist in this effort to improve our Great Waters and our infrastructure.
20-year anniversaries are not that common in our industry, so it is especially gratifying to congratulate John Watkins on his 20 year anniversary with Converse!
John has been working in the Las Vegas environmental department since 1989. He received his BS degree in geology from UNLV and has the following certifications:
- Nevada Certified Asbestos Consultant IPM 0199
- AHERA Asbestos Refresher:
- Building Inspector, Project Designer, Contractor/Supervisor
Mr. Watkins is Converse's principal asbestos inspector, and has participated in numerous asbestos abatement projects. He is also actively involved in monitoring well installation, site assessments of hydrocarbon contaminations and responsible for health and safety on various sites.
His Managing Officer, Kurt Goebel says "John is one of those people who gives everything he has to make his clients happy and they are all very glad to have him taking care them. As a manager, I am very lucky to have John working for me. Thank you John for being such a great employee!"
SOCIETY FOR MARKETING OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 444
Alexandria, VA 22314
http://www.smps.org/
Contact: Christine Chirichella, Marketing Manager
800.292.7677, x227, or christine@smps.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 24, 2009
BETH GEORGE ACHIEVES CERTIFED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MARKETER DESIGNATION
Redlands, CA-Beth George, Director of Business Development for Converse Consultants, earned the designation of Certified Professional Services Marketer in November, 2009. She is among a growing number of professionals to be certified by the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), which advocates for, educates, and connects leaders in the design and building industry.
Certified Professional Services Marketers (CPSMs) are recognized as having the experience and knowledge to generate profitable business in the architectural, engineering, and construction marketplace. To achieve this designation, certification candidates must meet educational and experience requirements, pass a rigorous written examination, and pledge to abide by the CPSM Code of Ethics. The process validates the individual's mastery of and ability to apply critical business development knowledge in an industry that values certification.
SMPS Chief Executive Officer Ronald D. Worth, CAE, FSMPS, CPSM, observed, "Pursuing certification demonstrates a professional's commitment to life-long learning and to building the firm's business. Certification is truly an investment in one's career, the profession, and the industry."
To learn more about SMPS and the certification program, contact Marketing Manager Christine Chirichella at 800.292.7677, x227, or christine@smps.org, or Certification Manager Kevin Doyle, x232, kevin@smps.org. Information also is available at http://www.smps.org/.
The Society for Marketing Professional Services (www.smps.org) was created in 1973 by a small group of firm leaders who recognized the need to sharpen skills, pool resources, and work together to create business opportunities. Today the association supports 7,000+ members as they tackle the day-to-day complexities of marketing and developing business for architectural, engineering, construction, and related specialty services firms in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Converse Consultants is an industry leader in the fields of geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, groundwater sciences, GIS, and materials testing and inspection services. With 11 offices in 5 states, Converse provides expertise nationally for complicated transportation, water resources, water storage and conveyance, educational and governmental projects, as well as commercial, retail and industrial developments. For more information please contact Beth George at bgeorge@converseconsultants.com or 909-796-0544.
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Welcome to the inaugural posting of Converse Consultants' new blog, 'Quick Conversations'! As a play on the name of our quarterly newsletter, Conversations, this blog is also a supplement to the newsletter.
This is where you'll get all of the latest company and design and construction industry info right away. It's interactive so we can all join in on, well, Quick Conversations on any variety of topics relevant to the industry.
You'll also be regularly treated to guest bloggers sharing their experience and ideas from different regional and professional perspectives.
Our services include geotechnical and geologic engineering, environmental and groundwater sciences, and materials testing and inspection during construction. With such a wide range of expertise there's ALWAYS something to talk about!
Feel free to stop by and share your ideas and suggestions for future posts. No topic is too hot!
We look forward to many Quick Conversations with you!
Converse Consultants was founded by Fred Converse in 1946 to provide sensible solutions to geotechnical and geologic problems. We've carried on his legacy by giving our clients what they need. No cutting corners, no 'over-designing'. Just quality service in a timely and cost effective manner.