United States Off ce of Vol 15. o. 6 Environmental Protection Comrnur 1cat1ons nnd ovember December 1989 Agency Public Affairs 19K 9006 &EPA JOURNAL WHO NEEDS THE FEDS! Environmental success stories from grassroots America
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aced with news about a in fact under way across the come from EP1\ or any other introduced bv someone who Fglobe-encompassing country. Far from finding federal agency. Ci ve n the is involved i;1 one of the environmental cri sis. people themselves hel pl ess. many innumerable environmen tal cases. and each section often fee l helpless. "What peo ple are finding that with initiatives ··out there.·· introducti on gives a bri ef ca n I do'? " is a common in iti ative and inge nuity, they inev itablv our selection of rundown of the individual question, spoken or ca n solve pro blems in ways story subjects was somewhat stories in that category. unspoken. that ca n add up to a better arbitra ry and, because of the Article ideas ca me from For thi s iss u 1~. EP1\ Jo urno/ enviro nm ent. space of the magazine, severa l diffe rent sources. sought out environmental In selecting stori es fo r the limited. Story selecti ons were including EPA 's regional success stori es: cases in issue. our criteri a were, first. made b>' the journal staff and offi ces; Renew America. a whi ch people have. that a parti cular problem was do not necessaril y reflect gro up that is in the process themselves, taken hold of a confronted and substan tiallv EPA pol icy or pri orities. of selecting outstanding piece of the enviro nnwntal solved, and second, that the We have divided these environmental efforts: and cri sis and worked out a in iti ative came fr om exa mples into three news reports around the solution. Tho exa mples indivi dual citizens, industrv. categories: ci tizen init iatives; co untry. presented in this issue or government at the state ~r state and local actions; and This issue also includes a suggest that a wid e range of local leve l. In other word s, industrv initiatives . Each regular feat ure. environmental acti vit ies arc th e impetus to acti on di d not categor;1 of artic les is Appointments. o
Years of wise land use on their farm won the Craun brothers of Rockingham County, Vi rgi nia, a top awa rd from the National Endow ment for Soil and Water Conse rva tion. (See article on page 9.) Un ited States Office of Volume 15 Number 6 Environmental Protection Communications and November/December 1989 Agency Public Affairs 19K-9006 &EPA JOURNAL
William K. Reilly, Administrator Lewis S.W. Crampton, Associate Administrator for Communications and Public Affairs Leighton Price, Editorial Director John Heritage, Editor Karen Flagstad, Assistant Ed itor Jack Lewis, Assistant Editor Ruth Barker, Assistant Editor Marilyn Rogers, Circulation Manager
EPA is charged by Congress to CITIZEN INITIATIVES STATE AND LOCAL INDUSTRY INITIATIVES protect the nation's land. air, and ACTIONS water svstems. Under a mandate of Introduction Introduction national environmental laws. the Introduction agency strives to formulate and by Barbara Reed Earnest z by Tom Tomaszek 30 implement actions which lead to a by Sally Shipman 16 compatible balance between Salmon and Jet Fuel Don't The Enemy Isn't Us human activities and the ability of Mix A New Answer to an Old by Jocelyn H. Woodman 31 natu ral systems to support and by Loyd Stafford 3 Problem nurture life. by Betty Ford 17 Turning Throwaways into EPA Journal is published by th e Restoring Housing in the Opportunity U.S. Environmental Protection Facing Up to High Radon Agency. The Administrator of EPA Inner City by Torn Tomaszek 32 has determined that the by Amy DeVries 5 Levels publicati on of this periodical is by Ann Fisher 19 Eliminating Those neces ary in the transaction of the A Victory for the Bay Regulatory Headaches public business required by law of Checkers pot Putting Sludge to Work by Thomas Uva 35 this agency. Use of funds for by Karen Flagstad 7 by Maureen McReynolds 21 printing this peri odical has been Meltdown for a Tough One approved by the Director of the Environmentalists on the A Neighborhood's Creativity Office of Management and Budget. by Gregg Sekscienski 37 by Robert W. Pierson, Jr., Views expressed by authors do not Farm Why Not Zero Waste? necessarily reflect EPA policy. o by Roy Popkin g and Gregg Sekscienski 23 permission necessary to reproduce by Jocelyn H . Woodman 3!1 contents except copyrighted photos The Optimism of the Green Take It Up with the Board! and other material s. Guerillas by Bud Cann 24 Thinking Environmentally Contributions and inquiries should be addressed to the Editor, by Barbara Reed Earnest 11 Answering a Burning by John Mincy .tl EPA journal (A-107), Waterside When Chickens Die Young Question Mall, 401 M Street, SW., Appointments .t3 Washington, DC 20460. by Lee Blackburn 14 by John F. Kowalczyk 26 Applying the Conservation Ethic by Wi lliam 0 . Ru ff 28
Front Cover: Ca rtoon by Dovid The /anuary/Fcbrua1y ·1990 isst1 e Desig n Credits: Horsey or the Seattle of EPA journal will f ocus on Earth Hon Fo rrah Post-ln te li gencer. Day. Jomes R. Ingram Hobert Flonogon
EPA Journal Subscriptions The annual rate for subscribers in the U.S. for EPA fournal is $8. The charge to subscribers in foreign I Name - First. Last PLEASE PR INT countries is $1 O a year. The price of a single copy of EPA j ournal is I I I I I $2.25 in this countrv and $2.81 if Company Name or Additional Address Li ne sen t to a forei gn county. Pri ces include mail costs. Subscriptions to EPA j ournal as well as to other federal government magazines are Street Address handled only by the U.S. Government Printing Office. I. I I I I Anyone wishing to subscribe to EPA journal should fi ll in the form IZ ip Code at ri ght and enclose a check or money order payable to the I I Superintendent of Documents. The requests should be mailed to: Payment enclosed (Ma ke checks payable to Superintendent of Documents) Superintendent of Documents, D GPO . Washington. DC 20402. 0 Charge to my Deposit Account No .. . CITIZEN INITIATIVES Introduction by Barbara Reed Earnest
ike the hardy and virtually indestructible aila11thus tree [the "tree of heaven"), thousands of volunteer Lenvironmenta l citizen groups have sprung up all over the United States, often in the most unexpected places. Volunteers have stepped in to fill gaps in c ity services as local governments have struggled to overcome difficult budget shortfalls. The groups and individuals you will read about in the following artic les have successfully come to terms with the idea of "thinking globally and acti ng local ly." They represent a tapestry of different environmental interests. But a ll of their projects have contributed directly to the quality of the immediate env.ironmcnt. Mm1y of their efforts could be dupli cated in other communities. Others may inspire similar projects and ideas. In Chicago, Habitat for Humanity is restoring inner-city housing for the poor (p. 5), while Trout Unlimited has restored a stream near the airport in Seattle (p. 3). Both are organizations with acti ve chapters working in local communiti es. Through a remarkable compromise, the habitat of a butterfly was saved near San Jose, Ca lifornia, and the creature h as been given proiected status under the federal Endangered Species Act (p. 7), w hile innovative farm ing techniques by three famil ies li ving in different parts of the country received high marks for en vironmental con servation (p. 9). Meanwhile, in Maryland, a scientist hns found a way to eliminate the waste and air pollution from d ead chickens by recycling them, and a Delawnre poultry fo rmer is showing ho1..v this appronch can be put into practice (p. 14). In New York City, more than 400 community gardens are being he lped by the Green Guerillas. a volunteer group that provides plants and technical assistance (p. 11). These individuals and environmental groups have used many different techniques to achieve their goals. Some have inspired local residents to come forward and volunteer their time and ta lent to lobby and work for their causes. They also have found new ways to solve problems that people knew existed but didn't know how to solve. Yet what really sets these volunteers apart is their perseverance in the face of resistance. There w ill always be obstacles, but the hope is that many more people at th e local level wi ll rise to fight for cleaner air and waler, safer waste d isposal, and more open green space through better planning and care . In the next 10 years, major decisions w ill have to be m ade if we arc to stop some of the destructi ve trends we are seeing in the environment. Everyone's concern matters, and each person's contribution can make a difference. In fact, without this individual vigilance, the environment will not receive the government attention a nd funding ii needs. Then our precious natural environment will suffer, perhaps irrevocably, both locall y and globally. The ti me could not be better to join or start up a local group and get involved. o
(Earnest is Director of th e Green Guerillas in ew York City.)
2 EPA JOURNAL Salmon and Jet Fuel Don't Mix by Loyd Stafford
he day after Thanksgiving should of questions flashed through my mind Thave been a relaxing day with family The farther up the stream I as I began to analyze the situation. members. On this cold Friday morning, walked, the angrier I became. Des Moines Creek, located near however, I was wading up Des Moines Seattle in southwestern King County in Creek in the area of Des Moines Beach Washington State. flovvs for Park. The pungent odor of airplane fuel coating their gills. These mature coho approximately four miles from Bow hung h eavy in the foggy morning air, had just started up the stream to spawn. Lake along the southern boundary of the and the rainbow oil sheen on the Fifty thousand coho smolt that my Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International surface of the stream told a deadly Des Moines Salmon Chapter had Airport, southwestward to Puget Sound. story. planted in February were gone! What The stream, portions of which flO\v I felt a little sick as I picked up the happened this time? Are we ever going through developing industria lized areas, lifeless bodies of the small coho salmon to win this pollution battle? I wondered has historically experienced negative smolt. The Department of Ecology how many of the guys from the chapter impacts because of urbanization of it biologists walking a few hundred feel had heard about this mess? 3,700-acre watershed. These impacts ahead of me had large plastic bags into The farther up the stream I walked. have included previous spills of jet fuel , which they were putting adult col10 the angrier l became. Somebody is going scouring and erosion from stormwater salmon that had suffocated from jel fuel to pay for this, l thought to myself. A lot run-off, dumping of refuse along the stream course, and discharge of pollutants and potentially toxic Northwesr fnd1an F1shenes Commission photo materials from storm-drainage systems. Thirty-four thousand gallons of deadly toxic jet fuel spilled into Des Moines Creek late that Thanksgiving evening, ovember 28, 1985. Releasing baby fish contaminating the stream from Sea-Tac with hope and good International Airport to Puget Sound. wishes. Shown is a The jet fuel that killed the salmon also member of the endangered the hundreds of sea gulls, Puyallup Ind ian tribe ducks, geese, and other waterfowl that in Washington State. feed at the mouth of Des Moines Creek at Des Moin es Beach Park. T hey ingested the toxic fuel when they preened it from their feathers, and many ---- died as a result. Clean-up crews worked all clay Friday to control the spill by blocking the floating fuel with boom , sucking the oily film from the water with hoses and pumping it into 6,000-gallon tank trucks. The workers also threw absorbent, buoyant chips on the water to soak up the spill. Despite these efforts, State Department of Ecology investiga tors found dead coho salmon scattered the length of the creek: evidence of the end of another enhancement effort by the Des Moines Salmon Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The Des Moines Salmon Chapter has been working on this and other streams
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 3 CITIZEN INmATIVES
Juvenile salmon are hardy. Nevertheless they need clean water to thrive.
Nonhwesr Indian F1shenes Commission photo
in the area for more than 10 years. find a way to stop the polluting and Now, after about fo ur years of hard Serving in Trout Unlimited, an restore the watershed and its fish runs . work, the stream is clean, water quality organizati on dedicated to the The new team began developing its is good, and the fish are alive and well. preservation and enhancement of plan. Requirem ents called for a A n ature trail is being established along cold-water fi sheries . keeps the members watershed plan, a fisheries plan, and a the length of the stream. An Interpretive busy. public-education p lan. King County's Center, explaining the habitat, fishery, Shortly before the Tha nksgiving 1985 Surface Waler Management Departm ent fl ora, and fa una, is planned and will be spill, r.hapter m embers had removed and the Municipality of Metropolitan staffed by m embers of the retirem e nt e ight pick-up truckload s of debris from Seattle (METRO) took the watershed communities in the area. the stream bed. Over the lifetime of the plan. The Muckleshool Indian Tribe Students from the Kent Continuation chapter. several other jet fuel spi ll s of provided two biologists to develop the High School program have undertaken smaller size had occurred. Nothing had fisheries plan, and the Des Moines resto ration projects as part of the ir been done by the pcrpetrntors to prevent Salmon Chapter handled the school curriculum. They assisted the future occurrences. The Des Moines public-education plan. Des Moines Parks Department in Chapter members decided it was time to As the program began to d evelop. planti ng new vegetati on along the take a stand: Declare \·var, or whatever it King County agreed lo fund the re located stream bed. Next. thev will would take to stop the polluting. restorati on in the amount of S720.000 plant Chum salmon eggs in the-stream Over the next two weeks, the chapter This funding came from environmental as a science project. T h is will be done invited every media source that was taxes levied on industries located on in conjunction with the Department of willing lo respond to come and Port of Seattle propertv-. Fis heri es and the Des Moines Park investigate the disaster. Three TV The first project undertaken was to management. The construction of statio ns, incl uding the ABC [KOMO) route the run-off from the nirport additional fish-spawning habitat in 1990 a nd CBS [KJRO) affil ia tes, three radio refueling aprons into the a irport is expected lo complete the program. stations, a nd fi ve newspapers picked up sewerage treatment faci li ty. This was This restoration project brought a lot the story. followed by uuilding bunkers or of people together, and the rewards are In addition. at my behest as President "berms" around la n k storage areas. reall y worth the effort. Come fo r a h ike of the Des Moines Salmon Chapter, a Next, the team presented its progrnm down Des Moines Creek. and you 'll see publi c hearing was scheduled at the Des for re habilitati ng the stream. This what I mean. And if you are looking for Moines C it y Jlall. The meeting was started with the constructi o n of a a worthwhile chall enge. join your local attended by state and county legislators. 27-acre containment lake on the Tyee Trout Unlimited organization. o agency representatives from thl) State Golf Course. T he golf course is under Departments of Fisheries. Ecolog)'. and the a ircraft fl ight path. This " lake" has Wildlife, Sea-Tac Airport officials, and an electronicall y controlled gate at its (Stafford is President of the Des Moines, Salmon Chapter Trout Des Moines city offic ials. This meeting bottom; the gale autom atically closes Washington, of resulted in the forma ti on of a when sensors located upstream detect Unlimited.) multi-agency task force with a charter to polluta nts in the water. At the same time, a 400-foo t stretch of the stream in Des Moines Beach Park \Nas relocated.
4 EPA JOURNAL Restoring Housing in the Inner City by Amy DeVries
rom the perspective of the average lack of maintenance and lack of care on no-interest loan organization. Through Fmiddle-class American. Chicago's the part of many of its residents. There an application process based on need, Uptown neighborhood is a disaster. is little sense of community. And when low-income families are chosen by a Uptown is a battleground. It is also an an attitude of "every person for himself" committee for the Habitat program. It is area of rebirth. prevails, some people, particular! not a "give-away" program. Operating Tension has been mounting fo r low-income families, may get pushed on "s·weat equity." the families put in several years in this multi-racial, into substandard living situations. time and energy working on projects in multi-ethnic setting as the poor strive to Uptown Habitat for Humanity is which they can not put the money. All find a place of security and belonging trying to solve a part of these members of Habitat families work hard w hile more affluent residents try to environmental problems. Our office is a to own their own homes. make Uptown more liveable for local affiliate of an international The summer of 1989 was an e citing themselves. Ul ti mately the struggle organization that provides decent one for Uptown Habitat. Four new housing for humankind. Using homes were started for four low-income volunteers from all sections of families of varied backgrounds by 400 Uptown is a battleground. It is humanity- rich and poor, skilled and young people and their you th group unskilled. young and old- Habitat counselors under the direction of also an area of rebirth. brings higher-income partners together Habitat staff. Under a program called with low-income families to build and "Make A Difference" [M .A.D.). these rehabilitate houses. In the process, teenagers from across the nation revolves around whether low-income Habitat partners also try to build new enthusiastically left their safer, more fam ilies will be included or excluded in resources for responding to the stable environments to challenge the neighborh ood renewal. This struggle challenges of life such as education, and insecurity and instability of l ptown. fosters a very unstable environment, employment, inter-personal, and Each M.A.O. workcamp lasted for one with competing attitudes of three home-maintenance ski I ls. week. during which the young people groups: the poor who live in Uptown, Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit. worked side by side w it h Habitat its upper-class inhabitants, and those who live outside Uptown but want to Habllar for Humanity phoro help. A striking example of the hopelessness of some Uptown residents occurred recently when a college student who was trying to help clean up the area was confronted by a man shuffling by on the street. The m an shook his head. "You people are wastin' your time," he said, h is speech so slurred that it was almost unintelligible. "By tomorrow mornin' at this time, this whole lot's gonna be covered with beer bottles. Why don't ya jus' go home?'' Once a flourish ing neighborhood, Uptown hAs become ru n dovvn due to
Anyone who wants to live in a house built or restored by Habitat for Humanity must put in at least 500 hours of "sweat equity" working on the project.
NOVEMBER/DECE MBER 1989 5 CITIZEN INITIATIVES
Teenagers find they can make a difference by participating in a Habitat summer camp. They work side-by-side every day with low-income families trying to improve housing conditions.
families on the project. For many of of the families w ho will own the homes the building of their new home. More them, this was their first introduction to currently being built are refugees from than just a construction project for the h arsh realities of inner-city life. This Central America and Southeast Asia, them , their prospective home means experience opened the eyes of these where they lived in unstable political hope for reconstructing their lives. It privileged young people to the hous ing environments as well as inadequate gives them personal dignity. problems of low-income c itizens of this hous ing. Their fl ight from undesirable Uptown Habitat for Humanity has country. s urroundings landed them in the completed seven homes over the fo ur During the summer, more was unstable environment of a low-income and a half years of its existence, with accompli shed than building homes. American community. the construction of four more in Many young people received an The indigenous American families progress and an additional four to be education in humanity. As one M.A.D. a lso have a strong need for a stable started in the next s ix to eight months. worker said , "I discovered things about environment. For example, a single The relatively sm all contribution of m yself, about others, and about this black woman w ith two small children is Habitat for Humanity seems w orkl we live in." The parti r.ipants struggling to raise them on her own insignificant compared to the extensive admired the ''way you people 'just do it' after being separated from her husband problem of homelessness in the world, even with all the hurdles you m ust due to his drug abuse problems. The but it is a proud accomplishment overcome." Special speakers at the family lives in a neighborhood where considering that Habitat is not funded "camp" helped instil l in the pa rtic ipants drugs are prevalent and present a by the government. The work at Uptown a new understanding and compassion distinct danger to this woman and her is accomp lished entirely through for the poor, and those feelings are children. The outside door of their volunteer donations of labor and likely to affect the way they live the rest apartment building does not shut, and materials. of their li ves. often drug users take advantage of this Habitat for Humanity and other such Obtaining property for the current opportunity to come in off the street. groups are working to solve project, located at Leland and Kenmore, Sometimes the fami ly can hear and environmental problems of the inner was an environmental victory in itself. smell their acti vities going on right city, but their ultimate success will be The property is the former site of a outside the apartment door. decided by the eople who live there. 14-unit burn-out. The building suffered Inside, the apartment is bare. There is Will rich and poor come together to 20 fi res in 10 years and was fe atured on little furniture and little d ecoration. T he form a real community, helping each ABC's 20/20 on n program e ntitled young daughter does not have a bed of other to grow and flourish in a "Arson For Profit." Habitat for her own and must sleep \•vith her neighborhood that is as beautiful on the Humanity was able to obta in the land. mother, a situation that is becoming inside as the new homes are on the and now, out of the hopelessness and difficult as she grows older. The son outside? despair of the rubble comes llOW hope s leeps in the living area off the kitchen. It may take a long time for some folks, as these new homes are bu i It with love The apartment is the best of many they but with hard work and dedicati on, it and care. have lived in, despite its neighbor hood. can be done. o Cold, inadequate, over-crowded The family is extremely excited about she lters were "home" to the families the opportunity to ovvn a home of its (DeVries, a sophomore at North Park with whom the volunteers worked. Two own in a more stable environment. College in Chicago, works part-time for Family members w illingly work at the Uptown Habitat for Humanity.) Habitat site on Saturdays and assist in
6 EPA JOURNAL A Victory for the Bay Checkerspot by Karen Flagstad
hanks to the stalwart sponsorship of The Bay TSta nford University researcher Checkerspot Denn is 0 . Murphy and his colleagues, Butterfly stilt thrives Euphyd ryas editha bayensis, also on certain hill slopes in Kirby known as the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, Canyon near San has won protection un der federal Jose, California, but endangered-s pecies legislation. On loss of this habitat September 20, 1987, following site could have deliberations that lasted seven years, th e meant extinction for Bay Checkerspot was offi cially listed as this threatened species. a "threatened species" under the En dangered Species Act. Seven years? Tha t's right. It seems th e case involved not only the fa te of a van ishing butterfly, but amon g other things, th e plans of two Fortune 500 companies and a major landfill proposed for the city of San Jose, California . As reported in The Wall Wasre Management pholO Street journal, one compa ny, a defense contractor, sought to scu ttle the proposed listing of the Bay Checkerspot time, habitat of the Bay Checkerspot is Over the last t\NO to three decades, the on the grounds that it could protected on the site of th e landfill. In a Bay Checkerspot has been pushed to the compromise national security. number of ways, the agreement p ro \'ides brink of ext inction by a combination of Ultimately, the dispute turned on the a model that could be helpfu l in factors: the burgeon i;1g development in issue of land use, since land containing resolving future confli cts between the San Francisco Bay Area suburbs, the habitat of a formally listed , protected endangered-species protecti on and expansion of the freeway system that species cannot be developed unless a urban area developm ent. links them, and several years of drought p lan for preserving the sp ecies a nd its At one ti me, the Bay Ch ecke rspot may in the area. Even withou t further habitat has been approved by federal have been the most w idespread butterfl y encroachme nt on its habi tat, Stanford authorities. in central Callfornia. As recently as the scientists say the remaining San Mateo In fa ct the controversy over the Bay 1950s, there were po pulations in five population of the butterfly has a Checkerspot Butterfl y might stil l be San Fran cisco Bay Area counties. NO\"-', doubtful prognosis for long-term going on if Dr. Murphy had n ot however, the only extant popu lations of survival. succeeded in arranging a novel this butterfl y in the worl d survive in This leaves the Kirb Canvon conservation agreement among three two of these counties, San Mateo and population in Santa Clara c ; unty as the principal parties in the case: a Santa Clara. best hope for the future of the species. prominent waste-disposal firm, Waste The habitat of the Ba y Checkerspot is As fate wou ld have it, Ki rby Canyon Managem ent of California, In c.; th e city highly specialized and increasingly was selected by Waste Management, of San Jose; and the U.S. Fish an d fragmented-a story that harks back two In c., as the site for one of the largest W ildlife Service, w hich administers the centuries. When early settlers came to la ndfills in Nort h America. Enda ngered Species Act. Under th is Califo rnia, they introduced certain Dr. Murphy petitioned fo r protected agreeme nt, Waste Management h as been hardy grasses and fo rbs that provided status fo r the Bay Checkerspot under the able to proceed w ith an extensive superior forage fo r the ir livestock. T hese Endangered Species Act in the fal l of landfill operation, while at the same imported plan t species quickly grew to 1980. Waste Management was th en dominate California grasslands by seeking cleara nce from authoriti es fo r its " out-competing" many native plant Kirby Canyon landfil l. Ea rly on , it species, including the host plants of the looked like an eit her-or situation: either Bay Checkerspot: Cali fornia p lan tain and Owls' Clover.
NOVEM BER/DECEMBER 1989 7 CITIZEN INITIATIVES
Waste Management of California, Inc., has set aside, as a permanent preserve for the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, 250 acres of existing habitat on slopes near its landfill operation. Restoration of additional habitat on adjacent slopes is also part of a threatened-species protection plan jointly developed by the firm and the city of San Jose.
save th e nay Checkerspot Butterfly and designed a plan to assure that the new Endangered Species Act. As a result, forego th e landfill, or proceed with the landfill would not jeopardize the Bay Waste Management of California has not proposed landfill and sacrifi ce th e Checkerspot popu la ti on. As part of the only been able to proceed with its species. Then Waste Management broke program, the Kirby Canyon Habitat landfill operation in Kirb y Canyon but th e ice by inviting Murphy over to Conservation Trust Fund was created, has received considerabl e favorabl e in spect the site of the proposed landfill. and Waste Management deposits publicity as an ecology-minded Murphy's findings paved the way for $50,000 annually in to this fund fo r company as well. the negotiated agreement that enabled conservation of the butterfly. Other And the Bay Checkerspot Bu tterfly landfil l pl ans to µroceed without aspects of the program include: has become the company mascot. o significnntl y disturbing the habitat of • Continued research to monitor (Flagstad is on Assistant Editor of EPA th e Ba y Checkcrspot. In his assessment, survival patterns of the butterfly Journal.) the area that the proposed landfill would disturb (467 acres) represented • Habitat management that includes only about 15 percent of the total controlled livestock grazing as part of a butterfl y habitat at the si te (3 ,365 acres) . pattern that favors the host plants of the Second , thr! la ndfill operati on would butterfly di sturb no more than 150 acres at nnv • Restoration and revegetation one ti me. Third, the butterfl\' survived requ irements in the course of landfil l best on the cool er, nort h- an-d operati ons cast-fa ci ng slopes of Kirby Ca nyo n. at some di stancl) from the main landfil l • Acquisition of additional Ba y activity site; thus, the la ndfill could be Checkerspot habitat in th e vicinity of expected to disturb only five to nine the landfi ll percent of prime habitat. • Efforts to reintroduce the bu tterfl y Proceed ing 11s if th e butterfl y were into unoccupied, bu t suitable habitat alre 8 EPA JOURNAL Environmentalists on the Farm by Roy Popkin -,nree American farm fa milies won I awards la st year from the National Endowment for Soil and Water Conservation for their accomplishments in comprehensive a gric ultural resource management and pollution abatement. EPA journal profiles the ir outstanding environmental s uccess stories: Eugene and Sue Shapland Euge11e Shapland might be described as "the conservation farmer's conservation farmer." An infant when the drought of the 1930s turned western Kansas into a Dust Bowl, he grew up hearing about how the stifling heat and prairie winds turned Lane County farms into blowing dust. Today, he and his wife, Sue, are ra ising crops. beef, and hogs on 5,550 rolling acres near Dighton, Kansas. Much of their land was first farmed Steve and Kevin Craun built this concrete tank in fro nt of the barn to store manure from by Shapland's father and grandfather, their 150 cows. Keeping animal waste out of nearby stream s helps protect the and he hopes the farm w ill be taken Chesapeake Bay miles away. over by h is four sons som e day. Jn 1954, when he was 17, Shaplancl planted his milo close together, a simple practice Shapland was an .. Enrth Team., first wheat crop. Keeping the land that has a number of conservation volunteer with the SCS and is now continua lly produ ctive and profitable is advantages. The additional rows provide presiden t of its auxiliary. The not easy; the Shaplands manage lo do so additi onal forage for the cattle. reduce Shapla ncl · nre active leaders and using innovative and environmentally the soil area exposed to wind erosion, award-w inners in 4-H Club programs. sound farming methods. and catch more snow in w inter. and Eugene has been vice chairman of " My grandfather came here from In addition, the Shaplancls use cattle the Lane County Conservation Di strict. Illinois in 1920, a few years ahead of the manure as n atural fertilizer for their chairman of its Education Committee, big d rought. This area was one of the crops and cross-fencing and rotation and a member of the bonrd of the Farm worst hit in the midwest," lie says. The grazing to prevent erosion from overuse Bureau and the local Agricultural 5,550-acre fa rm sits on small hi lls; its of the pastures. They have put 380 acres Stabili za tion and Conservation somewhat sanel y soil is subject to w ind in the federal Conservation Reserve Committee. and water erosion."If 1Ne get two or Program to preserve land for future Shapland earned the Goodyear three inches of ra in, the soil starts to generations. Conservation Farmer Award in 19 7 ~). wash away.·· "Soil and water conservation is a h igh The Shaplands do have fo llowers among To prevent erosion and preserve the priority with us," Shapland says. "We the farmers in their nre<:1 but, says soil- in an area w here some budget money fo r conservation every Shapland ... There are ma ny who don·t neighboring farms are so eroded th e ~' year, even when the farm economy is want to change their ways. Every year, produce little or nothing in the way of bad. From a fina ncial point of view, you they ju st plant their wheat the same crops- the Shaplands have minim ized have to look at soil and water way they a lways d id. They really run-off by terracing and contouring conservati on as survi val." should be looking at what's going on every acre on which crops are grown. In d eveloping the ir own conservation around them. If you want the land to The use of stubble mulch tillage helps practice. the Shaplands have been \·veil survive, you ·ve got to have a lot of prevent prairie winds from blowing served by information from the US DA conservation irons in the fi re." away the topsoil. They were among the Extension Service and the local Soil first in the area to plant sorghum and Conservation Office [SCS). Sue (Continued on next page) NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1989 9 CITIZEN INITIATIVES Pete and Susan Carr by the irrigation pond on their California farm. In addition to strict water conservation, the Carrs use a wide range of practices that include collecting and reusing pesticides and fertilizers, protecting wildlife, and preventing soil erosion. Steve and Kevin Craun For the Craun brothers, conservation farming is a family heritage that has been handed down through the generations. On a century-old farm on the rocky slopes of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, they are using modern conservati on farming methods to protec t their soil and reduce pollution of the Chesapeake Bay, hundreds of miles away. They are the Yuba -Su rrer Appeal-Democrar phoro fourth generation of Crauns to raise crops and livestock on 565 rocky acres farm's water flows. As he removed important to the future. Says Steve, in Bridgewater, Virginia, a tiny stones from the hillside fields, he "From the experiences of past Rockingham County community in the dropped them into the gully .. ow the generations, we have seen the necessity northwestern part of the state. Steve, his trap is 75 feet long and 12 to 15 feet tall. to protect and conserve our water and w ife, June, and brother Kevin , are "You can drive over it in a tractor," says soils so our descendants will have a fo llowing a conservation traditi on that Kevin. In heavy rains, it traps farm to enjoy. It is imperative a lso that began w ith their grandfather, Daniel sediments, including fe rtilizers, \•vhich soil and water be protected on a global Craun. "When the first Craun came to can add half a foot to its height. scale to provide adequate food and this valley in 1890, the few farmers One of the most significant fibers for the constantly growing around would plow up any field where conservation endeavors undertaken by population of this planet." something would grow." Kevin says. the Crauns is a half-million gallon "But our grandfather was very manure-handling and storage system conservation-minded. He started the that holds animal wastes so they ca n Pierre and Susan Carr fam ily tradi ti on." later be used at an optimum rate. The Craun's limestone-studded This form of fe rtilizer control is used Pierre (Pete) Carr has no fami ly fa rming farmland- increased by purchase and in conjunction with regular soil. tradition behind him, and it is unlikely rental over the years- does not include manure, an d tissue testing to determine that future generations will fo llow in his a single flat field , but their soil is nutrient balance, which prevents footsteps. But he himself has an top-grade. To assure the continuing over-fertilization and, with a sharp eye outstanding record of conservation integrity of their soil and water while on irrigation rates, keeps excess out of farming. The San Franciscan, who went assuring the farm's profitability, they the farm's run-off. into farming 20 years ago, farms 450 have had to plan carefully and act As the anti-erosion fa rming practi ced acres near the town of Sutter on just accordingly. by the Crauns helps preserve their about the only high ground close to They prnctice contour stripcropping tillable soil s, it also helps protect the where the Feather, Yuba, and on the gentl er s lopes and use w inter Chesapeake Bay at the far end of the Sacramento Rivers come together. It is a crops on a ll sloping ground. Grassed Sh enandoah Valley watershed and ferti le agricultural area. waterways prevent erosion and absorb drainage basin. Manure storage, run-off Carr's farm is on an area of volcanic water from hillsides and depressions and sediment control and other uplift rising above the flood p la ins through w hich rainwater or irrigation techniques used in Bridgewater (on the below, 150 feet higher than Yuba Ci ty, runoff flows. Ground-clinging vines on other side of the All.egheny Mountains 10 miles away. He grows 65 acres of the steepest slopes hold soil in place, from the Bay) are partially funded by almond trees and was one of the first and conservation tillage is practiced the Chesapeake Bay program. in which ranchers in the Sacramento Va ll ey to where their corn, alfalfa, clover, and rye the Crauns and many of their neighbors irrigate his orchards with the drip have been planted. participate. The Crauns also are active irrigation method p ioneered in Israel. Grandfather Daniel constructed an in Young Farmers, the Shenandoah (He traveled to the Middle East to learn extensive water break and sediment trap Holstein Club, and the Rockingham how the method works.) The system in a gully thro ugh which most of the County Farm Bureau Association. delivers a trickle of water through six The fa mily inheritance of soil and "emitters," or d rip spouts, each of water conservation is regarded as 10 EPA JOURNAL which soaks about a 5-square-foot area. In the summer heat of the Sacramento The Optimism Va lley-without flood-plain level irrigation from the ri vers- he has found trickle irrigation a major source of water of the Green Guerillas conservation and related fi nancia l savings. by Barbara Reed Earnest "Wildlife habitat enhancement" is one of the things for w hich the Carrs received a nati onal award. Around some of the emitters he has built small bowls- he calls them " two-gallon reservoirs"-to catch extra water for the birds and other wildlife that live or hide in nearby brush piles or hedgero ws of wild roses and blackberries he has ommunity gardeners are the ultimate Children play and learn about pla nts, planted. He planted the roses and Coptimists. They plant today fo r gardeners barbecue, neighbors drop by berries in rows designed to create tomorrow. working in rubble-cleared to paint, to read , to relax. special corridors for pheasant, quail, lots, often in devastated neighborhoods. It wasn't always like this. Fifteen and other birds. Carr says the fl owers When Kim Mulcahy plants his herb years ago a small group of volunteers. and the presence of w ildlife make the garden or strawberry patch at the Liz led by community activist Liz Christy, farm a prettier place in w hich to live Christy Bowery-Houston Garden in began to remove the brick and garbage and raise a famil y. Ma nhattan's troubled Lower East Side, on the site. As they planted and built up Conservation tillage on his dryland he is improving the environment by the soil-oft en by hau ling manure from grain fi elds minimizes soil erosion and making a beautiful oasis. It is a place the local police precinct's horse reduces his fuel costs by cutting tractor where the air is cleaner, the temperature stables-people began to notice and to passes from fo ur to two. is cooler in summer, the wind is calmer. ask how they, too, could improve a lot On the lowest point of his land, Carr and life thrives. near their home. has built a tailwater recovery system to The garden is located on a busy It was from this band of fighters. who collect and store irrigation run-off, and intersection that is teeming with Bowery indeed fought for every inch of green the fertilizers and pesticides it co ntains life. Yet nestled behind an attractive space they created, that the Green can be used again . He estimates that he iron and wood fe nce is this little Gueri llas came to be. Today the group saves about 20 to 30 percent of the emerald jewel. Neighbors and ga rdeners still holds the same values dear. While water and energy costs he might fr om the area come to cultivate they once lobbed seed "grenades" made otherwise have faced. hundreds of varieties of flowers, of old Christmas tree balls fil led with When the Carrs took over the fa rm 20 vegetables, trees, and shrubs. Bees buzz soil and wildflower seed . th \' now years ago, " It was a wreck," he recall s. in beehives: frogs, fish, and turtl s swim give away tens of thousands of seeds to "We've made a good living on it except in a pond; fi gs ripen on the vine; and a community gardens every year. for the recent farm crunch , and I see it dawn redwood reaches to the sky. More than 250 volunteers ga rden with as my retirement account, even though none of my three children is interested in being a farmer." Pete Carr is a past president of the Sutter County Resource Conservation Christmas trees are returned to the soil as mulch by the Green Guerillas. District and the County's Museum Commission. o (Popkin is a writer/editor in EPA 's Office of Communications and Public Affairs.) NOVEM BER/DECE MBER 1989 CTTIZEN INTI1ATIVES Manhattan's troubled Lower East Side is home to the Green Guerilla's first project, the Liz Christie Bowery-Houston Garden. The garden was started 15 years ago. the Green Guerillas now, spreading its with many hands to help carry the • Cultivate a wild flower meadow, w ith work all over New York City. precious plants back to their gardens. tips from Board member Patti Hagan. Volunteers consist of environmenti:ll The Green Oasis Garden, the 6th & B who has established a meadow across specialists, computer programmers, Garden, and El Jardin del Paraiso from the street fro m City Hall in soil so hard students, the retired, accountants, and the Lower East Side arrive with bikes that a pick axe was required to plant the homemakers. They are people from all and cars. Mother Theresa's Missionaries first seeds walks of life with certain things in of Charity from Brooklyn and the Bronx • Prune trees, with former Green common: a love of open green space, also arrive. (Last March, when former Gu erilla director Tim Steinhoff, who has and a desire to work in the soil. get Green Guerilla director Tessa Luxley taught many professional-level their hands dirty, and watch the gardens told one of the sisters that one of the workshops grow. plants she'd selected was not likely to Last year the Green Guer;llas were survive, the sister said sweetly but • Garden on rooftops, with recent able to give more than $214,000 directly firmly, "It'll grow for us.") experience at the Bailey House AIDS to the community in the form of Resource Center, w here a new rooftop donated plants and donated volu n teer garden is being built by the Green tech nical-assistance time. This is almost It was from this band of Guerillas. double the organization's annual fighters, who indeed fought for budget! Its staff of only three, with every inch of green space they Other major projects at some u n usual occasional part-timers, is able to do this created, that th e Green sites have resulted in successful because of the outpouring of help from greening as well. The Green Guerillas volunteers and contributors. Guerillas came to be. have pioneered a recycling project with Collecting and recycling plants is one the city's Departmen t of Sanitation by of the group's major activities. Terrace delivering chipped Christmas tree owners on Park Avenue, the Farm and Other arrivals: the West Side mulch to gardens all over the city. Garden Nursery, the Native Plant Community Garden: 52 People for Last January, Green Guerilla Center, Rockefell er Center, the Council Progress, and Eubie Blake Gardens from Marghrelta McBean rode "shotgun" with on the Environment, the New York the Bronx: Harlemites Garden Beautiful: ::i d ri ver a nd dump truck, delivering 63 Flower Show, many individual Magnolia Tree Earth Center from lru r.kloads of fragrant pine mulch to 25 lan dscape r.om panies, and the Brooklyn; and the Bell Park Vets com munity gardens. Parque Bowery-I !ouslon Garden a ll donate Retirees Association in Queens. They al I T ranquilidad, the Bronx Frontier. the plants, bulbs, trees, shrubs, soil, take home things they could not afford Gateway National Recreation Area, and containers, or tools . to buy: precious plants that wi ll enrich Riverside Vall ey Community Garden. These gifts are then distributed at their neighborhoods and their among others, all benefited from a fast-paced and lively plant giveaways al environments. protective, enrich ing layer of mulch in the Bowery-Houston Garden's holding Providing technical assistance is the their gardens. T his resulted in more area. In a space of only ubout 20 square Green Guerillas' other key contribution. than 500 cubic yards of potential feet, the giveaway areu is typically Volunteers make site visits and help landfill that did not en d u p in waste heaped to overflowing. Assistant w it h garden design. planting. support, du mps. group organization, and even pest Director P hi l T ietz sends postcard [n 1987, the Green Gueril las built a invi tations to more than 450 community control. (Green Gueril las have bicycled ra ised-bed garden at the Charles H. Cay gardens. senior centers, AlOS resource the Lower East Side, broadcasting lady Shelter for Homeless Men on Ward's centers. block associations, homeless bugs, and they have even given away Island under the d irection of Green shelters. and schools with which the praying mantis egg cases for natural pest Guerilla Terry Keller. They have Green Guerillas work. control.) continued to garden w ith the residents On a given weekend in the spring and At regular workshops, information is and staff at the sh elter. For the last two again in the falL the gardeners come for distributed on a wide variety of topics years, the Green Guerillas have the plants. They come with shopping such as how to: conducted eight-week horticultural job carts; they come on the subway, on • Start a community garden training courses on-site and located jobs bicycles, in borrowed cars and vans, for the men. • Build a pond, with directions from Board Chairm an Andy Reicher, who has built several 12 EPA JOURNAL land to the Parks Department; and new construction that in corporates gardens into final plans. Bu t permanency is not easy to achieve. Individ ual gardens and technical-assistance groups, such as those already mentioned, plus the Cornell Coop erative Extension and the Regional Plan Association have to work together to gain support- and each garden is differen t. Jn one instance, a group rep resenting 32 gardens formed a coalition on the Lower East Side to save gardens fac ing major construction plans for their neighborhood. The Green Gu erillas have a full-time staff member, Sandi Anderson , working on the project, and the garden ers are fi nding strength together. Gardeners provide ew York City w ith services it can no longer afford. They enrich and improve the environment now an d for the future. For examp le, one tree alone can fi lter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year. T he gardens are a precious resource that need to be preserved if New York is to be a liveable city in the fu ture. Alth ough the time to save open land is running out. there is still hope. Community gardeners and concerned New Yorkers can help secure a green future for the city by joining and supporting groups like the Green Guerillas. o Ken Sch/es phoro. Green Guerillas (Earnest is Director of th e Green But with all of these successes, there Some of the options fo r protecti ng the Guerillas in New York City.) still are some problems the Guerillas ga rdens that the Green Guerillas and the must face. Some housing advocates other s upport groups helping c laim that there is not enough room for commun ity gardens have found include: both housing and gardens. (There is, long- term leases through the ci ty's an d a house in a densely packed, garden ing agency, Operation "greenless" environment is not a home.) GreenThumb; outright purchase of land Vandalism has occurred. Most wi th the help of groups such as the importantly, gardens have little or no Trust fo r Public Land ; transfer of the gu arantee of permanency. Land lost now cannot be regained . NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 13 CITIZEN INITIATIVES When Chickens Die Young by Lee Blackburn ith America's growing cholesterol As Murphy explored composting, he While the process is not designed to be W consciousness, the poultry defined five specific criteria that had to capable of neutralizing quarantinable industry is enjoying tremendous be met before composting cou ld be a diseases, common pathogenic success. As more chickens are being viable disposal method: organisms-bactefia and viruses-do not raised, however, one fact of life has survive the comg0sting process. • The mixture must be capable of become an environmental headache for After the composting mixture was producing sufficient heat poultry farmers: 55 of every 1,000 developed, the next task was to design a chicks born do not live to market • It must stimulate microbial action and composter that the average farmer could maturity. For farmers with flo cks rapidly decompose soft tissue from the build and maintain with a minimal numbering more than 100,000 birds, chicken carcasses investment of money and time. A efficient, sanitary disposal of the dead • The composting process should be concrete pad and a roof are essential to birds can be a costl y and difficult inoffensive to the senses prevent run-off and leaching into the problem. soil. The most common current methods of • The procedure must produce a Once the composter was thoroughly disposal- incineration and burial- have high-quality fertilizer tested, composting was judged to be a health and environmental implications • The whole operation must be easily viable alternative to burning and burial that make them less than ideal. built, maintained, and operated by of dead birds. It was time for a premier Incineration of poultry carcasses causes farmers at low cost. demonstration , one that would yield local air pollution. Burial can result in plans that could be used by farmers serious ground-water contamination. across the nation. In 1985, when Dennis W. Murphy When Daniel Palmer of the University joined the University of Maryland Poultry Murphy has had requests for of Delaware Cooperative Extension Science Department, the need was clear: information about poultry Service visited some of the "The Delmarva Poultry Industries told composting from 40 states . .. . d emonstration farms in Maryland, he us that finding better methods of was convinced that the method would disposing of dead birds was a top work in Delaware. With the help of the priority." Murphy's job was to find U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. those methods. In 1986, Murphy began the year and a Soil Conservation Service, and A friend , an organic gardener, half trial-and-error process of Delaware's Agriculture Department, suggested composting. Murphy picked developing the composting mixture. He Palmer developed plans fo r a full-scale up a couple of books on the subject and came up with a perfect medium for test demonstration. began to look at ways to make a suitable thermophilic (heat-loving) bacteria: Farmer Edward Dutton, Jr., of compost from materials readily available heat-generating microbes that are Millsboro, in Delaware's southern on farms. All that was really needed non-pathogenic (a nd in fact antagonistic agricultural belt, was interested. Dutton were sources of carbon and nitrogen to human and animal pathogens) and has a large farm, with more than capable of supporting microbial occur naturally in manure. 100,000 chickens. He also has a supply action-producing temperatures in the Murphy's system uses a simple of straw and farm equipment capable of 130- to 145-degree Fahrenheit range. two-stage batch compost. First, materials moving large quantities of compost. For Chicken farms have an abundance of are weighed so that an exact "recipe" around $4,500 in material costs, Dutton manure, or "cnke," and dead birds; both can be followed. Manure is layered with built a composter capable of hand ling are sources of nitrogen. And surplus dead birds and straw in a mixture of the 1,000 pounds per day of dead birds straw or hay can provide carbon. one part straw, 10 parts dead birds, and and manure generated by his fa rm. 10 parts "cake" by weight. Then, water With its concrete pad and permanent is added for a moisture content of about frame and roof, Dutton's composter 55 percent. Chemically, this yields a should easily last 15 years or more and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of about 23 to 1 save him about $3,000 per year in and generates temperatures up to 145 incinerator fuel costs alone. degrees Fahrenheit. The batch is turned once before it is used as fertilizer. The process was tested for effectiveness and health implications. 14 EPA JOURNAL Delmarva's broiler houses typically hold 20,000-25,000 birds. Because roughly 55 of every 1,000 do not live to maturity, efficient, sanitary disposal of the dead birds is an environmental challenge. Poulrry D1gesr phoro While more tha n 40 dead-bird technology transfe r vvhen the time is not foolproof. Composting must be composters are c urrently operating, comes. done and m anaged careful ly and Dutton's is the first controlled test Moreover, Region 3 has avvarded the properly." demonstration. If all goes well, it may nation's fi rst non-point source program The Soil Conservation Service in yield a standard model that can be implementation gra nts to Delaware. Maryland is in the process of approving exported to similar farms around the Som e of this money is earmarked to model plans and literature and has country. help farmers develop and implement produced a video tape showing how the Murphy has had requests for better management practices, such as Dutton operation works. information about poultry composting composting, that will help reduce The ta pe is available for $5.00, along from 40 states- in fact, from all of the non-point source poll u tion. In Fiscal with other information, and can be poultry-produc ing states. Alabama, Year 1990, through the Inland Bays obtained from Dennis Murphy California, Louisiana, M ichigan, New program, the Region a lso is directly (LESREC), Route 2, Box 229A, Princess York, and Virginia, as well as Maryland contributing $27,500 to two fo rmal Anne, Maryland 21853. o and De laware, have initiated studies of the composting technique. composting projects through their As Murphy sees it, the m ethod in use cooperative extension services. at the Dutton farm is cheap a nd simple. (Blackburn is a Public Affairs Specialist Because poultry composting appears but further refineme nts are possible. He in EPA's Region 3 Office.) to be a means of preventing pollution, a lso feels that education is needed EPA Region 3 will be assisting with before com posting goes into widespread further work to refine the process and use in the poultry industry. " You can't w ill also assist in the necessary cut corners," he says. "Our m ethodology NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 15 STA TE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Introduction by Sally Shipman ometimes we don't know what we have until v.'e lose resources. In the eastern United States. a locally inspired it. Years ago the air was clean, the creeks clear, and regional board has turned pollution around in one of the Slandfill space plentiful. The environment got scant New Jersey's most popular recreation lakes (p. 24 ). attention. We treated our world as if we had a spare in the Another home-grown solution: A story describes how the closet. state of Oregon worked with researchers and woodstove A recent poll has shown that today the environment is makers to achieve a breakthrough in stove design that people's number one concern. Why? Because we are made possible a national agreement for the control of this finding out the hard way that we cannot lake our natural pollution source (p. 26). resources for granted. The ideas and impetus for solutions indeed are working Can local governments solve their own environmental their way up from the bottom. problems? The answer is yes, states and localities can find Why should localities take the initiative regarding the solutions and they can do so with reduced government environment? As mentioned above, fed eral and stale funds dollars; moreover, they must find their own solutions. are dwindling. Second, when localities solve their own There is definitely a need for "cheerleaders"- people to problems, a sense of civic pride emerges from taking things call attention to compelling problems and motivate other into their own collective hands and finding a solution. The people to take initiative. While neighbors may talk among willingness of people to solve their own problems is an themselves, someone must galvanize people lo take action index of civic pride. Third, who knows better than the to solve a problem. Knowledge is a powerful tool, but residents of a city or community what resources are enthusiasm and commitment provide the impetus for available and what is the most effective and economical action. solution for their particular area? Once a problem has been recognized, the real work Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Do what you can, with begins. Leadership is vital at this point. Leadership is the what you have, where you are." This motto applies to all ability to take action before a problem becomes an challenges that localities face, from the environment to the emergency. Such leadership can come from individuals or economy. Although economic prosperity is certainly a groups and is often a grassroots effort. pertinent issue in today's society, a flagging economy can Money to fix the problem is certainly important. but a be brought back to its feet without enormous long-term committed grassroots approach often can find innovative damage. Once environmental quality is lost, it may be gone ways to use human energies to accomplish the necessary for generations. It is up to us, as individuals and tasks. communities, to protect and continually enhance the For instance, in Austin we are recycling our sewage environment because after all, we have only one world. o sludge as soil for city parkland and playfields. An unused byproduct from one city department has been transferred to another city department to enhance the beauty of our (Shipman is Mayor Pro Tern of Austin, Texas.) parkland for everyone. One of the following articles explains what we are doing and why (p. 21). ln this collection of stories about innovative solutions around the United States, some common threads can be I found. Many environmental problems are solved through individual and group initi atives that save money and protect the environment at the same time-a "win-win" situation for everyone. One such win-win situation is the successful effort of Seward, New York, lo find an affordable solution to a very difficult sewage-treatment problem, culling dollar outlays and pollution at the same time (p. 17). lllustrating the spark of concerned people at the local level, citizens pulled together in Clinton, New Jersey, after many homes were found lo h ave elevated radon levels; local leadership played a strong role, and a high percentage of residents had their homes tested for radon and took remedial steps where necessary (p. 19). ln Queen Vi ll age, Philadelphia, one citizen's inquiry led to an innovative recycling program that thrives on community participation (p. 23). The approach is so effective it is being adopted elsewhere. Meanwhile, as described in another article, a home-grown solution to water scarcity has bloomed in the Los Angeles, California, area where a municipal water district reclaims wastewater for use in irrigation and recycles its sludge as a soil conditioner used in agriculture (p. 28). The district's motto. "total beneficial reuse," seems to speak not only to municipalities but to all levels of government in an age of mounting pressure on vital 16 EPA JOURNAL A New Answer to an Old Problem by Betty Ford he stench of sewage that often absorb and treat the liquid conveyed to children. Residents could not sell their Tpooled in their backyards plagued them through pipes that extended from homes, and most residents saw the residents in the hamlet of Seward the septic tanks. In a suitable soil. situation as an affront to community beginning in the 1950s. The problem: bacteria and oxygen help purify the pride. failing septic systems that served the liquid as it seeps through the soil to the Anxious to improve the hamlet's hamlet's 44 homes, some dating back to ground water. quality of life and restore property 1870. The sewage created not only a The town of Seward repeatedly tried values, local officials in 1986 turned to health hazard but declining property to solve the problem, but high-cost New York State's Self-Help Support values in this moderate-income farming proposals and lack of money stymied System for advice. This pioneer community of 200 residents. The town their efforts. Several temporary grass-roots support program, underway of Seward nestles in the rolling country solutions proved unsuitable. One was since 1983, helps small communities of northeastern ew York, 40 mi les the system in use by 1986: Sewage help themselves. When a town needs to west of Albany. flowed from the septic tanks to open build or improve water or wastewater Most of the problems came not from ditches in residents' back yards, with projects, Self-Help calls for local the septic tanks themselves but from the untreated liquid discharged to West citizens and town employees to perform clogged drainfields constructed in clay Creek. many functions the community soil that did not "perk" well. The Pressure to correct the problem came otherwise would pay outsiders to do. systems, install ed over the years as from the residents themselves. Among The program provides on-site training indoor plumbing came into use, were other things, the open ditches posed and technical assistance to help fa iling because the drainfields couldn't serious health hazards to neighborhood communities perform these tasks. Key to success is a community "spark plug" who assumes responsibility to see that the project is completed. Under the leadership of since-retired Seward Town Supervisor Carl Barbie (the "spark plug" for the project), the community worked with the ew York Department of Environmental Conservation's Diane Per ley for months to come up with an acceptable system and a way to pay for it. Perley, the project's senior engineer and now chief of the department's Self-Help section, provided extensive on-site training and guidance to the town's elected officials, staff, and citizens. Subjects ranged from low-cost wastewater technologies, financing, plant operation, and regulatory requirements on how to set up adequate user-charge systems and form a sewer district. One-on-one training included teaching a local citizen to test the quality of the effluent after treatment. Joining Perley as part of the team was Jane Schautz of the Rensselaerville Institute in Rensselaerville, New York, a private educational and research Seward's town crew built a buried sand-filter sewage system. Users pay an annual fee institution that cosponsors the Self-Help of $250-a marked savings over the estimated $1,250 that another system would have program. Schautz stressed a basic cost each resident. self-help concept: The project needs NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 17 STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Galvanized by state support, virtually the entire community sprang into action. overwhelming community support from The result is a buried sand-filter voice approval and new respect for the preplanning through construction. The system completed in September 1989, hamlet and its people, and parents no community came through. two years after construction began in longer worry about their children falling Galvanized by state support, virtually August 1987. It consists of conventional into sewage ditches. Real-estate values the entire community sprang into eight-inch gravity sewers that lead fro m have increased. Citizens express relief action. Citizens and government units residents' homes to one of four central and a sense of well-being with their donated valuable services and materials. septic tanks. Effluent is conducted from smoothly functioning wastewater system A volunteer newsletter kept community the community tanks through six-inch, and its reasonable user charges. interest alive with detailed reports of small-diameter sewers to six community The town's atmosphere is different, planning a nd design. Schoharie sand-filter beds that cover a total area of too. According to Barbie, Self-Help has County's health department did the 64 feet by 200 feet. Here the effluent is brought the entire community together. sanitary survey and evaluation of treated and then conveyed via six-inch He voices unqualified gratitude to the existing septic tanks and drainfields. A gravity sewers to a central discharge state Self-Help support staff and the local resident s urveyed potential facility point in West Creek. Sand filters are a assistance and encouragement they sites; the two-acre site finally selected proven technology that provide a high provided. was donated by a local bank employee. level of treatment at low construction Perley returns the compliment. "The Residents granted property easements and operation costs. The discharged Seward project shows how government for sewers. effluent exceeds Clean Water Act can work with a community to make a A Soil Conservation Service geologist treatment requirements. wastewater project possible," she says. tested soils of potential drainfield si tes, Self-Help saved the community " It was a pleasure to work with which were excavated by town crews $355,000. with a final project cost of Seward's people because their operating a county backhoe. A local $1 75,000, a 69-percent savings over the enthusiasm and hard work carried the official working with the state originally estimated $530,000 for the project through." DepRrtment of Environmental same project. Instead of the So far, 18 New York State Conservation assessed the project's unacceptable $1,250 annual user charge communities have completed Self-Help likely environmental impacts. including originally projected, user charges were water or wastewater projects, and 37 odors and possible land-use concerns. slashed to $250 a year. Fred Esmond of communities have projects underway. The newly formed volunteer Seward New York State's Department of Since the Self-Help program began, the Sewer Committee, headed by Barbie Environmental Conservation estimates Self-Help team h as traveled the state working with Perley, weighed the most communities, through Self-Help talking with 144 communities who have advantages of various treatment systems participation. can reduce project costs expressed interest in the program. o while sewer district boundaries were by at least 30 percent. Some determined using local tax maps. The communities, as Seward shows, can (Ford is a writer/editor in EPA's Office sewer committee a nd Perley also drew save much more. of Municipal Pollution Control in the up the user-charge system and the Financing came from a short-term, Office of Water.) necessary sewer use ordinance. The three-year interim loan from the New Editor's note: A "Self-Help" handbook committee's work a ll owed the town's York State Self-Help revolving fund is available from the Rensselaerville engineering consultant to produce the financed by the Ford Foundation. As Institute, Rensselaerville, New York preliminary engineering report and the required l:iy the fund, loans must be 12147 (telephone: 518-797-3783). fin al design of the wastewater treatment repaid in full after the project is system at the bargain ost of $7,000. completed. Loan paybacks then go back Barbie estimates the town saved $5,000 into the fund for loans to other to $6.000 in cmgineering fees alone. communities. The community will With technical training from the refinance the project next summer with project's engineer, town highway and funding from either New York"s construction crews built the project and EPA-funded state revolving loan fund or the access road with the town's newly municipal bonds. purchased bnckhoe and a borrowed The stench of sewage is gone now bulldozer, hauling sand and other from residents' back yards in the hamlet building materials. Contracting and of Seward. f\ sense of pride pervades recordkeeping were clone by town stnff. the community as Seward"s neighbors 18 EPA JOURNAL Facing Up to High Radon Levels by Ann Fisher n March 1986, a Clinton, ew Jersey, Many communities have been government agencies were scrambling to Iresident tested his home and found an apathetic about this recently revealed find ways to reduce indoor radon levels extraordinarily high radon level: 1.000 health threat. A few have reacted inexpensively and effectively. o picoCuries per liter (pCi/I, which is a angrily, demanding that the government federal standard had been set below standard measure of radon). He called reduce their radon levels. But Clinton which radon exposures would be the New Jersey Department of confronted and solved its radon considered "safe." Instead. various Environmental Protection. The next day, problems. Its story provides lessons for groups had proclaimed their ovvn safety the state confirmed the reading and communities facing radon or other thresholds, ranging from 2 pCi/l to 30 began testing other homes in the Clinton environmental health threats. pCi/1-all of which are much lower than Knolls development of about 500 The Clinton discovery came only the 1,000 pCi/l found in Clinton's people. Many of the homes had elevated about a year after the public and "discovery" house. levels of this naturally occurring gas government agencies began to be aware Clinton mobilized quickly. Local and that can cause lung cancer, clearly that naturally occurring radon could state officials treated radon as a serious indicating a radon problem in this small build up to dangerous levels in homes. problem and worked together to provide town of 1,900 residents. Scientists were uncertain about just how information and assistance to the dangerous such a level might be, and community. State officials relied a great Hunterdon County Democrat photo deal on Clinton's mavor, Robert ulman, because he ~nderstood the community's concerns. At public meetings ulman provided an opportunity for '\·vhat had to be said," according to state official Donald Deieso, ''and he fully supported everything we were saying." Nulman helped to keep public discussions focused on the facts. In turn, Nulman found his job easier because state officials maintained daily contact, gave him home phone numbers, and briefed him before going to the press. State and local offi.cials were thus able to work together as an efficient team. Officials from New Jersey's Departments of Environmental Residents of the Clinton Knolls Protection and Health held a public neighborhood in meeting with Clinton residents and Clinton, New Jersey, several smaller, "invitation-only" were shocked to meetings with homeowners (to· protect find that the confidentiality). The smaller meetings limestone cliffs on gave neighbors a chance to share their which their homes were built were experiences. The strategy was to keep loaded with radon. Clinton residents informed, because the Test kits were worst enemy is fear of the unknown. distributed at a Their collaboration with the mayor large public helped state officials anticipate meeting; then homeowner concerns-even those not residents lined up to turn in results. Most related to health- and they took them residents have now seriously. For example, neither state had their homes agency's mandate includes property treated and retested values, but part of the reason for with satisfactory confidential radon readings was results. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 19 STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS community concern about property Another reason Clinton reacted so The bottom line is that the residents values. constructively was that official of Clinton calmly went abou t testing Likewise, before announcing which responses were timely. For example, the and reducing radon in their homes. homes would be part of EPA's EPA team examined 56 houses within State officials report that all demonstration project for reducing five days, then reported the results at a homeowners known to have more than radon, state officials carefully explained homeowners' meeting within several 20 pCi/l readings have taken steps to that homes would be selected on the days. Within nine months of the initial reduce their radon levels. Many of those basis of radon levels plus a clearly discoverv, officials announced that with lower initial radon readings also defined list of other variables. Ten radon levels in al l 10 homes in the have taken action. homes were selected, and 20 more were demonstration project had been reduced Regarding property values, there was provided with detailed diagnostics for to less than 4 pCi/l, the action level some initial reluctance to acknov\•ledge reducing their radon levels. The state announced by EPA in August. the existence of a potential problem, also arranged for assessments of homes Mayor ulman willingly shares his followed by a slow-down in sales. in addition to those selected for the own personal experience with radon. However, real estate agents noted that demonstration project. Just after the big wave of publicity about the regional housing market was very The mayor's leadership was radon in Clinton, he was in the process slow during that period, too. Prices complemented by the technica l never really went down, and the market expertise of New Jersey's Department of has rebounded for the entire area. Environmental Protection. In particular, The bottom line is that the There is sti 11 some concern that not Gerald ichol ls, a radiation physicist all Clinton residents potentially at risk with teaching experience, gave residents of Clinton calmly have tested their homes or taken credibility to the team's activities. went about testing and mitigation action if their readings were According to ulman, " He talked in reducing radon in their homes. high. Relatively little information is plain language and brought things to available on just how many tested and our level." Meetings often were took remedial action, because these scheduled for Saturday mornings so that of buying a home. He included a radon procedures were handled privately. people could bring their children testing clause in the purchase contract. In the Clinton Knolls development, instead of having to hire baby sitters. The test results showed 130 pCi/l, where the discovery house was located, That timing also demonstrated substantially above the guidelines then there was much more action than in the commitment on the part of the available. He contacted a noted radon rest of the community. As Cli nton government officials. "People said reduction contractor, who gave him a physicist and reporter Jim Draughtman 'Thank you for coming up here on a mitigation estimate of $900. The seller said, "I think all of us played 'It's a Saturday,'" Nicholls noted. " It was as if of the house agreed to pay for the fixable p roblem' too hard. What we're we had donated something." mitigation , which took less than a day. saying now is that everybody in this The public meetings had two major One step was to seal the sump pump county ought to test; I think we messages. The "bad news" was that opening in the basement. The other step probably should have been saying that radon can be a serious problem. Testing involved drilling two four-inch holes in from the start." kits were distributed at the large public the basement workshop, installing a Mayor Nulman feels that his town has meeting to encourage people lo test for pipe in each hole and a low-energy fan learned that radon is a temporary this problem. The "good news" message to draw soil gases through the pipes and problem, comparable to termites. Most was: You can do something about vent them outside the garage. Retesting Clinton residents have peace of mind, radon ; there are mitigation methods that showed that the radon level had been knowing they are safe because they are affordable and effective Officials reduced to about 1.5 pCi/l. Thus, tested (and took mitigation steµs if their wanted to calm those who seemed Nulman can attest to the fact that radon radon levels were high). He says, overly concerned, yet "vvake up" those is a problem that is fixable and not "That's one crisis that is happily in our who were not taking action. As Mayor especially expensive. past." o Nulman said, "If you don't get your rot everything went smoothly in the house checked. then you should get Clinton case. For example, the reporters, your head checked." not government offi cials, convened the (Fisher is Manager of EPA 's Risk Scientific uncertainties about the first press conference by confronting Communication Program.) extent of the health risk presented a officials outside the mayor's office. It is Editor's note: Readers ore invited to chall enge. Judy Klotz of the Department a delicate balance to decide when to consult Alerting the Apathetic and of Health put the risks in perspective by release information earl y enough to Reassuring t e Alarmed: saying that scientists felt far more satisfy people's need for it , and yet not Communicating about Radon Risk in confident about the ri sks of radon than so early that it will be reversed by more Three Communities (NTIS PB 89- the ri sks posed by many of the data. The media coverage tended to be 148258/AS) and A Citizen's Guide to s ubsta nces in cw Jersey's drinking sensational and included TV interviews Radon (OPA-86-004, August 1986). The water. She also stated ahead of time, in front of homes with "For Sale" signs first document is available from " We can't tell you exactly what your that had been posted before radon there National Technical Information Service, individual risk is ." Mayor Nulman took had become an issue. With 5285 Port Royal Rood, Springfield, a pragmatic perspective: "This is one of encouragement by both the town and Virginia 22161 (telephone: the few environmental hazards that vou the state, however, the media did come 703-487-4690}. The second is available can do something about. Why ignor~ it ? back and report on how Clinton had from EPA 's Public Tnformot ion Center Why not remove all doubt?" solved its radon problem. (PM 211-B), 401 M Street, SW. Washington, DC 20460 (telephone: 202-475-7751 ). 20 EPA JOURNAL Putting Sludge to Work by Maureen McReynolds tanding at Auditorium Shores Park During the spring and summer months. already had some experience with the Sin the mid-summer heat of Austin, numerous festivals and outdoor concerts city's sludge product. Texas, one wonders how the grass has are held at this expansive park site. Austin's Water and Wastewater tility survived at all, let alone withstood the The highlight of the long. hot Austin had begun experimenting with turning impact of thousands of dancing feet. But summer is AquaFest, with its nights of sludge into a beneficial product early in it has survived- with the help of an music, dancing, and good times. Until 1987. The first successful batch of additive called "Dillo Dirt," a soil the schedule was cut back to weekends compost was used to help establish a conditioner and fertil izer produced by only in August 1989, AquaFest was held tree farm at the sludge treatment plant composting sewage treatment plant on 10 consecutive nights, and in its that spring. In the fall of 1987. the sludge. aftermath a dry. beaten wasteland was utility invited the Parks and Recreation Located in the heart of the city, left where the grass used to be. The staff to begin using the newly Auditorium Shores Park is a popular intensive pounding was routinely manufactured compost called Dil lo Dirt. gathering spot for the people of Austin. fo ll owed by extensive irrigation in an The name was suggested by Andrew The park slopes down from the City attempt to reestablish the grass cover. P. Covar, Director of Regulatory Affairs Auditorium, in limestone walled In the summer of 1988, the staff of the and Qual ity Control for the uti li ty, in terraces, to the south bank of Town City Parks and Recreation Department honor of the nine-banded armadillo. or Lake, the portion of the Colorado River made a breakthrough toward easing "dillo." the unofficial mascot of the city that graces downtown Austin. A heavily their maintenance job at the Park. They of Austin. This docile, nondomesti cated used Hike and Bike Trail fo llows the reasoned that the add i lion of a animal, found in rural parts of central shore on both sides of the lake. slow-release. low-percent nitrogen Texas, is fo nd of rooting in ga rdens. It Across the lake from the park, and in fertilizer would not "burn" the lawn in has become a symbol of Austin's clear view, lie the central business the summer heat and coupled with relaxed li festvle, which emphasizes d istrict, the state capitol complex, and watering, would provide the winning enjoyment o( the outdoors. the tower of the University of Texas. formula for "lawn tonic." Since the metal content of sludges is The Park-and-Ride stop for the When Oillo Dirt was selected for this often a drawback for use in vegetated downtown "Dillo" shuttle is nearby. job, the Parks and Recreation staff had areas, the low metal content of the C.ry of Austin photo Following the annual Austi i AquaFest, the landscape of Auditorium Shores used to look a lot like a wasteland Now, with the help of Dillo Dirt, the grass survives the trampling it receives. Dillo Dirt is a soil conditioner and fertilizer made from composted sewage treatment plant sludge NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 21 STA TE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Austin s ludge is a distinct advantage. The mixture of sludge and bulking the University of Texas newspaper, the Utility Pretreatment Manager jack Gatlin agents is formed into piles and arranged Daily Texan, praised the work. The considers the s ludge composition as in six-foot high rows for ease in turning. stage now was set for even wider park evidence of the su ccess of Austin's The temperature of each row is use of the beneficial sludge product. pretreatment program, which limits the monitored daily to ensure that sufficient Staff of both city departments were m etals and other chemicals that can be heat is generated to destroy harmful eager for new opportunities to use the discharged by businesses and industries bacteria which might remain in the compost. The post-AquaFest application into the sanitary sewer. sludge. The composting materials must was a fo rtunate choice. It provided a The Parks staff were impressed but be turned a minimum of five times and su ccessful demonstration project for hesitant. What about public acceptance7 temperature of more than 55 degrees staff of both departments and the What about health safety? "They were Celsius maintained for at least 15 days general public. Since that summer, Dillo pretty concerned," says Compost in order to reduce harmful bacteria to Dirt has been used in many other Manager Jim Doersam. "They minimal levels. Steam rises from the parkland situations. In addition to its envisioned a slimy, smelly sludge. lo piles as the rows are turned with the successful use on Austin city parkland, amount of talking about it or showing auger. Oi llo Dirt n ow is marketed at local them the data seemed to convince them. garden supply stores. Vendors buy the What really did it was a tour of the compost in bulk from the utility for plant." retail sales to their customers. As the Parks staff learned firsthand, The Parks staff were "We are really pleased with Oillo the compost is generated by a complex impressed but hesitant. What Dirt," says Jim Rodgers, Program process of "cooking" the s ludge from about public acceptance? Manager for Metropolitan Parks. "You the sewage treatment process. Sludge is What about health safety? can really tell the difference, at the solid materi al that remains aft er Auditorium Shores, where it was secondary trea tment of wastewater. applied and where it wasn't. We need to Approximately 50 dry tons of sludge are After curing and screening out larger go back and finish the job this year. We transferred daily from Austin's wood c hips, the compost is ready for could take all they make for our treatment piants to a central processing land application. baseball fields and other park areas .. , facil ity. Initially, the sludge is stabilized The Parks Department cautiously When asked about the in large ta nks that operate in the began experimenting with Dillo Dirt in decision-making process that led to absence of oxygen (anaerobic digesters). landscaped areas of the parks system in using Dillo Dirt as fertilizer in the parks, The concentra tion of volatile materials 1987. The first test was at the Rose Rodgers remarked with a smile: "It's is reduced during this phase; also Garden. Doersam recalls that the local cheap, it 's organic, it's got some reduced is the potential problem of health department was also concerned nitrogen, and , frankly, when the Water attracting nuisance insects and animals, when the compost was first used in the and Wastewater Utility staff said they such as rodents, when the s ludge is parks. "They came out and watched the would deliver and spread it, that did turned out into drying basins. Rose Society apply the first compost. the tric k! " o When the sludge leaves the digesters, and that made everyone nervous ' " says it is still fairly liquid. It is then air-d ri ed Doersam. But fears began to subside as in open conc:rete bas ins, where it is the flowers thrived. (D r. McReynolds is manager of Water Quality and Environmental turned or mixed on a regular basis by a The next big test of the compost came Assessments for the Austin, Texas, tractor-mounted horizontal auger. As it when the citv's soccer fields were dries, the sludge begins to thicken. Once treated in the summer of the foll owing Wate r a nd Wastewater Utility.) an adequate density has been e1c hi eved, year. Parks and Recreation staff were about 50 percent of the sludge is concerned about the acceptability of the applied for agri cultural use on land n ear treated s ludge in play areas of the parks. the drying basins. The ideal time for testing the product Dry uulking agents are added to the was al the end of the soccer season remaining sludge to begin the actual when active outdoor recreation was composting process. The bulking agents already limited by the summer heat. used by Austin are all waste products A farm manure spreader was used to which might otherwise be sent to the deliver rn easu red quantities of sanitary la ndfill. They cons ist primarily compost'ed sludge to the fi elds. The of wood c hips fr om the tree trimming compost was then worked into the fo r electric: utility power line clearance existing soil and watered. Positive work. results were evident within two '"'eeks. Soccer enthus iasts were delighted. Many commented on the mild, musty In Philadelphia's Queen Village, odor the first couple of days aft er community spirit has made appli cation, but there were no genuine block-corner recycling successful. Block coordinators complaints. Newspaper reporters fo r the find residents who are willing to sports section of the largest daily in have their street corners used Austin, the .A.merican-Statesman , and as pick-up sites each Saturday. Then reminder signs are posted. EPA JOURNAL A Neighborhood's Creativity by Robert W. Pierson, Jr. and Gregg Sekscienski lyce Campisi was committed to curbside-collection (house-to-house) of newspapers, glass, and aluminum A recycling. Her Queen Village recycling programs for certain city cans for several hours every Saturday neighborhood in Philadelphia had a neighborhoods. The city was interested morning. recycling, drop-off project that collected in the block-corner pickup program and Coordinators are also responsible for recyclables every Saturday at a local agreed to supply a city truck and crew distributing start-up flyers and schoolyard. Residents dropped off their to the neighborhood twice a month on follow-up reminder leaflets on their glass, aluminum cans, and newspapers Saturday mornings. In December 1985, blocks. The reminders continue for four at the school, and the neighborhood bi-weekly, block-corner pickup began. to six months-until the recycling habit group sold the recyclables to National It was a success. The first collection "takes. " The recycling committee Temple Recycling Center. The money route serviced 12 blocks. Within a few provides these publications to the block generated from the sales was used for months, 46 blocks and 1,200 homes coordinators. Committee members also other neighborhood projects. were participating in the neighborhood's write articles about recycl ing- including But Alyce had a problem. She was voluntary recycling effort. By 198 7. 100 schedules and tonnage reports-for the elderly and needed help hauling her tons of recyclables per year were being monthly community newsletter. recyclables to the school. So she called collected. And in October of 1989, the The block leaders and residents are the Queen Vi ll age Recycling Committee. collection was increased from bi-weekly the backbone of the program, but the A committee member suggested that to weekly. cooperation among the residents. the Alyce take the recyclables to the corner The success of this community's Queen Village Neighbor's Association, of her block; the committee would be home-grown recycling program stems and the city has added to the glad to send someone to pick them up. from an effective social network among block-corner program's success. The Alyce told the committee that other the residents of the neighborhood. Each program has been successfully people she knew had the same problem. block must have a block coordinator. implemented. with the city's assistance, The committee had an idea: maybe Among other things, the block in six other Philadelphia routine block-corner collecting of coordinator is responsible for finding a neighborhoods. recyclables would make more sense corner resident willing to tolerate a pil e Queen Village's recycling program is than operating a centralized drop-off also more efficient and less costly than project. That way, people could simply curbside, house-b ·-house pickup- the take their recyclables to the nearest most common form of municipal street corner instead of making a trip to recycling today. The block-corner the school. collection crew picks up 730 pounds of The committee contacted recyclables per labor hour (travel time Philadelphia's new recycling office, to the buyer included). The hourly yield which had just started organizing pilot, in the city's curbside collection program NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 23 STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Take It Up with the Board! by Bud Cann is 180 pounds of recyclables. This translates into a per-ton col lection cost for block corner pickup that is one-fourth the cost of curbside recycling. The block-corner method's high efficiency is the result of the far fewer stops required. The truck stops only once for the 30 to 150 homes assigned to each corner. During the several-minute stop, the driver can help load the recyclables. In curbside collection, the driver only drives; others do the loading. Block-corner coll ection makes full use of a crew's labor potential. And there are tangible benefits to the community. With its recycling income, the Queen Village Neighbor's UMI phoro Association has awarded block-improvement grants for tree parkling blue water. Excellent residents began to stress the lake and its planting, community garden fencing, Sfi shing. Fresh mountain air and surrounding watershed. Water quality and a park planning and maintenance beautiful sunsets. Located in northern declined as lake cottages, with septi c program. The grants, averaging $500 New Jersey, Lake Hopatcong is easily systems designed for intermittent each , provide a visible payoff to accessible for residents of the Northern summer usage, were converted to recyclers for their participation. ew Jersey-New York City metropolitan year-round residences. In addition, new Block-corner recycling may not work area. construction increased dramatically. everywhere. But in Queen Village and Ironically, the same features that Roads and stormwater drainage systems other Philadelphia neighborhoods, it is make the largest fresh-water lake in were expanded w ithout much a proven success. New JersP.y such a popular treasure led consideration for their impact on the to its near-demise as a recreational environment. A detailed handbook on setting up a water body. But a regional planning As earl y as 1959, Lake Hopatcong block-corner recycling program is board has been able to reverse this trend. showed signs of increased weed and available for $5 from Robert W. Pierson, The 2,700-acre lake and its environs algal growth. Chemical herbicides were Jr., at Rogers, Golden, & Halpern, Inc., have long been a popular destination. used to clear the way for fishing and 1216 Arch Street, Philadelphia, At the turn of the century, wealthy boating. Fish ing clubs and community Pennsylvania 19107. o socialites, avid fi shermen, and others associations became concerned over the seeking respite from city life traveled to visible decline in water quality. the lake for recreation. There were But jurisdictional boundaries and lack (Pierson is a senior planner with the day-trip excursion trains from New York of a cohesive approach presented planning and engineering consultant City and Jersey City; lakefront hotels signifi cant obstacles to action. The firm of Rogers, Colden, & Halpern in accommodated those who wanted to shoreli ne of Lake Hopatcong cuts Philadelphia. Sekscienski, a journalism stay longer. through fo ur municipalities: Hopatcong student at the University of Maryland, Later the automobile brought Borough, Jefferson Township, Mount is a n intern with EPA Journal.) increasing numbers of visitors and Arlington Borough, and Roxbury This art icle is adopted, with permission, residents to Lake Hopatcong, especial ly Township. The la ke itself is bisected by from a longer, copyrighted article that aft er nearby .Interstate 80 provided a two counties, Sussex and Morris. And appeared in the October 1988 issue of high-speed link to cities and jobs. the State of New Jersey owns much of Waste Age. Ultimately, the area became a Northern the la ke bottom. Thus, management of New Jersey-New York metro politan area the la ke as a natural resource required suburb. the agreement of four municipalities. Not surprisingly, pressures from two counties, and the state of ew increasing numbers of visitors and Jersey-a formidable bureaucratic task. 24 EPA JOURNAL Modern weed harvesters cut down on the herbicides needed to curb the underwater growth in Lake Hopatcong. Enter the Lake Hopatcong Regional management tools to reduce current Department of Transportation, Sussex Planning Board, formed in 1962 to loadings and minimize future County, and Hopatcong Borough. address the problems of Lake Hopatcong deterioration of water quality. The mechanical harvesting of aquatic and to begin seeking answers to those Individual municipalities were weeds has also been successful. The problems. Its members were appointed encouraged to manage land use within project has resulted in dramatically by the respective jurisdictions that have their boundaries to reduce impacts on decreased use of herbicides in the lake a vested interest in the lake. Current the lake. The result was a friendly and has the widespread support of Lake members include: a local businessman competition in which municipalities Hopatcong residents and visitors. More who is an expert on water chemistry, a tried to outdo each other in than two million pounds of vegetation representative of the area's marina management and restoration initiatives. are mechanical! harvested from the operators, an attorney with special At this point, with a published and lake each year; this also removes expertise in environmental and formally accepted plan, the regional approximately 10 percent of total municipal law, and a town councilman. planning board won a second grant from annual phosphorous load. The board has no paid full-time staff. To There have been other successes. get things done, it relies largely on the Working with member municipalities, resources of member governments. The result was a friendly the board has promoted Initially, the board made slow competition in which environmentally sound management progress, but even in the early years it municipalities tried to outdo practices that apply to new construction provided an important fo rum where each other in management projects within the watershed. The problems could be discussed. Then. board has also successfully sponsored a with the passage of the Clean Water Act and restoration initiatives. number of new or revised municipal and EPA's Clean Lakes Program, the ordinances, such as critical-area zoning pieces began to fall into place. for sensitive areas like flood plains and In 1982, the Lake Hopatcong Regional EPA's Clean Lakes Program fo r the wetlands. For new construction projects Planning Boc1rd applied for and was purpose of implementing provisions of around the lake, minimum setback awarded EPA funding to conduct a the plan. Not all of these grant funds requirements have been established. diagnostic study of Lake Hopatcong. were used because local funds were Fifteen years ago, none of the The study results indicated that 80 made available, and the engineering municipalities had such regulations. percent of the nutrient input to the lake plans originally outlined in the grant Progress has a lso been made in came from stormwater run-off and proposal were substanti ally expanded. controlling septic system inputs to the septic system leachate; the rest came However, the award provided crucial lake. Funds from Housing and rban from a variety of sources. impetus in the implementation of a plan Development (HUD) block grants have As part of the report, a restoration and that quickly exceeded its original been given to local residents to repair or management plan was developed which bounds replace fa iling systems. r\ permit system included a combination of specifi c Proceeding with the implemen tation has been proposed for the regulation of remedial measures together with phase, the board initiated a pilot individual septi c systems. institutional arrangements for d ealing stormwater control project and The Lake Hopatcong Regional with all of the water-q uality problems of purchased two aquatic-weed harvesters Planning Board deserves credit for Lake Hopatcong. The plan, which to be used in Lake Hopatcong. The pilot taking on a large, complicated task that stressed the importance of coordination stormwater control project qui kly otherwise would have gone undone. among the seven governmental entities expanded into a complete Their stewardship has paid off in the involved, provided the framework for a reconstruction of the stormwater system conservation of a very important local successful Lake Hopatcong restoration in the designated area. The Borough of resource. o project. Hopatcong and Sussex County increased The plan also stressed local the scope of an existing road repair involvement as critical to success in project to include constructi on of a improving and maintaining water series of small underground detention (Cann is Lakes Management quality in Lake Hopatcong. Local zoning basins fo r passive stormwater treatment. Coordinator with the New Jersey and planning were high lighted as key This work cost roughly $500,000 and Department of Envi ronmental was jointly funded by the New Jersey Protection.) NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 25 STA TE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Answering a Burning Question by John F. Kowalczyk or the last three years, woodstove air-tight woodstove design, credited by noticed a rapid worsening in particulate Fsales in Oregon have been restri cted some to the Fisher Stove Company, air quality levels at numerous to units certified as meeting stringent appeared. This design had the ability to monitoring sites throughout the state. At air-pollution control requirements. On totally restrict the combustion air first this was puzzling. A downward July 1, 1990, a similar nati onal program supply, thereby providing even longer trend had been expected due to will be implemented by EPA. burn times between refueling. substantial restrictions imposed on Since when have woodstoves, It also provided increased heating industrial emissions as a result of long-time friend of humankind, required efficiency because it s lowed down th e federal Clean Air Act requirements. stringent pollution controls? How did passage of combustion gases through the State-of-the-art airshed studies were the necessary woodstove stove. The air-tight woodstove launched to identify the cause of the pollution-control technology develop? particularly appealed to the public problem. With the aid of the Oregon How well do the new coPtrols work? beca use the stove's restricted heat Graduate Center, a chemical Throughout civilization, wood has output allowed it to be used like a "fingerprin ting" technique was been a primary heating source. Wood is central furnace that did n ot overheat the developed to trace the particulate back still abundant in the Un ited States, modem weatherized home. to its origin. where about 33 percent of the land area Unfortunately, the air-tight woodstove The results of this effort were at first is forested. with every state having some s ubstantially increased air pollution unclear. Much of the chemical forest land. Wood remains inexpensive compared to its predecessors. This went constituent of the p articulate appeared in most parts of the world. and in unnoticed by air-polluti on regulatory to be a tar-like substance of organic contrast to many consumer items, it is a agencies for a time, as did the massive carbon similar to that of cigarette renewable resource. increase in sales of air-tight stoves as a smoke. Industrial and commercial fu el The technology of wood heating has result of the world energy crisis in the combustion was first suspected, but evolved slowly. Open fires outdoors mid-1970s. carbon dating, now being used as an gradually evolved into open fi res By the late 1970s, the Oregon analytical technique in air pollution indoors and eventually into open fires Department of Environmental Quality studies, indicated the material was from indoors within a fire protection shell. a non-fossil fuel. Wood was the only The latter, the so-called fireplace. is still possible source. Oregon's large wood a traditional fixture for aesthetic and products industry was then suspected, recre;1tional purposes in many modern but after extensive emissions inventory houses. work, the unbelievab le became A major development in wood heating believable: Residential wood heating was occurred in the m id-18th century when found to be the largest source of Benjamin Franklin invented the particulate emissions in most urban freestanding metal fireplace commonly areas of the state. known as the Franklin stove. This In less than a decade, increased design offered longer burn time between emissions from residential woodstoves refueling because of a somewhat had more than negated reductions restricted combusti on air supply and achieved through ind ustrial control. On increased heating effi ciency (compared some high-pollution days in Oregon to fireplaces) because of its several communities, chemical fingerprinting exposed metal surfaces. Modern testing attributed more than 70 percent of the has indicated that the Franklin stove particulate in the air to wood heating. was about 30-percent heating efficient, Air-pollution problems from or six times more efficient than residential wood heating were soon fireµlac:es, which average about identified in other areas of the United 5-percent effi ciency. States, from last-frontier cities in Alaska Woodstovcs fo ll owed the basic to plush ski resorts in Co lorado. Almost Franklin design through the 19th and well into the 20th century. Then in the The new generation of woodstoves, mid-1960s, the villain of air pollution illustrated in this cut-away drawing, emits 50 to 70 percent less particulate matter than appeared. About this time, the so-called did the older, air-tight stoves. 26 EPA JOURNAL Wood smoke hangs over an Oregon community Particulate emissions from residential woodstoves will be substantially reduced in Oregon and elsewhere by certification programs now being implemented. as quickly as the problem was Blaze King of Walla Walla, Within a half-decade, a new identified, efforts sprang up to discuss Washington, and Jotul of orway generation of woodstoves was and study it. Early on, there was a developed the first of a new generation developed, marketed, and incorporated certain skepticism about the extent of of woodstoves that reduced particulate into state and federal regulatory the problem, and the prospect of emissions from 50 to 70 percent programs. This seemingly impossible regulatory action was compared to the average air-tight stoves. task could not have been achieved controversial-almost as controversial as This work was aided by Corning Glass without the voluntary and highly gun control in some circles. Works, the largest manufacturer of motivated efforts of researchers, First efforts of the Oregon Department automotive pollution control catalysts, laboratories, stove manufacturers, and of Environmental Quality to deal with when one of their engineers took a regulatory agencies. To date, more than the woodstove problem centered on catalyst home and successfully adapted 250 woodstoves ha\'e been certi fied. development of a standard emissions test it to his woodstove. Even woodstove manufacturers in procedure so that the relative emission Heating efficiency of the new foreign countries saw opportunity in the performances of different stove designs generation woodstoves increased as certifi ed woodstove, and at least 1 7 could be accurately identified. Such well, up to about 75 percent, and foreign models have been certified from efforts had not been pursued in the past, chirnney fire-causing creosote d eposits countries including ew Zealand, and the little emissions test data that were also substantially reduced. The Germany, and Italy. existed were not comparable. latter was important to consumers and Has the woodstove air-polluti on With the aid of an EPA grant and the insurance companies, since along with problem been solved by certification? In help of OM I Environmental Services, a the astronomical increase in woodstove contrast to the motor-vehicle industrv. small industrial emissions-testing firm , air pollution, there had been an almost where representative vehicles are tested a suitable test procedure was developed. corresponding increase in serious an d for certification after 50,000 miles. Testing conducted by OMNI and others even fatal home fires related to woodstoves are tested for certification as revealed some startling fa cts about woodstoves. brand ne\"-' commodities. Researchers woodstoves. Air-tight units, being more The rest of the story follows the and regulatory agencies are interested in heating-efficient than their traditional regulatory approach in terms determining the performance of certified predecessors- they are about 50-percent of pollution-control efforts. In 1983, the stoves in the home. A practical and efficient-emitted particulate at a rate Oregon legislature authorized the accurate test method has been up to six times higher than conventional nation's first certifi cation program fo r developed, and results from three fireplaces, and up to three times higher new stoves, with a goal of solving separate stud ies indicate that certified than Frankli n-type woodstoves. woodstove pollution problems in an stoves are achieving roughly two-thirds Nationally, more than 12 million effective and publicly acceptable of their certi fi ed reduction in emissions. households were found to have manner and regaining airshed space for Lack of durability in cri tical stove woodstoves, and sales had rapidly industrial growth and development. components has been a major factor in grown to about one million units per Some other state and local this subpar perfo rmance. year by the early 1980s. Apart from the governments adopted the Oregon Regulatory agencies and woodstove issue of particulate emissions, this certification program or promoted industry representatives are talking meant that residential wood heating cleaner-burning stoves with tax credits about the prospect of developing a accounts for most of the carcinogenic or low-interest loans. Finally in 1986, stress test to weed out durabilitv polycyclic organic emissions from all under legal pressure from the Natural problems. Whether th is effort needs to stationary sources in the nation. Resources Defense Council to regulate be incorporated into a rngulatory When the alarming facts about polycyclic organic matter, EPA agreed to program remains to be decided. woodstoves became known, the develop a national woodstove Woodstoves may never be the woodstove industry took action to begin certification program using a fast-track innocent companions they once were, solving the problem. A fe w regulatory negotiation process. At th is but through collaborative efforts of manufacturers in this relatively small point, the Wood Heating Alliance. the many individuals and organizati ons, a cottage industry [totalling some 300 national woodstove trade association, fri endship has been rekind led. o manufacturers in the United States) saw took the unexpected but welcome great business potential in the marketi ng approach of supporting a national (Ko walczyk is Air Planning Manager for of cleaner-burning appliances. certification program. th e Oregon De partment of Environmental Quality .) NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 27 STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS Applying the Conservation Ethic by William D. Ruff ike many parts of California, the Not only water, but also all treated Lgreater Los Angeles area lacks a local sludge generated by the Tapia facility is water supply. Water to meet daily needs beneficially recycled. The sludge is used is purchased from the Metropolitan as a soil conditioner on a 91-acre farm Water District of Southern California. site at Rancho Las Virgenes, two miles This water is imported, through north of the Tapia plant. With the help aquaducts, from northern California, of a tractor, a subsurface injection where its source is melted snow. method is employed to introduce the Water has always been a limited sludge into the soil. Crops grown in resource in California, and droughts are these sludge-enriched fields include cyclical occurrences. Thus, as corn, oats, and barley for fodder, as well population continues to ;ncrease in as sod. most areas of the state, it is difficult to Currently, the Tapia plant draws overstate the i m parlance of water wastewater from an area of conservation and recycling. As early as approximately 120 square miles that includes western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County. Among the Eventually, the district hopes users of the treated, reclaimed water to sell 100 percent of its from the Tapia facility: Calabasas Park for its golf course and greenbelt areas reclaimed water. and the nearby cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water 1928, the state constitution encouraged Las V1rgenes Municipal Water D1stnct photo District encourages customers to use water reclamation efforts. More recently, reclaimed water by keeping its cost at in 1977, the state legislature passed a 75 percent of the cost of potable water. law that prohibits the use of drinking beneficial reuse," and in 1988 the Tapia Moreover, large new developments are water for irrigation where suitable fa cility was a regional and national required by the district to install dual "reclaimed" water is available. winner of EPA 's "award of excellence" water systems with separate pipes for Located in northwestern Los Angeles for its achievements in the beneficial potable and reclaimed water; the County, in the Santa Monica Mountains, recycling of treated effluent. reclaimed water is then used on the the Tapia Water Reclamation Facility is Twenty-four years ago, the Tapia premises for landscape and ornamental owned and operated by the Las Virgenes Water Reclamation Facility started out purposes. For comparatively large Municipal Water District and its Joint with a capacity to process about 500,000 developments, the district will provide Venture Partner, the Triunfo County gall ons of sewage per day. Currently, support by putting up 50 percent of the Sanitation District. As its name implies, the plant is capable of transforming 10 cost for a system to deliver reclaimed the fa cility specializes in the million gallons daily into water that is wastewater. Smaller customers are reclamation of wastewater for purposes suitable for irrigation. This water meets eligible for loans which can be repaid other than drinking waler and the the stringent standards for body contact over an extended period of time along recycling of sludge as a soil conditi oner set by the California State Department of with their water bills. for use in agriculture. Its goal is "total Health Services, and it is While the demand for reclaimed environmentally safe for use not only in water tends to vary with the seasons, agriculture but most landscape and overall reclaimed water sales and use ornamental settings. have increased significantly in recent Basically. the process used by the years. Eventually, the distri ct hopes to Tapia Water Reclamation Facility is an sell 100 percent of its reclaimed water. accelerated, augmented version of nature's own process of cleaning and recycling wastes. In addition to biodegradation, filters and disinfection are used to help ~he process along. 28 EPA JOURNAL Surrounded by state and cou nty park It is an understatement to say that Tapia' s reclaimed water is safe for lands and rural properties, the Tapia people are excited about the return of agricultural, landscape, and ornamental plant is situated in an environmentally steelhead trout to Malibu Creek. The uses. sensitive area. A stream that runs district is working with representatives adjacent to the plant flows of the Fish and Game Department and approximately two miles through state the State Parks system to develop a park grounds to the Malibu Lagoon, method of storing wastewater during ultimately discharging into the Pacific at winter mon ths. The purpose of this Surfrider's Beach. project is twofold: to come up with a For the past six years, the pl ant has reservoir system that would enable the been discharging its excess treated district to store reclaimed wastewater wastewater into Malibu Creek, which for subsequent use as needed and to would otherwise be dry in some parts maintain a relatively consistent water for much of the year. Since then, level in Malibu Creek. o steelhead trout have been sighted by residents, and these sightings have been confirmed by environmentali sts and the (Ruff is Water Reclamation Fish and Game Department. After Superintendent at the Tapia Facility .) an absence of about 20 years, the trout are starting to spawn again upstream in Malibu Creek. NOVE MBER/DECEMBER 1989 29 INDUSTRY INITIATIVES Introduction by Tom Tomaszek n April 22nd, 1990, we will celebrate the 20th Then there are articles about firms that have cracked anniversary of Earth Day. some very tough environmental problems: In orth 0 This international event will help bolster our Providence, Rhode Island, a jewelry-making firm, Fernando awareness of how fragile our home, the Earth, really is. Originals, found a way to recycle all of its heavily Already, a feeling of social responsibility is being instilled contaminated wastewater, ending the need to pre-treat its in all of us regarding the environment and the role we wastes before discharge into the public sewer system and must play in preserving it. putting its regulatory compliance headaches behind it (p. If we fail to take charge of our environmental problems, 35]. In Westley, California, the privately owned Modesto it has become apparent that our lives and those of future Energy Project has put into operation a system to convert generations will be grossly altered. The change will not be used auto tires into productive energy, effectively for the better. addressing one of the nation's most stubborn solid-waste This feeling is not limited to environmentalists; industry problems (p. 37). And I mentioned earlier the article about is also concerned. There is no denying that sustaining and Plastics Again, w hich is processing and marketing used improving the environment must become an industry goal; plastic food-service disposables (p. 32). otherwise, industry simply will no longer be able to Then an article about the big clean-up strides at the achieve its profit potential. Mcintosh, Alabama, plant of CIBA-GEIGY, a large chemical If industry fails to take a leading role in helping to producer- illustrates an important lesson for all of us: In preserve the environment, its day-to-day operations will be this environmental age, industry can turn its image around, heavily affected by two factors: regulatory agencies and from the impression of foot-dragging to a new role as consumers. partner and, yes, pace-setter, in achieving environmental Concerned over the fate of the environment, government goals (p. 41]. o has pa sed increasingly stringent anti-pollution statutes and regulations aimed at diminishing the risk of environmental damage caused by industry. As a (Tomaszek is Manager of Recycling Operations at Plastics consequence of these regulations, many companies have Again.) been prompted to play a more active role by incorporati ng environmental goals into business strategies and plans. Concurrently, consumers have begun to demand social responsibility from industry by supporting those businesses that have taken the initiative on environmental preservntion. As a result, many industry leaders have entered this new environmental era as active participants in helping to improve our environment. My own firm, Plastics Again, is dedicated to making a viable business opportunity of re ycling disposable polystyrene food-service packaging as an alternative to our current method of d isposal: landfilling. Admittedly, we are affecting only a very small aspect of the environment. But if we all work together toward a better world, surely we will achieve this goal. You are about to read a number of case studies of companies that have taken the initiative on particular environmental problems, without being " leaned on" by government agencies. I'm sure you will find these case studies to be thought-provoking and enjoyable. Furthermore, I believe you will draw the same conclusions that I have: Industry is made up of concerned citizens whose home. like yours and mine, is planet Earth. Therefore, increasing numbers of them arc making honest efforts to make our home a better place to live. The cases include both small firms and large ones- no one has a corner on taking the initiative to protect the environment. You will find an art icle obout One-Hour Fireweed Cleaners. a dry-cleaning firm, located in r\laska, thot has developed a system to stop generating pollution (p. 31]. You will also find a piece about Clairol's California plant, where the managers have taku11 steps not only to control but to eliminate waste, adopting the goal of "zero discharge" (p. ~'l9). These two examples reflect the approach called "pollutio11 prevention"- preventing pollution before it is generated. 30 EPA JOURNAL The Enemy Isn't Us by Jocelyn H. Woodman t a meeting of the League of Women It should be understood that dry A Voters in Anchorage, Alaska, the He had always considered cleaning is not really "dry" since the topic under discussion was himself to be a community process relies on a solvent (rather than environmental protection. "Dry cleaners minded businessman .... water) as a means for cleaning clothes. are the enemy," someone said, or words The most popular dry-cleaning solvent to that effect. is pernhloroethylene (perc), commonly The remark caught George Kelly by used in machines that resemble surprise. His name badge proudly impacts of its own operation on the front-loading clothes washers. There are identified him as then-vice president of environment, and second, to take steps two main types of "perc" units. The One-Hom Fireweed Dry Cleaners. to alleviate those impacts through waste dry-to-dry unit is the more modern type, Moreover, he had always considered reduction and emissions control. in which clothes are cleaned and dried himself to be a community-minded One-Hour Fireweed is a small business, in the same unit. In the dry-to-v» et unit, businessman, certainly not a polluter employing 28 people. Fortunately, the garments are cleaned in the unit but who had earned a negative image. company had set some money aside for dried in a separate machine. This incident of five years ago expansion purposes; these funds were Both types of unit have filtering prompted the management of One-Hour diverted as an investment in pollution systems that continuously clean the Fireweed, first, to take a hard look at the prevention. solvent. Nevertheless, the dry-cleaning process generates waste perc in liquid form from the '"'ashing operation and also in the form of a gas during the dryi ng operation and when machines are opened. Traditionally, One-Hour Fireweed used carbon fi lters in each washing machine to purify the liquid solvent. When the fi lters were exhausted . they had to be disposed of. Because they were saturated with solvent, tbev were classified as hazardous ""aste. Iri 1\ laska. there are no approved hazardous \Na ·te management facilities; therefore. wastes have to be shipped out of slate. al considerable expense lo the generator (approximately $600 per 55-gall on drum). One-Hour Fireweed was disposing of approximately two 55-gallon drums of spent filters each month. In the past, air from the dry-cleaning room was passed through large carbon absorbers to remove perc. When the absorbers were saturated, they were cooked down and perc \-Vas reclaimed. However, reclamation of perc in the process of cooking down the spent absorbers was not ver efficient. Moreover, the absorbers are only about 70-percent eff ective at removing perc Traditional dry-cleaning operations generate waste in both liquid and gas form. from the air, and if they are not changed One-Hour Fireweed has devised methods to cut hazardous waste to zero and save promptly when satura ted. this money by reusing the solvent. NOVEMBER/DECE MBER 1989 31 INDUSTRY INITIATIVES Turning Throwaways into Opportunity by Tom Tomaszek percentage drops dramatically. The wastes off-site, not including the labor n the spring of 1988, two major uncaptured perc is vented to the saved on paperwork, recordkeeping, and Iplastics producers and a suburban atmosphere, a practice that not only is other expenses. Massachusetts school system embarked harmful to the environment but also The steps taken by One-Hour upon a major recycling experiment to expensive to the company, considering Fireweed did require some commitment determine whether recycling could be a the cost of solvent. (A 55-gallon drum of of capital for a sizable payoff. However, viable disposal alternative for used perc costs around $370.) the company testifies that little things polystyrene cu ps, plates, and trays. At The air-emissions problem was can add up to big savings in the stake were the future use and growth of remedied by installi ng an "aziotropic " dry-cleaning business. Solvents used in plastics for food-service packaging. cleaning unit in the dry-cleaning room dry cleaning are reactive and tend to America's growing solid-waste crisis al a cost of $12,000. Aziotropic rust pipes. Regular maintenance, has made it clear that disposable plastic conditioning sucks the air from the incl uding inspection for leaks and food service containers no longer can be room and filters it through water. This repair of pipes and gaskets, can save treated as garbage and added to other moisture-laden air holds perc vapors, considerable expense. trash in municipal landfills. To seek a then is cooled to condense the vapors to What's more. local zoning laws are solution to the problem, Genpak liquid. When in liquid form, the perc beginning to exclude businesses with Corporation of Glen Falls, New York, sinks and can be separated from the undesirable air emissions in certain and Mobil Chemical Company of water and recycled. This closed-loop areas. To combat the rising costs of raw Stamford, Connecticut, joined forces to system eliminates emissions completely materials, waste disposal, and experiment with recycling plastic by capturing all the perc in the air and liability- not to mention negative public food-service disposables made from reusing it. perception- it is advantageous for small foam polystyrene (often mis-identified The filter waste problem was businesses to actively pursue pollution as "styrofoam," a trademark of the Dow somewhat more difficult to remedy. prevention. o Chemical Company). It was a good Because the filters constituted match: Mobil Chemical brought its size, hazardous waste, disposal costs were its resources, and its technology to the very high. However, if the perc could be (Woodman is an Environmental experiment; Genpak brought its removed from the filters, they would be Engineer in EPA 's Pollution Prevention packaging expertise, its market position, classified as non-hazardous waste and Office.) and the flexibility and agility of a could be disposed of in a municipal smaller organization. landfill. A product was sought to Both companies make some form of remove the solvent from the carbon such foamed plastic products as fi lters but was not available. food-serving trays, bowls and cups, After much trial and error, One-Hour meat trays, and the fast-food take-out Fireweed designed its own containers often cited as major causes of filter-cleaning system. This filter-drying municipal waste stream glut. Both unit basically cooks the perc out of the companies already routinely recycled carbon filters and captures it; 99.98 their manufacturing scrap, so the basic percent of the sol vent is recovered. The technology for recycling polystyrene filters now can be disposed of as was in place. There was ready ordinary trash, without the burden of opportunity to begin recycling discarded hazardous waste designation. Further, polystyrene materials if consumers solvent is reclaimed from the filters and could be persuaded to separate such is reused rather than discard ed. products fro m other disposables. These two systems have resulted in Beyond this big if were other zero discharge from the facility. Annual challenges: to create the infrastructure savings on solvent alone came to about needed to collect and transport the $10,000 three years ago. In addition, discards to a recycling plant; to adapt savings between $10,000 and $15,000 a the technology to recycling year were realized on shipment of source-separated used polystyrene; and, finally, to place the recycled materials into high-volume, high-value, end-product markets. 32 EPA JOURNAL --- Encouraged by positive public reaction to the possibility of recycling the polystyren e fo od-service items, the two companies launched a joint venture to determine the feasibility of meeting these challenges. Some kind of p ilot project was in order. Since school cafeterias use large quantities of plastic food serviceware, they were prime candidates for testi ng the source-separation concept. The critical question: would students really separate the recyclable polystyrene trays, bowls, cups, and cutlery from other cafeteria waste, if given the opportunity? The Lexington, Massachusetts, school system volunteered to be an initia l test site. To gain the enthusiastic cooperation of the students, a special source-separating station was designed that would make the egregating of recyclable food serviceware fun to do and recycling just as easy as discarding. At this unique station, used trays were stacked in a way that allowed effi cient collection and storage. In addition, Plastics Again, an experi mental recycling fi rm created for the pilot project, hired a training specialist to present a short course on the solid-waste crisis and how students could become part of its solution through recycling. This presentati on really turned the stu dents on to the program. Within a week, recycling had become the lunchroom norm. In addition to cutting cafeteria waste by almost half, this program also educated students to the importance of source-separation as an element of the overall recycling effort , since the same idea applies as well to the recycling of paper, aluminum, and glass. Having shown that people woul d support recycling by source-separati ng their discards, the program engi neers next had to come up with efficient, cost-effective ways of transporting the From the sorting 11r1e, dirty plastic is fed into the grinding•washing unit. recyclable discards from the collecti on point to the recycling plant. Fortunatelv, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 33 Il\JTIUSTRY INITIATIVES a collection infrastructure already centrifugally, then the remaining \.-.•ater combs, insulation board, and loose-fill existed within the recycling industry, so is mechanically squeezed out. The protective packaging. The market is there was no need lo create an chopped, clean foam is tumble-dri ed in unlimited. nnd the only restriction on expensive new fleet of company-owned hot air and collected in a large bin for the use of recycled materials is that the trucks. Many states, including further processing. The d ry foam is Food and Drug Administration has not Massachusetts, have collecti on systems recycled in the same way as yet sanctioned their use fo r d irect food in which trucks are routinely manufacturing scrap; it is melted and containers. dispatched to collect recyclable filt ered in its molten state to remove Since Plastics Again is a regional discards, s uch as beverage cans and any solid debris, stretched into long facility and cannot serve the needs of bottles, cardboard. and offi ce paper, on strands by an extruder, cooled, and other densely populated regions of the a regular schedule. The routes travell ed formed into rigid , pea-size pellets which country, the plant- together with its by these trucks brought them close to are boxed and readied for market. technology and the experience gained sites where high volumes of Because there was already a built-in over the last 18 months-has been sold source-separated polystyrene could be market for recycled manufacturing to the National Polystyrene Recycling collected. It made sense for the pilot scrap, finding a market for recycled Company (NPRC). This company was project to piggy-back this existing used materials proved to be our easiest formed by the eight major domestic collection network. manufacturers of polystyrene resin: In addition, the program engineers felt Amoco, ARCO, Chevron, Dow, Fina, that participants would be willing to All of the present production Huntsman, Mobil, and Polysar. NPRC collect the used polystyrene feedstock capacity is sold out; the plans to replicate the Leominster model and store it until they had accu mulated in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, sufficient quantities to warrant a normal demand far outweighs the and Philadelphia by the end of 1990. pickup, provided they could do so supply. Looking further ahead, the company without serious problems. It was hopes to develop a national network of decided that if a school coll ected a recycling facilities so that consumers minimum of four cubic yards of objective. Several manufacturers throughout the country can recycle their feedstock, source-separated and bagged , contacted us about purchasing the disposable polystyrene materials. NPRC it would be coll ected at no charge to recycled pellets, not only because they has set the goal of recycling 250 million them. At this point, the recycling effort were slightly less expensive than new pounds of polystyrene food service made dollars as well as sense, since the material but because growing numbers disposables annually by 1995. This school cafeterias wou ld save up to 50 of consumers were seeking products represents over 25 percent of the percent of their normal waste-disposal made from recycled materials and available market. costs. would actually pay a premium for them. This ambitious goal cannot be Once the problems of All of the feasibility studies, cost achieved without the support and source-separati on, coll ection, and analyses, technology research, and willing participation of businesses, transportation were solved, the focus of process development came together restaurants, and school cafeteria the project turned to the technology with the creation of the first Plasti cs managers- and their customers. The needed to convert the used food Again recycling facility: a solid-waste crisis is very real. serviceware into valuable, marketable 21 ,000-square-foot plant in Leominster, Separating foamed polystyrene drink afterproducts. which is strategically located in central cups, hamburger containers, and other For years Genpak and Mobil have Massachusetts, making it easy for the polystyrene products is a contribution recycled clean manufacturing scrap , so company tu service all of New England everyone can make in battling the the only new technology needed was a and eastern New York State. With the nation's solid-waste problem. o process step that would wash the fo od successful completion of the permitting residue from the recyclabl e polystyrene, process, Plastics Again began a step that turned out to be more commercial operation in June 1989. (Tomaszek is Manager of Recycling complicated than expected. After n few Al present, Plastics Again collects Operations far Plastics Again in false starts, the engineers found that recyclable feedstock from more than 80 Leominster, Massachusetts.) adding tempered water to the machine schools and industrial cafeterias. Among that chopped the used polystyrene its sources are john Hancock Insurance, would dislodge residunl food debris, but Wang Laboratories, Litton-Itek, and development of a successful washing Travelers Insurance; recently the technique led to a new problem: drying company began a massive consumer the chopped material. The porous separation project that w ill involve polystyrene acted like a sponge during every McDonald's restaurant in the washing, making drying very difficult. It Northeast. In addition, pilot programs took months of research and are underway with area Kentucky Fried experimentation to solve the drying Chicken restaurants. problem. All of the present production capacity The process that was developed is sold out; the demand far outweighs begins with coll ecting, inspecting. and the supply. Plasti cs Again has feeding used food-service discards into successfully used its feedstock to a unit that chops and washes the manufacture a variety of utility and polystyrene. The µlastic is dried commodity items such as re-usnble serving trays, office desk accessories, 34 EPA JOURNAL Eliminating Those Regulatory Headaches by Thomas Uva he arragansett Bay Commission facility from about 13,000 to just under Commission were scheduled to take Toperates the Fields Point Wastewater 10,000 gallons by installing flow effect in 1987. and without an Treatment Facility, located in restrictors on the rinse tanks. Finallv, end-of-line pretreatment system. Providence, Rhode Island. This they installed a pH neutralization - Fernando Originals was 1i kely to exceed secondary activated sludge treatment system to prevent the discharge of those standards. plant receives approximately 64 million acidic wastewater into the se\\'er In 1987. Fernando Originals installed gallons per day of residential and system. an additional nickel-plating tank in its industrial wastewater discharged from Through these modifications. electroplating department and four large homes and businesses in the cities of Fernando Originals achie\'ed full vibratorv machines. u sed to smooth and Providence, North Providence, Johnston, compliance with the EPJ\'s clean metal. These additions left and small portions of Cranston and metal-finishing standards then in effect. Fernando Originals with only one way Lincoln, Rhode Island. However, more stringent, local to achieve compliance with fedt'lral and In 1981, almost one million pounds of standards set by the arragansett Bay local discharge standards: installation of heavy metals were discharged to the Fields Point plant from local industries. By 1984, the Commission- which was formed to upgrade and run the Fernando 0flg1~als photo treatment facility and help protect the water quality of the Narragansett Bay into which it discharges-began its Industrial Pre-treatment Program to control the discharge of toxics into the sewer system. The first step: rigorous enforcement of existing federal and local discharge regulations. This would affect approximately 130 electroplating and metal-finishing firms, including Fernando Originals, Ltd. Fernando Originals, located in North Providence, is a metal-finishing facility that manufactures fashion and costume jewelry. The company performs all aspects of the jewelry manufacturing process, from rubber mold casting of the metal to boxing the finished product. Following an initial inspection in 1985, Fernando Originals was required to conduct wastewater sampling. These sampling results indicated Ion exchange noncompliance with existing EPA columns at standards. Fernando Originals, In response, the company made a jewelry-making firm, remove significant changes to their existing pollutants and equipment. They designed a system for return clean water their electroplating process I in es to to rinse tanks. return rinsing solutions known as "drag-out" back into their plating tanks, thus reducing the need for an end-of-line pre-treatment system. They reduced the daily water use of the NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 35 INDUS1RY INITIATIVES an end-of-line pre-treatment system. November, less than three months nfter Originals' conventional pre-treatment In early 1988. the firm installed a the meeting. And it was effective. system was in place, the hazardous conven\i~nal, continuous-flow system The owners of Fernando Originals w aste disposal cost was approximately for pre-treating wastewater prior to also decided to expand the size of their $1 ,800 per month. The monthly sewer discharge. An electrolytic fa cility when they install ed the hazardous waste disposal cost increased recovery unit was also installed to pre-treatment system. The size of the to approximately $3,000 once the '·zero recover copper metal from drag-out plating department was increased as discharge'' pre-treatment system was tanks to reduce copper loading to the new nickel-plating tanks were put into installed, but this increase was pre-treatment system. service with the already existing plating primarily due to the increase in the size Once this pre-treatment equipment tanks: acid copper, cyanide copper, of the plating and vibratory was installed, Fernando Originals gold. silver, rhodium, and chrome. The departments. Fernando Originals has achieved compliance with established size of the vibratory department was since installed a filter press to reduce discharge standards most of the time. doubled so that greater vol um es of the volume of waste shipped off- site for However, the system was very metal could be smoothed in preparation disposal. This reduced disposal costs to temperamental and for electroplating. less than $1 ,000 per month. maintenance-intensive. On occasion, the Davis and DiPippo weren't sati sfied firm still exceeded discharge with recycling just the wastewater from limitations, often due to technical There are no more monthly their electroplating and vibratory problems: a faulty pH probe or a reports to submit, productivity processes. T hey went one step further malfunctioning c hemical metering has increased, and plating and installed a chiller to recvcle the pump. On these occasions, the company cooling water used in the fa ~ i l ity' s received letters from regulatory agencies efficiency has improved. trichloroethylene degreaser and freon threatening possible enforcement action drier. The degreaser and drier used and fines for violating discharge approximately 6,500 gallons of water standards. This increased size of the plating and per day. ow this cooling water is Jn addition lo struggling to maintain vibrating departments has meant entirely recycled. compliance with discharge standards, increased productivity for Fernando These gentlemen had heard all the. Fernando Originals was required to Originals. All process rinsing at this rumors about reusing water in plating routinely submit pH monitoring reports, firm is now done in specially purified rooms. They had heard about the compliance monitoring reports, solvent water. This reduces the percentage of possible cross-contamination problems management plans. and spill control items that have to be reprocessed. And and the likelihood of poor quality plans. It was also required to keep although the size of the plating and finishes on the plated products. But records pertaining to their pre-treatment vibratory department increased. water they successfully solved those problems system a11d plnnt operations. use dropped from 10,000 ga llons per and now know such recycling is Motivated by the desire to put day to 200 gallons per day. The water possible with good engineering. compliance hendaches behind him, was now being recycled within the ingenuity, and old-fashioned American Albert Davis, president of Fernando system. The 200 gal lons make up for know-how. Originals, took n high-risk chance, and evaporative losses nnd drag-out returned Installing the "zero discharge" system it paid off in a big way. In short, to plating baths. has paid off in many ways fo r Fernando Fernando Originals now recycles all the A major concern of recycling the Originals: Water and sewer-fee savings process wastewater used in its facility water used in the plating process is of 16,500 gallons per day from reducing a nd no longer has a process discharge to cross-contamination. Fernando flow, a d ischarge permit fee savings of the sewer system. Originals' rinse tanks have their own $853 per year, and analytical fee savings fn August 1988. Davis and his vice ion-exchange systems to avoid of approximately $1,500 per year. There pres ident, Antonio DiPippo, met with cross-contamination problems. are no more monthly reports to submit. Thomas Brueckner, Pre-treatment Cross-contamination would ruin each productivity has increased. and plating Program Manager for the Narragansett plating tank. by mixing the organic efficiency has improved. /\nd the Bay Commission, and me to discuss compounds from one process with those owners and workers can now get n good their plan to recycle all pro .ess from another- for example. night's sleep because there is no need to wastewater. At the meeting. th e designer nickel-plating orga nic compounds worry about paying fines for violating of Fernando Originnls' recycling system. contaminating the copper-plating tank. the standards. On top of a ll that. the Dr. Donald Kemp, of Kemp Associates. a The system developed by Fernando people at Fernando Originals have a Massachusetts consulting firm, Originals recycles water within each good feeling about having done their explained a pre-treatment system that plating process. Each process recycles part to help the environment. would employ va ri ous existing only its own wnter. so water from the The successful example of water technologies. such as ion -exchange. nickel-plnting tank. for example, never recycling at Fernando Originals has not evaporation. solids settli11g, filtration, has a chance to contaminate the gone unnoticed. The company received cyanide oxidation, a nd pH adjustment. copper-plating process. the 1989 EP/\ Environmental Merit Following that meeting, we were The pre-treatment process removes Award for Region 1. Moreover. ma ny skeptical. but hopeful. that the system waste- known as regenerant- from the manufacturing firms in the Providence would vvork. tanks and concentrates the waste in an area are installing similar "zero Fernando Originals' pre-treatment evaporator. It is then disposed of as discharge" systems, and so m uch system vvas installed and operational by hazardous waste. When Fernando interest has been raised on the subject 36 EPA JOURNAL of industrial wastewater recycling by the local manufacturers that the Meltdown for a Tough One Narragansett Bay Commission plans to hold a seminar on this subject soon . by Gregg Sekscienski Due to vigorous enforcement of its standards, the Commission estimates that only 142,254 pounds of metals will be d ischarged to its Fields Point Wastewater Treatment Facility in 1989. This is a reduction of 85 percent since 1981 . With further recycling efforts similar to that achieved by Fernando Originals, we hope to reduce total metals loadings by an additional 20 to 50 percent. o ver the past 20 years, an immense, Tire piles pose serious environmental Oinky black sea has formed in the and public health threats. For example, green , grassy hills of Northern mosquitoes breed at 4,000 times their (Uva is Senior Sanitary Engineer with California. The sea is not a natural natural woodland setting rates in the the Narragansett Bay Commission .) phenomenon; it exists because of stagnant water that collects in tire piles. America's love affair with the But the greatest danger of a tire pile is automobile. People drive cars and cars that it will catch fire, burn need tires. And old tires have to end up u ncontrollably. and pollute the ground somewhere. and atmosphere. A tire pile containing In Westley, about 90 miles east of San an estimated seven million tires caught Francisco, an estimated 40 million used fire in Winchester, Virginia, in 1983. It tires have ended up in the country's burned for eight months. Emissions largest tire pile. The tires are piled 15 to from the fire were visible 200 miles 20 feet high and completely fil l a away. EPA spent $1.2 million under the quarter-mile-w ide rolling canyon for Superfund program to contain and nearly a mile. Although this remove the oily residue created by the 800-million-pound pile of used tires is burning tires. the nation's largest, ti re piles are The tires in the Westley, California, common throughout the country. The pile are also burning. but with a ti re industry estimates that two to three difference. They are being burned as billion used tires are stored in tire piles fuel in the only "\'\'hole-tires-to-energy" somewhere in the United States. And plant in the country, and the world's the used tire population continues to largest. The $40 mil lion Modesto Energy grow. Each year over 200 million more Project, owned and operated b ' the used tires are added to the piles. Oxford Energy Company through two Enc Sander photo. Gamma L1a1son What do you do with 40 million tires? The Oxford Energy plant in Westley, California, burns them and recycles the by-products of the combustion and emissions-control process. The plant meets California's air quality requirements. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 37 INDUSTRY INITIA TNES subsidiari es, began operation in 1988. The project can cleanly burn 4-1 /2 million tires per year, providing power to 15,000 households. Tire-derived fuels have been tried on a smaller scale elsewhere in the world, but the Modesto Energy Project is apparently the first to operate successfully on a large scale. A few critical factors are working in favor of the Modesto project. First, a The project can cleanly burn 4-112 million tires per year, providing power to 15,000 households. Oxford Energy Company photo 40-million-tire stockpile ensures the otherwise harm air quality. gases with a lime mist to remove sulfur plant a 10-year s upply of fu e l. Second, The tire-combusti on ch amber is compounds. producing gypsum. California's Alternative Energy Law located at the bottom of an 80-foot-high During the incineration and filtering rewards plants that produce power from boiler. As the tires burn. their energy is processes, waste by-products are alternative sources by guaranteeing released as heat. This heat turns the created. These materials are separated long-term revenue for the energy. And water running through pipes in the and reused. For example, steel slag that third, recovery methods for the boiler walls into high-pressure steam remains from the steel belts and wires by-products of tire combustion allow The steam is forced through a turbine, in the tires is sold to the cement much of the waste to be sold and used spinning it. A generator linked to the industry. The particles that the in other ways, instead of landfilled. turbine produces power: power that is baghouse filters out- call ed baghouse The whole-tires-to-energy process sold to the Pacific Gas & Electric ash- are mostly zinc oxide, w hi ch can be used by the Modesto project is a high ly Company, one of California's largest used for zinc production. The complex process first developed in West public utilities. The steam, after passing scrubber-produced gypsum is used as an Germany in the early 1970s. Enhanced through the turbine, is piped through a agricultural supplement. and refined, it ensures complete cooling system. It condenses to water The Modesto Energy Project is turning combustion of the tires. The process and is returned to the boiler to be an environmental h azard into an starts with a computer. The computer heated again. environmental success, supplying weighs the tires, then feeds them into The plant uses three pollution control energy and reusable goods by recycling the plant's combustion chamber at a systems to reduce emission levels. At a previously wasted and undesirable peak rate of 800 per hour. Here the tires the top of the combustion chamber the resource, the tire. And it does so within are in inerated by 2,500-degree rising gases from the tire incineration California's air quality gui delines, Fahrenheit heat. (Tires produce about are injected with ammonia. This considered among the strictest in the the same amount of heat, pound for reduces the amount of nitrogen oxides nation. pound. as high-grade coal and have released to the atmosphere by As long as the love affair between three times the energy value as converting them to nitrogen and water. Americans and their cars continues, municipa l solid waste. ) Although the Nitrogen oxides would otherwise used tire disposal will remain a average tire ignites at 600 degrees F, the contribute to "smog." The emissions problem. The Modesto Energy Project is 2,500-degree temperature is needed to then pass through a fabric filter one approach to solving that problem. o completely incinerate the tire and "baghouse." removing 90 percent of the destroy dioxins, furans, and fine particulates still in the gases. (Sekscienski, a journalism student at hydrocarbons- by-products of the Finally, the gases flow through a the University of Maryland, is an intern combustion process that would "scrubber." The scrubber mixes the with EPA Journal.) 38 EPA JOURNAL Why Not Zero Waste? by Jocelyn H. Woodman hen it comes to hair-care products The rinsewater from subsequent rinses W (hair color, hair spray. is more diluted and can go down the shampoo-you name it), Clairol is a drain to the municipal sewer. household word. Clairol products are Because a great deal of raw material manufactured by blending chemicals in and final product was being discarded batches, and they are bottled on-site. All with the wastewater, Clairol referred to equipment must be thoroughly rinsed the waste as " liquid gold" to emphasize between batches to avoid the amount of money being thrown "cross-contamination" among products, away. For instance, when the cost of and this generates large quantities of purchasing city water was added to the wastewater. value of discarded product and the Clairol's plant in Camarillo, charge for hauling wastewater off-site, California, handles about 20 percent of the total cost for each gallon of waste its national production volume, requiring off-site disposal came to employing 79 people. In 1985, when the $33.00. local disposal facility was abruptly The manufacture of Clairol's arious closed to liquids, the Camarillo plant hair-care products begins when 20 was producing an average of 1,000 different raw materials are unloaded gallons per day of waste rinsewater that into storage tanks. The chemicals then Waste tires can be required disposal off-site. As a are transported through 5,000 feet of transformed into an excellent, high-BTU consequence of the closing, pipe to a mixing area where the fuel. The W estley transportation and disposal costs products are blended in mixing tanks. plant burns up to skyrocketed from $0.25 to $1.50 per From here, products are piped to 800 tires per hour. gallon. The company was thus holding tanks, where they await The resulting power confronted with the need for a packaging. Bottling in plastic containers is sold to the Pacific waste-reduction program; to remain is the final step. Changes were made at Gas & Electric Company. competitive in the industry, it was each stage to reduce the amount of necessary to come up with an waste. innovative program to deal with the Transfer pipes used in the first phase waste problem. of the operation to unload chemical In January 1986, Clairol's Camarill o shipments into tanks must be cleaned plant adopted a "zero-waste program" between chemicals to prevent aimed at eliminating off-site disposal by contamination. The old way of doing 1991. All employees were encouraged to this was simply to run water through participate in the program, and each the pipes and let it spill onto the flo or. process was studied for its contribution Since the floor became contaminated to the waste stream. with chemicals, the fl oor was then An inventory of the plant was rinsed, and all the rinsewater washed conducted, and sources of waste were down the drain. identified in every operation. Most of This clearly required more water than the waste is created in the rinsing of necessary to get the job done. The pipelines and mixing equipment. The system was modified to direct the first rinse of a piece of equipment rinsewater into a container rather than generates wastewater that is highly onto the floor, thus eliminating the need contaminated with the chemical. This to wash down the floor. This simple water cannot be washed into the change saved 87 gallons per day of municipal treatment system, so Clairol contaminated water. must pay to have it disposed of off-site. Other changes were made in the mixing area, where Clairol's 200 different fo rmulas are blended. Procedures were more strictly enforced NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 39 INDUSTRY INITIATIVES as to the duration rinse sprayers could waste in the filling operation. Scrap be left on, alcohol cleaning solutions plastic is sold to a recycler who makes used, and other routine acti vities. plastic piping and other products from Batches of dye were run in "shade it. sequence," meaning that I ight-colored Total waste generation has dropped batches were followed by dark batches, more than 70 percent since 1985, saving or batches of a single color were run the company more than $500 million. together so the tanks required less The only capital outlay was for the foam rinsing in between. The net reduction of ball cleaning system , w hich quickly wastewater in this operation was 168 paid for itself. Furthermore, the gallons per day. concentrated wastewater that sti II must After the product batches are made, be disposed of is being sold to an oil the materia l is piped to a holding tank recycler who blends it with other to await bottling. T he piping and tanks components and sells the blended must be kept very clean to guarantee the mixture as bunker fuel. The Camarillo purity of the product. Previously. the plant accomplished all of these improvements without compromising the quality of the product. Total waste generation has Clairol solved its waste disposal dropped more than 70 percent problems at Camarillo primarily by since 1985, saving the motivating em ployees to examine and improve their operations, and there may company more than $500 be a lesson in this. Improvising a million. waste-reduction program based on understanding the way people do their jobs, and the many ways in which waste lines were flushed with large quantities is generated, can be extremely effective. of water; this wasted all the product Clairol has demonstrated this strategy that adhered to the inside of the pipes, with its "low tech" approach to and an innovative system was combatting waste. o developed to reclaim it. The new system uses a foam ball propelled through the pipe by air to (Woodman is an Environmental collect product from the wall of the Engineer in EPA's Pollution Prevention pipe; basically, the material is pushed Office .) through the line and reclaimed al the outlet. Some rinsing is done as a finishing step. This system , w hich cost $50,000 to install, has reduced waste by 395 gallons per day and saved $240,000 per year. Finally, the product is transferred to the packing area. Because bottles are filled and then labelled, a defect may be discovered on a label after it is already glued onto a bottle. Originally this meant that the whole bottle had to be discarded, inc luding its contents. A different glue was substituted and the labelling system changed so that, when necessary, bottles can be relabeled when they are full. Further cost reduction was accomplished here. The fa cility manufactures these plasti c bottles on-site, and the "zero waste program" a pplies to this process as well. The number of defective bottles. such as those with pinholes, has been reduced, cutting clown the amount of 40 Thinking Environmentally by John Mincy arlier this year. ClBA-GEIGY's • If waste reduction or recycling is not As these programs moved forward, EMcintosh, Alabama, plant (a primary possible, biological treatment or certain patterns of change emerged. site for pesticide and specialty-chemical high-temperature incineration is used to Such changes included: tightening production for almost 40 years) was destroy wastes, wherever feasible. operating controls; improving the selected as winner of a local Audubon manufacturing processes themselves; • Land disposal is used only as a lost Society award for environmental and developing fundamentally new resort. achievement. What did the Mcintosh processes or technology. Examples of plant do lo earn this award? Among This strategy got its start when specific waste-reduction achievements other things , since the late 1960s, we company management launched an made within the framework of the have been working on the development intensive review of waste-reduction plant's action programs include: of methods to curtail the output of opportunities. Each of our units was waste that requires treatment. required to carry out and document in • Eliminating many of the wastes in the A three-part strategy is the basis for detail a review of every manufacturing production of fluorescent brighteners achievements in environmental process from the standpoint of potential intended for use as detergent additives management at our Mcintosh plant. waste-reduction options. They were • Reducing or eliminating wastes in • Wherever possible, waste streams are then asked to develop and implement non-manufacturing processes: for reduced or recycled at the source in the both short- and long-term acti on example, eliminating spent solvents manufacturing process. programs to reduce waste-especially at from maintenance painting the source. CIBA GEIGY phoro Specially equipped backhoes inject pulverized " quick-lime." a stabilizi ng agent, into wet sludge. This ma kes the sludge so lid enough to be compacted and removed. to the new above-ground lan dvault at CIBA-GEIGY's plant in Mcintosh, Alabama. 41 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 INDUSTRY INITIATIVES • Refining the process of production for technology at the Mcintosh plant boasts Alabama woodland, where deer, turkey, syntheti c dyes. resulting in less waste an above-ground 1andvault designed quail, and other species abound. We and higher yield. with leak-detection systems. have also been in the forefront of efforts As part of the plant's efforts to control to preserve th e Eastern Bluebird, an CIBA-GEIGY Mcintosh is parlicul 42 EPA JOURNAL Appointments Elliott Wilcher Clay Martin Virbick E. Donald Elliott is the new The n ew Assistant Deputy Assistant served as an FBI Supervisory General Counsel of EPA. The Administrator for Water Administrator for the Office Special Agent. He joined the General Counsel is EPA's top is LaJuana S. Wilcher. of Air and Radiation. From FBI in 1971 as a Special lawyer. Wilcher previously served 1981 to 1986, Clay was the Agent. He is currently on the Elliott has been a law at the Agency from 1983 to Director of the Office of board of directors of the professor at Yale Law School 1986 as a Special Assistant to Toxic Substances and served Federal Lav• Enforcement since 1981. From 1976 to the General Counsel and as one year as the acting Training Center in Glynco, 1980, he was an associate an assistant to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Georgia, and '\•Vas a past with the Washington, DC, Administrator. From 1986 to the Office of Pesticides and president of the National law firm of Leva, Hawes, 1989, Wilcher was a law Toxic Substances during that Association of Federal Symington, Martin, and partner with Bishop, Cook, time. Investigators. Oppenheimer. He has taught Purcell, and Reynolds in Prior to joining EPA, Clay An alumnus of the at the Georgetown University Washington. DC, specializing held several other University of Maryland and Law Center and the in environmental law and senior-level management Kings College, Martin is also University of Chicago Law litigation. positions 'l·vith the Consumer a member of the President's School. Wilcher served as Special Product Safetv Commission Council on Integrity and Elliott served as a clerk to Assistant to the General and the Food, and Drug Efficiency, the Society of U.S. District Court Judge Counsel at the U.S. Administration. He was Former Special Agents of the Gerhard Gesell from 1974 to Department of Agriculture in awarded EPA's FBI. the International 1975 and to U.S. Circuit 1983. From 1980 until 1983 Administrator's Award for Association of Chiefs of Court judge David Bazelon she was a litigation attorney Excellence in 1983, the Police, and the Association of from 1975 to 1976. He was a with the la\N firm of Presidential Meritorious Government Accountants. He University Fellow of Reynolds, Catron, and Executive Rank Award in was awarded the ::V1eritorious Resources for the Future and Johnston in Bowling Green, 1987, and the Distinguished Executive Award in 1985. currently serves as Vi ce-Chair Kentucky. During the Presidential Rank Award for of the American Bar summers 1974 to 1978, she continuing excellence in EPA's new Deputy Inspector Association Administrative worked as a government management in General is Anna Hopkins Law Section's Committee on Naturalist/Interpreter at 1988. Virbick. Separation of Povvers. Mammoth Cave National Clay is a registered Virbick served as Acting A 1970 graduate of Ya le Park in Kentucky. professional engineer and Deputy Inspector General University, Elliott earned his Wilcher earned her holds two degrees in from August 1988 to August law degree in 1974 from Yale bachelor's degree in biology chemical engineering from 1989, and as Assistant Law School. He has been a from Western Kentucky Ohio State University. Inspector Genernl for consultant for the Carnegie University in 1977 and her Management and Technical Commission on Science, law degree from Salmon P. John C. Martin has been Assessment from 1986 to Technology, and Chase College of Law, reappointed by President August 1989. She joined Government, the Federal Northern Kentucky Bush as Inspector General of EPA 's Office of Inspector Courts Study Committee, and University in 1980. EPA. General in 1983 as Director the Administrative Martin has served in the of Technical Services Staff. Conference of the Unitec.I Don R. Clay is the new same position since 1983. He Prior to joining the Agency, States. Assistant Administrator for was Assistant Inspector Virbick served in the the Office of Solid Waste and General for Investigations at Department of Housing and Emergency Response at EPA. the Department of Housing Urban Development's Office Clay has been the acting and Urban Development from of Inspector General. She Assistant Administrator for 1981 to 1983. the Office of Air and From 1976 to 1981, Martin Radiation for the last year. Previously, he served as NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1989 43 Belaga Hanley Strock Wayland began her federal career in House of Representatives and The new Assistant Robert H. Wayland III is the 1965 as an auditor with the was Assistant Minority Administrator for new Deputy Assistant U.S. General Accounting Leader from 1976 to 1982 Enforcement and Compliance Administrator for the Office Office. and Deputy Majority Leader Monitoring at EPA is James of Water. Virbick is a member of from 1982 to 1984. While S. Strock. Previously , Wayland was EPA's Human Resources serving, she was instrumental Strock served at EPA the Deputy Assistant ouncil and Chair of the in developing Connecticut's previously as a Special Administrator for EPA 's Office of Inspector General's coastal area management Assistant to the Office of Policy, Planning, Human Resources Council. laws, safe d rinking water Administrator from 1983 to and Evaluation. From 1985 to She earned a bachelor's laws, hazardous waste 1985. He joined the U.S. March 1987, he was a Special d egree in business management service, and the Office of Personnel Assistant to the Administrator odministration at West state's Resource Recovery Management as General and Deputy Administrator. Virginia Wesleyan College, a Authority. Counsel in 1988 and served Wayland jo ined the Agency master of public Belaga earned h er as Acting Director for May in 1974 as a congressional administration degree from bachelor's degree in and June of 1989. liaison. He was awarded American University, and o education from Syracuse From November 1986 to EPA's Gold Medal for master of educati on degree University in 1951. She January 1988, Strock was a Exceptional Service fo r from Marymount University. ta ught elementary school in Senior Associate of the fo rmulating and successfully She is also a graduate of Quincy, Massachusetts, in Denver law firm of Da vis, pursuing en actment of the Harvard Univers ity's Senior 1952 and 1953. Graham, and Stubbs, Federal Pesticide Act of Managers in Government counseling on environmental 1978. Progrnm. Edward J. Hanley is the new law, litigation, a nd Prior to joining EPA, Deputy Assistant administrative a nd legislative Wayland was a legislative Julie Belaga is the new Administrator for the Office representation. assistant to Congressman Regional Administrator for of Administration a nd Strock worked on the staff Charles M. Teague and Region 1, headquartered in Human Resources of the U.S. Senate assistant to the general Boston. Management. Subcommittee on manager of the ational Belaga is currently an Since 1984, Hanley served Environment and Public Transportation Safety Board. adjunct lecturer on p ublic as Director of the Office of Works as Special Council, is A 1972 graduate of George policy al the Kennedy Informati on Resources a member of the Board of Washington University, he Grad uatc School of Management. He jointed EPA Advisors of "Toxics Law served on the staff of Senator Government at Harvard in 1979 as the Director of Reporter,'' and is an adjunct George L. Murphy fo r four University and was a Fellow Management and Agency fellow of the Center for years while in school. of the Institute of Politics at Services. Strategic and International the Kennedy School of Hanley was President of Studies. He earned his Government in 1987. Sh e has Manor Home Center, Inc., bachelor's and law degrees worked as a television from 1976 to 1979. From from Harvard niversity and consultant and political 1970 through 1976, he was a did post-graduate work at analyst at WTN J-1 , an ABC-TV Vice President and Partner of Oxford University. affiliate in New Haven, Lewin Associates, Inc., an Connecticut. energy and health-care From 1976 to 1986, Belaga consulting firm. served in the Connecti cut A graduate of Colgate University of a bachelor's degree in political science, Hanley fi rst joined the federal government in 1965 as a Presidential Management Intern with the Post Office Department. 44 EPA JOURNAL AN'< VOLUNTEER? ? CANS 60 Tl1€t'{~. STYROfD~ M DV€R. H€1Q.E I TIRES AND SATI£~,e~ •c&Ei~E'~. ~~W5PA~S AND LAW~ tLIPPJNbS IN 8100€6RADA&~ I PIA~TIC.S HERE, NutLE~~ ~STE ANt:> t-\OSPITAL TN~H SEPAAAT£ ... AND VDU, ~~O~b MAN,A~t I~ CH~R!t ~ All 1"€ DISPOGABL€ t>IAPERS • Par Maffln ca1toon. Back Cover: A winter scene. Pnoro bv Steven Hassu1