Enviro-Check, a new program at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), limits environmental liability for organizations that are making a good-faith effort to investigate and correct violations. Enviro-Check empowers businesses and facilities to verify proactively that they are meeting environmental requirements with a third-party assessment. Many states have similar programs; for our blog, we use Enviro-Check as an example.
There are four steps to participate in the Enviro-Check program:
Step 1 – Notify WDNR 30 days before an audit
Step 2 – Conduct Audit within 365 days of application submittal
Step 3 – Submit Report within 45 days of completing the audit
Step 4 – Take Corrective Action within 90 days of a report
Enviro-Check and guidance in other states are beneficial anytime but are especially useful when there are changes at a facility, such as staff or management turnover, replacing equipment or expanding the operations, buying or selling a business, or when new federal or state rules or regulations are announced.
Benefits to your business can include:
SCS Engineers’ environmental compliance teams have experience in air, stormwater, wastewater, solid waste, hazardous waste, spill prevention programs, and emergency response plans. Our auditors and engineers participate in a range of auditing scenarios from single program gap analyses to full environmental compliance audits. Our staff of environmental professionals can help you:
To learn more about how you can have SCS as your third party assessor for WDNR’s Enviro-Check or a program in your state, contact
About Wendell Minshew: Wendell is a Senior Project Manager in our Sacramento office. He has over 30 years of engineering experience. He specializes in civil engineering services in the planning, design, permitting, and construction management of solid and hazardous waste facilities. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in California and Nevada.
And an amazing photographer!
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are receiving increasing attention from regulators and the media. Within this large group of compounds, much of the focus has been on two long-chain compounds that are non-biodegradable in the environment: PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). Long detected in most people’s bodies, research now shows how “forever chemicals” like PFAS accumulate and can take years to leave. They persist even when excreted through urine. Scientists have even tracked them in biosolids and leafy greens like kale. Recent studies have linked widely used PFAS, including the varieties called PFOA and PFOS, to reduced immune response and cancer. PFAS have been used in coatings for textiles, paper products, cookware, to create some firefighting foams and in many other applications.
Testing of large public water systems across the country in 2013 through 2015 found PFAS detected in approximately 4 percent of the water systems, with concentrations above the USEPA drinking water health advisory level (70 parts per trillion) in approximately 1 percent (from ITRC Fact Sheet.) Sources of higher concentrations have included industrial sites and locations were aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) containing PFAS has been repeatedly used for fire fighting or training.
Source identification is more difficult for more widespread low-level PFAS levels. For example, in Madison, Wisconsin, PFAS have been detected in 14 of 23 municipal water supply wells, but the detected concentrations were below the USEPA’s health advisory levels for PFOA and PFOS. A study of potential PFAS sources near two of the Madison wells identified factories, fire stations, landfills, and sludge from sewage treatment plants as possible sources, but did not identify a specific source.
With the EPA positioned to take serious action on PFAS in late 2019 and 2020, regulators in many states have already started to implement their own measures, while state and federal courts are beginning to address legal issues surrounding this emerging contaminant. State actions have resulted in a variety of state groundwater standards for specific PFAS compounds, including some that are significantly lower than the USEPA advisory levels. These changes mean new potential liabilities and consequences for organizations that manufacture, use, or sell PFAS or PFAS-containing products, and also for the current owners of properties affected by historic PFAS use.
Questions for manufacturers, property owners, and property purchasers include:
If remediation is required, a number of established options to remove PFAS from contaminated soil and groundwater are available, including activated carbon, ion exchange or high-pressure membrane systems. On-site treatment options, including the management of reject streams where applicable, are also available.
Do You Need Help?
Need assistance with PFAS or have an idea that you would like to discuss? Contact for more information.
Use these resources to explore more about PFAS each is linked to helpful articles and information.
SCS Engineers welcomes Mark Pearson, P.E, to the firm’s environmental engineering practice. As a Project Director, he and his team will provide water and wastewater engineering and consulting to public and private entities in the region and the U.S. from SCS’s Overland Park office.
Mark brings decades of expertise in environmental engineering, with an emphasis on wastewater design for water treatment plants, wells, pumping stations, and including sewers and waterlines. His experience includes project management through facility planning, design, and construction phases; a good fit for SCS’s comprehensive solutions.
A Professional Engineer licensed in three states, he supports clients with the design, construction, and implementation of environmental treatment systems for water and wastewater plants and post-industrial use, reuse, and the disposal of liquids. Mark helps support industries and landfills facing increasing regulatory policies, higher standards required by water treatment plants, and the rising costs associated with protecting water supplies.
Mark has worked on a wide range of projects around the world and in the United States. He is a certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) and a member of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and his master’s degree in environmental engineering from California State University-Long Beach.
“Mark’s expertise and knowledge enhance SCS’s ability to provide sustainable process treatment design and wastewater solutions to industrial and landfill clients who are responsible for leachate and liquids management, which is a significant operational expense for them,” stated Nathan Hamm, a Vice President of SCS Engineers and Central region lead in the Liquids Management program.
I read your informative blog regarding recommendations for jet cleaning leachate collection pipes. I have a question.
QUESTION: Say a landfill only has access to one end of a leachate pipe. This would be a situation where a new cell was built, where the uphill side of the cell butts up against an existing, pre-subtitle D cell with no leachate collection pipe. In other words, the uphill side of the new leachate pipe simply terminates rather than tie into an existing pipe.
To add to the issue, no vertical cleanout/riser pipe was installed on the uphill end (as this may impede waste operations in the area). There are of course riser and cleanout pipes and a sump on the downhill side for normal leachate collection. I would imagine that pumping water from the accessible side would push out any solids through the perforations into the leachate aggregate bedding, and may cause clogging there.
Is it possible, or reasonable, to flush this new leachate line?
ANSWER: There is always a possibility that a portion of dislodged material from the interior walls of the pipe will pass through pipe perforations and enter the gravel bedding around the pipe. However, due to the pipe slope, the great majority of the separated material flows down the pipe to the lowest point where it can be removed using a vac-truck.
Keep in mind also that, it’s true that leachate can partially flow through the bedding gravel toward the sump, but the role of the gravel is primarily protecting the pipe against compressive loads of waste above. Partial clogging of gravel around the pipe should not be considered as a malfunction of the system. Partial clogging of gravel normally may occur near the bottom portion of the gravel pack, which still allows leachate flow through gravel to pipe perforations above any clogged zone below.
In several instances, when a portion of a leachate collection pipe was opened up after being in service for a while, it did not support the idea of a clogged zone in the gravel pack. What was observed, included discolored gravel due to fine particles settling (from filtered leachate through geotextile) on gravel particles and a bit of the same particles near the bottom of the gravel pack.
I’ve never observed severe clogging of the gravel pack.
Thanks for your interest in the subject, and please stay in touch with any other questions. SCS freely shares best practices and advice within our industry; email us at
About the Author: Ali Khatami, PhD, PE, LEP, CGC, is a Project Director and a Vice President of SCS Engineers. He is also our National Expert for Landfill Design and Construction Quality Assurance. He has over 40 years of research and professional experience in mechanical, structural, and civil engineering.
Bill Lape discusses the most frequently asked questions about designing a training program that is part of your facility’s PSM and RMP programs and provides a defensible position during inspections while ensuring that your facility operators and maintainers perform their jobs safely.
Bill tackles all your questions in this article. Set-PSM-RMP-Hut-Hut
Operators know that selecting a Landfill Designer involves careful consideration of the designer’s experience and knowledge of construction to control costs and capital outlay.
Landfill operators usually seek to pay the lowest price for design work. While this is in line with the competitive market models, operators need to be sure that the designer’s experience lines up with their desired outcome, or problems may arise later for the operator. If the designer’s general or specific experience in the region is lacking, reconsider your selection parameters.
General experience is the comprehensive knowledge of landfill design and the development of expertise gained on similar projects over an extended period. A few project experiences in the remote past do not adequately qualify a designer. Experience in the region means that your designer has designed and developed similar projects in the larger vicinity of the project.
Regional experience demonstrates that the designer has significant knowledge of geology, hydrogeology, climatology, and available constructions materials in the area. Without this level of experience and understanding, the operator risks ending up with a system that does not function well and may be susceptible to environmental conditions, causing excessive project maintenance costs over time.
I recommend that operators work with a known entity; look for a designer who has done similar projects on numerous occasions in your region, and who can provide proof of their experience and knowledge to design according to your specific goals. A designer may not meet the criteria of the least expensive vendor, but a properly designed and constructed project can save a tremendous amount of money by:
Landfills are unique systems that require explicit design and construction criteria in order to operate seamlessly and safely for a very long period of time. Developing landfills generally takes several decades to complete and requires a substantial amount of knowledge and design consistency to ensure that the various landfill components function together.
Some operators change designers every few years without realizing that they risk inconsistencies in the design and construction every time a new designer comes into the picture. For this reason, I recommend that operators find the most qualified designer who is also very familiar with the construction and field maintenance of similar projects, and then stick with that designer for a long time.
At times, several different designers may be involved with various components of the landfill. To improve design consistency, I recommend that the most experienced design group review each design package regularly in order to help eliminate inconsistencies, improve the overall design integrity, and facilitate proper operation of the constructed systems during operation.
About the Author: Ali Khatami, Ph.D., PE, LEP, CGC, is a Vice President of SCS Engineers and the firm’s National Expert for Landfill Design, CQA, and Elevated Temperature Landfills (ETLFs). Ali has 40+ years of research and professional experience in mechanical, structural, and civil engineering acquiring extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, hydraulics, liquids management, construction methods, material science, construction quality assurance (CQA), and stability of earth systems.
He applies his experience in the siting of numerous landfills and the remediation of hazardous waste contaminated sites. Ali’s expertise includes the design and permitting of civil/environmental projects such as surface water management systems, drainage structures, municipal solid waste landfills, hazardous solid waste landfills, low-level radioactive waste landfills, leachate and wastewater conveyance, and treatment systems.
His cross-practice experience includes the design of gas collection and disposal systems, hazardous and non-hazardous waste impoundments, storage tank systems, waste tire processing facilities, composting facilities, material recovery facilities, leachate evaporator systems, and liquid impoundment floating covers.
SCS Engineer’s Long Beach Headquarters sponsored and participated in the U.S. Vets Storm the Beach 5K/10K Run, Walk & Roll for Veterans event in Long Beach, CA.
U.S. Vets is an impressive organization supporting our Veterans in Long Beach, many of whom are homeless. These men and women who have served our country receive housing, employment opportunities, and counseling services from this private non-profit organization.
Participating this year, left to right: Sonia Aguirre, Wendy Mendoza, Sara Garcia and husband, Brendan McGarrity, Jennifer McCafferty, Stacey Dolden, Deidra McGrew and Hanna Suh and friend.
Visit our website and look for careers with our award-winning team of professionals.
SCS Engineers’ Arizona office is continuing to grow with the addition of Dana Justice, a marketing specialist, who previously worked at the award-winning firm’s office in San Diego.
“Dana brings fresh ideas, strong problem-solving skills, and creative business development tactics to the Arizona office,” said Dan Sola, Arizona project director of SCS Engineers.
Justice is responsible for supporting marketing and business development in Arizona, Nevada, and California for environmental services. Her job responsibilities include engaging in business development outreach and continuing to strengthening the firm’s client success culture. As an employee-owned environmental consultant and contractor, SCS excels at accomplishing specific technical needs and high quality but also strives to provide a superior working relationship with their clients.
“SCS has great company culture with a sense of family among the staff,” Justice said. “I’m thrilled to take on a larger role in the Southwestern region and new responsibilities at SCS.”
Justice earned a bachelor’s and master’s in business administration from California State University San Marcos. She lives in Mesa.
The Arizona office has completed 3,500 projects during the last 30 years for the solid waste industry, government, and other industries responsible for safeguarding the environment as part of doing business.
Wendell, a Senior Project Professional in the SCS Engineers Sacramento office became interested in photography 35 years ago. He had broken his ankle and needed something to do because he felt grumpy not being able to play tennis. His tennis partner loaned him a camera, some film, and his dark room.
Wendell was hooked.
Wendell’s beautiful photos capture the reason we work with our clients to protect our environment. See a few pieces of his organic work, and look for more soon.
Mr. Minshew has over 30 years of engineering experience. He specializes in civil engineering services in the planning, design, permitting, and construction management of solid and hazardous waste facilities. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in California and Nevada.
Thank you for sharing, Wendell.
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