Category Archives: Blog

Berkeley Pit Superfund Site, Butte, MT

Panoramic view of the toxic, corrosive pool from the viewing platform.

There are Superfund Sites. Then there are SUPERFUND SITES! The Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT is the latter. A former open pit copper mine, it is now a 900 foot deep collection pool of eerily gorgeous water. That water is contaminated with heavy metals, copper, cadmium, cobalt, iron, manganese, zinc, arsenic, and has a pH of 2.5 (acidic). And it’s open for tours. How about that? You can take a tour of a Superfund Site.

The most interesting part of this site is that since it closed on Earth Day 1982, the pit is slowly collecting more water. That is a problem. There is a critical level, 5,410 feet above sea level, when the water will be near the natural water table. At that time they will begin pumping the water out of the pit. If they don’t, the toxic, corrosive water will outflow back into the groundwater and surrounding surface water. As of Oct 1, 2014, the water level has grown 6.17 feet in 2014 to 5,319.78 feet. It is estimated that the water will reach the critical level in 2023. That’s not that far. Continue reading →

Environment of Beer: Left Hand Brewing, Longmont, CO

This is the second brewery I’ve written about, so it’s officially the start of my Environment of Beer series.

Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, CO hosted the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CHMMs for our September meeting. Our visit to the brewery included a presentation by Plant Manager, Jake Kolakowski, and a tour. It was a unique opportunity to look at the environment of a craft brewery and of course, sample good beer. Continue reading →

Best Meat to Eat for the Environment

Sizing up some cattle at the National Western Stock Show.

Sizing up cattle at the National Western Stock Show.

What is the “best” meat to eat for the environment? My family has been having this discussion lately. If you’ve previously read anything about this, you’d know that beef has the worst impact on the environment. Well, does it really? Health, ethics, religion, proximity, cost, and availability all weigh into our decision to eat meat. Despite being an environmental professional, I previously gave the environmental impact of meat very little thought. This is despite years of research on the topic. Mainly because I like to eat meat.

Here is a summary of the environmental impacts of eating our most common meats – beef, chicken, pork and fish/seafood. This is not my research and it is not comprehensive of all the available information or environmental impacts. Think of it as the Cliffs Notes version of a lot of meat research. So let’s take a look at, What Meat to Eat? I’ll start with a few statistics concerning the overall environmental impact of eating meat. Continue reading →

Fun with 49 CFR Hazardous Materials (DOT)

If you work in the field of hazardous materials and hazardous waste, then you are probably familiar with 49 CFR Subchapter A. This is where you can find the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations for shipping hazardous materials. You have to keep a good sense of humor when reading regulations or you will find yourself in a CFR-induced nap. Some of the tidbits and citations you can find in here are quite interesting. So let’s have some fun with 49 CFR.

I’m using photos taken of the actual printed CFR. Reading it off an electronic CFR is not nearly as enjoyable as coming across these in a big heavy book.

1. Black powder for small arms. This is for when a T-Rex has to ship black powder.

2. The mass explosive, secondary detonator Dingu ate my baby.

Continue reading →

Swimming in Contaminated Water

Swimmers ready to race in Bowles Reservoir, Lakewood, CO.

Swimming, boating, fishing, rafting, wading, and all the fun stuff we do in the water when the temperature warms. I enjoy open water swimming as part of training for and competing in triathlons. Swimming laps in the pool is a good workout, but it doesn’t give me that sense of freedom and adventure that comes from open water swimming. I see the world through my environmental-tinted eyes. Therefore, I think about the water quality and what contaminants may be in the water. “Will I be swimming in contaminated water?”

There are several ways for contaminants to pollute your favorite swimming hole. The risk of a wider variety of contamination is greater in an urban or suburban water body. Runoff is the easiest way to introduce pollutants. This includes automotive pollutants (oil, grease, fuels) from roads, pesticides and herbicides getting washed away, fertilizers from over-applying to lawns, bacteria, fecal matter (E coli), and good old trash. If the water passes through an industrial area then the risk of toxic pollutants from chemicals and heavy metals increases. A body of water can become lifeless from the just the runoff of over-applying lawn fertilizer. Your green lawn killed the bay!

Sloan’s Lake on the west side of Denver is what got me thinking more about this. I live in the Denver metro-area. Sloan’s Lake has a history of poor water quality; specifically low oxygen probably due to too much goose poop. I was supposed to swim in this lake in 2013 as part of the Denver Triathlon. I was researching the water quality in the weeks leading up to the race and had concerns. The race ended up being cancelled due to the heavy rain and flooding in Colorado in September 2013. That elevated my concerns even more and I haven’t ever swam in this lake.

According to “How’s My Waterway”, this beautiful creek is contaminated with E. Coli, arsenic, mercury, and has low oxygen.

Heavy rains are a significant problem for open water swimmers. Heavy rains increase storm water runoff, which increase the collection of contaminants. The first 24-48 hours are the worst. Think about what can be picked up during a flood. For starters, the typical stormwater contaminants that I mentioned, plus additional things such as trash, sewage, more trash, medical wastes, lots of fecal matter, and even more trash. The September 2013 flooding was so bad it was busting and tipping fuel and oil storage tanks.

Often during these extreme flood events water treatment plants can shutdown or overflow. Fortunately there are resources for you to find out if your water is contaminated. If you’re headed to a major beach, check their website for warnings and swim advisories. EPA’ s How’s My Waterway is a good resource to look up the sampling results of any waterway. They haven’t all been sampled and they can be outdated. Many of the creeks and lakes I looked up were last sampled in 2010. It is still a good resource to get an understanding of where you’re swimming.

You can also look around and upstream to get an idea of what might be in the water. If you see a lot of farmland, then you might be swimming in herbicides and fertilizers. If it’s urban, then road pollutants are likely. If it’s suburban, then fertilizer is a big one. If the water passed through an industrial area upstream, toxic chemicals and dissolved heavy metals are a risk. Look for life in the water. Swimming with the fishes can be uncomfortable, but if there’s fish in the water that means it’s somewhat healthy. Of course, I haven’t even mentioned the naturally occurring microbiological pollutants that can make you sick.

Open water swimming is fun and adventurous. Make sure to swim in the right place and time. Dilution is not the solution to pollution.

Below is an informative 8 minute video about stormwater pollution in Puget Sound. It is produced by Earth Fix, a media project of Oregon Public Broadcasting. It will change the way you view what happens to your rainwater.

Do You Know Where Your Energy Comes From?

Wind turbines, coal rail car, and an oil refinery in Casper, WY.

Coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, mouse running on a wheel? Do you know where your energy comes from? As an environmental professional I take for granted that my electricity come mostly from coal and partly from wind and/or geothermal. My home heat comes from natural gas. I was teaching an environmental class recently and was surprised at questions regarding how much coal is used to power our homes and cities.

If you’re not in the environmental field, but keep an eye on the news, you still may have heard news about the Keystone XL pipeline, oil production booming in North Dakota, T Boone Pickens, or fracking. Do you know these issues are all related to you watching reruns and driving to Costco? If you don’t know what’s powering your TV, don’t worry, it seems many people don’t. Here is your guide to a basic understanding of where your energy comes from and where you can get more information.

The United States energy comes from coal 37%, natural gas 30%, nuclear 19%, hydropower 7%, other renewable 5% (biomass 1.42%, geothermal 0.41%, solar 0.11%, wind 3.46%), petroleum 1%, and other gases < 1%. All of the data presented here and below is from the US Energy Information Administration. To me, the most interesting thing about this data is that solar is only producing 0.11% of our electricity. I assumed much more than that. Despite all the solar panels I see around Colorado, it’s just a blip in the larger energy picture.

That is the US total, but if you live in a state that doesn’t have a nuclear power plant, like I do in Colorado, then your percentages are going to change. In Colorado, 62% of our electricity production comes from coal and 6% comes from wind. Both are nearly double the national average.

Steam coming from the biomass power plant in Gypsum, CO.

Looking around the country, here is some interesting energy usage in three other states.

Pennsylvania generated 40% of its net electricity from coal and 35% from nuclear power in 2013.
In Florida, natural gas accounted for 62% of Florida’s net generation, coal 21%, and nuclear power accounted for 12%.
In 2013, 70% of Oregon’s net electricity generation was from conventional hydroelectric power plants and other renewable energy resources.

You can see how much it varies from states to state. Here are two good resources to find out exactly, “Where does my energy come from?”

The US Energy Information Administration provides all the state data here.
Even better, the EPA has a Power Profiler site where you enter your zip code and it provides you a break down of your electrical energy sources.

NREL Wind Technology Center along the Colorado Front Range.

Science Ambassadors Needed

Me as a young science ambassador demonstrating the specific gravity of methane…without PPE.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and the cast of The Big Bang Theory are possibly pop culture’s most well-known science ambassadors today. Katharine Hayhoe, Ira Flatow, Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson, and Amory Lovins are others that aren’t in our pop culture, but are leading a cause. We can look in our history to science ambassadors Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Aldo Leopold. You don’t need a PhD or even a degree in science to be an ambassador. Bill Nye is an engineer and comedian. The Big Bang Theory cast are actors. Ira Flatow hosts a radio show. Teddy Roosevelt was a politician. Elon Musk is a CEO, investor, inventor, and anything else he wants to be. Whatever their role, I hope there is a science ambassador in your life. Better yet, I hope you are a science ambassador.

The role of a science ambassador is to educate and inspire. To communicate a greater popular understanding of science through science itself, entertainment, and/or action. Often the inspire and entertainment parts are more influential than the actual science. I saw a good video on Inc.com with Ping Fu, the founder of Geomagic. She states that it’s not the science that is going to influence girls to go into a science discipline, it’s being a role model. If she sets an example as an interesting person, then the girls may want to follow in her footsteps. It’s how you present yourself.

You certainly don’t have to be a celebrity to be an ambassador, which can be both a benefit and a hindrance. Bring the idea “think globally and act locally” to your ambassadorship. Share interesting scientific things on Facebook and Twitter, show your kids cool science experiments, or have an enthusiasm toward the science of your choice.

I’m going through a science renaissance, which has lead me to think of myself as a science ambassador again. It’s a combination of writing, speaking, watching and listening. Writing this blog and posting on Twitter; watching Cosmos has inspired me to get more involved in science; and listening to science podcasts. My favorites right now are Science Friday, Inquiring Minds, and Star Talk Radio. My job is science-based, but is not very technical. For the people I work for and with I’m know to them as “the environmental guy”. I’ll take that as a positive. I use this opportunity to educate and inspire an environmental science message to a larger audience.

I’ve profiled several people on this site that I would give the title “Science Ambassador”. Check them out. They include a Director of sustainability alliance, an Environmental Scientist, educators, a VP of a ski resort, and more.

Remember, good science ambassadors always bring donuts.

Thoughts on the CHMM Exam

T-shirt of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CHMMs.

I recently taught the RCRA portion of a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) exam prep course for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CHMMs. After teaching, I sat in on the review session and was surprised at the difficulty of the questions. I think I could still pass the exam today without preparation, but I wondered if the questions were this hard when I took it?

I passed the exam and became a CHHM in 2007 and have successfully renewed and stayed current. My preparation for the exam involved reading “Managing Hazardous Materials” (which I learned has been replaced by 3 new manuals) and my work experience. I didn’t take a prep course. I just winged it. I thought that the exam was fair. If you had the work experience and didn’t study or prep you could probably pass it. If you didn’t have the work experience, but prepared you could probably pass it. Therefore, if you had the experience and studied you’d be in good shape. Conversely, you wouldn’t have a chance if you didn’t have the experience and didn’t study.

Has it changed? Is it harder now or am I out of touch with the deep technical requirements to pass the test? Have CHMMs submitted too many obscure questions to toughen up future members? One student in the prep course was stressing and worried he might fail. He also was getting several of the questions correct by using good test taking skills. He wondered to the group, “If I pass this exam by just guessing and using good test taking skills, am I a fraud CHMM?” Interesting question. My response to him is, no. To even take the exam you have to have your application approved. He’s passed that first step, which indicates the IHMM thinks he’s worthy to be a CHMM. Now he’s in a prep course and will soon take the exam. Even if it takes him a few tries to pass, once he passes, he’s a CHMM.

Good test taking skills can take you a long way. They’re even more useful when you have a basic understanding of the topic. For example, if you don’t know the technical requirements of Land Disposal Restrictions, but understand the concept and use good test taking, you’re in good shape. Of course, there is a story of a guy who passed the Certified Industrial Hygienist exam merely by using good test taking skills. I wonder. Could I do that?

Joseph von Fraunhofer’s Toxic Death, Highlighted on Cosmos

Did you see episode 5 of Cosmos and the story of Joseph von Fraunhofer? First, why not? Cosmos is an awesome show! This episode highlights von Fraunhofer’s life – his early life as an orphan working as a mirror and glass maker and his discoveries that further enhanced our global scientific knowledge. Cosmos mentioned how he died young, age 39, potentially from being exposed to the toxic glassmaking conditions. This caught my attention. Who am I kidding? Cosmos is so good that everything in it catches my attention.

I don’t have the experience in glass making to know what the conditions were like for someone making mirrors in the late 1700’s. But I can be certain that there wasn’t any OSHA to enforce wearing of respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE); no EPA to regulate the emissions and management of wastes; no NIOSH, no TLVs to be concerned with, and certainly no Hazardous Materials Managers.

The toxic heavy metals used in mirror making over the course of history have included copper, bronze, sliver, gold, lead, and mercury. I don’t know exactly what toxins young von Fraunhofer was inhaling. A mirror making historian might know, but I don’t know any mirror making historians. Due to the time, it was probably a combination of silver, lead and/or mercury. All poisonous heavy metals.

Beyond being poisonous, when we get heavy metals in our bodies, they don’t leave our bodies easily. They don’t pass through (or come back up). They get into your bloodstream and cause damage throughout.

Some of the biographies note that he died from tuberculoss, which is a lung disease. Whether it was tuberculosis enhanced from the toxins, or just lung disease from the toxin inhalation, it’s a pretty convincing argument that the mirror making chemicals did some damage. If only Joe had attended a HAZCOM, safety, or other hazardous material training course to learn about his potential exposures, maybe our scientfic knowledge of light and lenses would be even further enhanced today.

The Chen Cup

The Chen Cup GS race start gate

The Chen Cup is a ski race networking event for environmental professionals at Eldora Mountain Resort in Nederland, CO. How cool is that? It combines a nordic race and a GS downhill race for teams of environmental consulting firms to compete for a chance to win the Chen Cup. It has been held annually since the mid-1980’s, but I just found out about it this year and had to compete.

It’s the perfect event for environmental professionals in Colorado. Living the environmental professional lifestyle typically involves enjoying the outdoors. In Colorado in the winter that means skiing or snowboarding. I fall into that category and have experience skiing all over the mountain, except racing. From the people I met on the mountain that day, it was much of the same. This gave recreational skiing environmental professionals a chance to compete in a pro-style race competition and oh yeah, do some networking.

As networking event, it was unique. It wasn’t as easy to meet as many people as a meeting, conference, or social event, but it was much more fun. I met a hydrogeologist, mining engineers, lab technician, and several other consultants and they were all thrilled to be there. Most people weren’t in it to win the race, just to ski some real race gates, meet other like-minded people, and have a good day on the mountain knowing you are surrounded by your professional community.

Since I was racing gates for the first time ever, I made sure my GoPro rolling to capture my runs. I didn’t win, but for a brief moment got to pretend I was Ted Ligety instead of Glen Plake. Check it out.

The National Environmental Professional

The people, places, and thoughts that make up the environmental professional lifestyle