March 12, 2008 Call with Kathy Gaynor, EPA Consultant

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554835395698899390.post-78648183590240147802008-03-31T08:47:00.001-07:002008-03-31T08:47:37.050-07:00March 12, 2008 Call with Kathy Gaynor, EPA Consultant<h3 align="center">Notes</h3> Participants: <ul type="disc"><li>Bruce Egan, Anne Egan, Eloise Clawson, Carol Ballantyne, David Gardner, Gerry Donovan, Nelda Quigley, Jay Coburn, </li></ul> Background on Project and Kathy’s Involvement <ul type="disc"><li>Kathy has 17 Years experience as hazardous and solid waste engineer at Florida EPA</li><li>She was initially contracted by Federal EPA to provide needed expertise that Federal EPA lacked to Central American projects funded by AID </li><li>Additional EPA contracts in Central America caused Kathy to form own business “Global Garbage” to carry out this work. This work for EPA began under a treaty that provided money to help with environmental issues in Central America. It continues to be funded under CAFTA.</li><li>New law in El Salvador took effect September 9 effectively closed all open dumps – created urgent need for alternative disposal site for Santa Ana</li><li>Result is that Santa Ana now pays $52 per ton to MEDAS to haul to remote facility</li><li>This project needed scientist immediately due to some glitch in EPA/AID Memo of Understanding process. CCAD (?) paid for this work – AID provided funds.</li><li>Conflict regarding Camones Project caused Minister of Environment to request EPA assistance in December</li><li>Kathy spent about a month in country from early February to early March</li></ul> Standards for Sanitary Landfills in El Salvador <ul type="disc"><li>El Salvador has applicable law – it provides a framework for siting facilities with some specific requirements – Kathy’s findings suggest law needs beefing up</li><li>The operator (in this case PreSys) submits and application for a permit accompanied by an EIA </li><li>Kathy compared the EIA to US CFR 258.40 requirements for her recommendations</li></ul> What did Kathy do? <ul type="disc"><li>Scope of Project was to:</li><ul type="disc"><li>Determine depth and quality of ground water </li><li>Review EIA Report (Environmental Impact Assessment or Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental) – compare to US CFR 258.40</li><li>Incorporate geological assessment provided by Spanish-funded geotechnical consultants</li></ul><li>She provided comments and recommendations in many areas – will send Executive Summary in Spanish</li></ul> What are Kathy’s Findings? Recommendations and observations included: <ul type="disc"><li>Current law needs to be beefed up – she will recommend that process needs to define provisions for citizen input, concerns</li><li>25 recommendations had to do with landfill components, liner, etc.</li><li>Proposed design called for concrete leachate collection pond with single geomembrane liner – Kathy proposed second layer of geomembrane for leachate collection (to replace concrete?) and said PreSys verbally committed to this recommendation</li><li>Landfill design calls for single layer of geomembrane plus clay – Kathy found design to be consistent with US standards for comparable facility </li></ul> Kathy’s assessment of the project: <ul type="disc"><li>Landfill uses the engineering controls she would expect in a US facility – lined landfill area drains to a leachate collection reservoir – monitoring wells surround the facility to monitor and detect any breach or leachate infiltration into soil</li><li>She estimated that facility is 2 to 3 kilometers from the water supply source and stated she felt that contamination from the landfill would be detected long before it reached the drinking water supply</li><li>She mentioned other options for handling leachate collection – including tanks or trucks. Mentioned that one of the risk of liners is the possibility of breach if they are set on sharp rock or not installed properly.</li><li>She said local soil tests at 10-7m/sec(?) permeability</li><li>There are 10 test wells – lithologic logs are available for these wells showing the soil composition and structure</li><li>If contaminants show up in any test well, remediation should begin immediately </li></ul> Who are the Players? <ul type="disc"><li>Community representatives – Mr Santa Lisa(sp?) and a second, older man. Community was willing to participate early in project – has not attended meetings after the summer </li><li>Minister of Environment – appears to be interested in a complete process – acting comparably to a US official</li><li>Vice Minister of Environment - Roberto Escalante – Texas trained, open to working with Santa Lisa – interested in a good solution for community</li><li>Local authority? Kathy did not know specifically – said most larger cities have their own environmental or health officer</li><li>Mayor – Kathy described as being in a big economic pinch due to the $52 per ton tipping fee they currently pay to MEDAS</li><li>PreSys Owners – Mrs. Ray and Cori (sp?) – live in San Francisco – Kathy believes at least one is Salvadorean - Kathy said owners would like to resume meeting with community leadership</li><li>Water Supply Board – Kathy had not met Board members – suggested Board should meet with landfill owner and communicate goals, concerns</li><li>Election Year – Kathy asked pointedly if we knew it was an election year – would not discuss specifics – suggested politics might complicate community involvement</li></ul> Water Quality Considerations: <ul type="disc"><li>Citizen leader (Mr. Santa Lisa?) very concerned about water quality impacts</li><li>Kathy sought to address concern</li><li>Tour of site near river found empty packages of atrazine(sp?) and evidence of farmers using herbicides as indications of potential current and historic water quality problems</li><li>Conducted biological assessment of stream where pumping station is located - sampled benthic macro-invertebrates </li><li>Recommended that Minister of Environment immediately conduct more comprehensive study</li><li>Study completed against Costa Rican standards for species diversity found water quality to be “Regular”</li><li>Minister of Environment took water samples and sent to lab for analysis</li><li>Water analysis has been completed – Kathy did not have results</li><li>For comparison, Gaynor also sampled local rivers with “Excellent” quality</li><li>Principal concerns with current water supply:</li><ul type="disc"><li>Cows graze in adjacent fields and walk through the stream</li><li>Pesticides are being used</li><li>There is no riparian buffer – trees, vegetation along banks of stream </li><li>Cars drive through the stream</li></ul><li>Her recommendations:</li><ul type="disc"><li>Keep cows out of the stream</li><li>Plant a buffer of trees</li><li>Reduce use of agricultural chemicals</li></ul><li>She noted that Peace Corps is willing to assist with organic farming and pest management techniques</li><li>She told Minister of Environment and permit applicant that it is common in US for Landfill Operators to perform community benefit projects and suggested that water supply protection or improvement would be a good example</li><li>She said the landfill operator is willing to provide some form of assistance</li><li>Expertise for Construction and Ongoing Monitoring of Project</li><ul type="disc"><li>Kathy says there are 200-300 employees at Ministry of Environment, including 3 (ladies) dedicated to landfill work</li></ul><li>Minister of Environment will require ongoing water quality monitoring by PreSys as a condition of the Permit</li><li>Kathy did not know that source supplied water to 3000 residents</li></ul> What other steps are planned? <ul type="disc"><li>Minister will recommend permit be granted with conditions in next 1 to 2 weeks</li><li>Conditions will address Kathy’s recommendations and those of the Spanish geologists</li></ul> What does she think? <ul type="disc"><li>Kathy not real happy with current situation</li><li>Feels process would have been more effective if regulators and consultants could have worked more directly with community leaders and members without the “layer over” </li></ul> What can we do? <ul type="disc"><li>Encourage community to adopt water quality improvement practices</li><li>Encourage community to meet with regulators, proponents – think about what benefit they might request from Project</li></ul> Next Steps: <ul type="disc"><li>Send co-call attendees names to Kathy</li><li>Contact Roberto Escalante – 503 7842 5555</li><li>Kathy will send currently available reports – Spanish version of her Executive Summary and Appendices (includes Spanish geotechnical consultants report)</li></ul>ADFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07615146700839452813noreply@blogger.com