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Improving Operations,

Compliance, & Environmental Performance at Public Works

Facilities

APWA4/11/08

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3

Ever had challenges Ever had challenges meeting or meeting or

maintaining maintaining compliance?compliance?

What made it a What made it a challenge?challenge?

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What are your biggest What are your biggest challenges?challenges?

Operational?Operational?

Compliance?Compliance?

Supervisory?Supervisory?

Fiscal?Fiscal?

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What’s changed over What’s changed over past 5, 10, 20 past 5, 10, 20

years?years?

What challenges lie in What challenges lie in the future?the future?

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Contributing Factors?Contributing Factors?

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What could make it What could make it better?better?

How could Plan-Do-Check-How could Plan-Do-Check-Act help?Act help?

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ISO 14001 ISO 14001

Household EMS Household EMS ExerciseExercise

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An EMS Has Three Key An EMS Has Three Key CommitmentsCommitments

Compliance with relevant laws Compliance with relevant laws and regulationsand regulations

Prevention of pollutionPrevention of pollution

Continual improvementContinual improvement

ENV.POLICY

COMPLY

P PR OE LV LE UN TT I O N

IMPROVE

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The P-D-C-A The P-D-C-A FrameworkFramework

Continual improvement

act

check

do

plan

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What is an EMS?What is an EMS?

An Environmental Management An Environmental Management System is a system of processes to System is a system of processes to support an organization in support an organization in integrating environmental concerns integrating environmental concerns into its daily practicesinto its daily practices

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A way to figure out:

•Who has what impact on the environment

•How to prevent/address that impact

•Make it everyone’s responsibility

•Stay out of trouble, save money, feel and look good over a long period of time

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Fancy term for Fancy term for good good

managementmanagement

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Basic StepsBasic Steps

IDENTIFY IDENTIFY how operations affect the environmenthow operations affect the environment

PRIORITIZE PRIORITIZE MANAGEMANAGE

MITIGATEMITIGATEDOCUMENTDOCUMENT

CHECKCHECKLEARNLEARN

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Say what you doSay what you do

Do what you sayDo what you say

Prove itProve it

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Lessons LearnedLessons Learned Much of what is needed for an Much of what is needed for an

EMS may already be in placeEMS may already be in place An EMS is An EMS is more of a change more of a change

management issuemanagement issue than a than a technical fixtechnical fix

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Keys to SuccessKeys to SuccessManagement supportManagement support

Effective ‘champion’Effective ‘champion’

Involved and engaged staffInvolved and engaged staff

KISSKISS

Effective teamsEffective teams

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Plan-Do-Check-Act ToolsPlan-Do-Check-Act Tools

Process flow diagramsProcess flow diagrams Aspects and ImpactsAspects and Impacts Significance RankingSignificance Ranking Action Plans/Environmental Action Plans/Environmental

Management ProgramsManagement Programs Operational ControlsOperational Controls

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Environmental Aspects Environmental Aspects & Impacts: & Impacts:

Figuring out how our Figuring out how our activities affect the activities affect the

environmentenvironment

How do you do it now?How do you do it now?

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What is an Environmental What is an Environmental AspectAspect?

ExamplesExamples Air Emissions (CO Air Emissions (CO

& NOx)& NOx) Energy Usage Energy Usage

(Gas & Diesel)(Gas & Diesel) Used Oil Used Oil

RecyclingRecycling Solid Waste Solid Waste

GenerationGeneration

An Element of An Element of An An Organization’s Organization’s Activities, Activities, Products or Products or Services That Services That Can Can InteractInteract with the with the EnvironmentEnvironment

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Key: Identify the environmental aspects that your organization

- Can control, and

- Over which it can have an influence

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Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Impact

ExamplesExamples Degradation of Air Degradation of Air

QualityQuality Reduction in Reduction in

Natural ResourcesNatural Resources Conservation of Conservation of

Natural ResourcesNatural Resources Reduction in Reduction in

Landfill SpaceLandfill Space

Any Any ChangesChanges to the to the environment, environment, whether adverse whether adverse or beneficial, or beneficial, wholly or partially wholly or partially resulting from an resulting from an organization’s organization’s activities, activities, products or products or servicesservices

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RelationshipRelationship

ASPECTASPECTCAUSECAUSE

Air Emissions Air Emissions (CO, NOx)(CO, NOx)

Energy Usage Energy Usage (Gas and Diesel)(Gas and Diesel)

Used Oil RecyclingUsed Oil Recycling

Solid Waste Solid Waste GenerationGeneration

IMPACTIMPACTEFFECTEFFECT

Degradation of Degradation of Air QualityAir Quality

Reduction in Reduction in Natural ResourcesNatural Resources

Conservation of Conservation of Natural ResourcesNatural Resources

Reduction in Reduction in Landfill SpaceLandfill Space

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We do or provide…….. We do or provide…….. (Activity)(Activity)

That results in……… That results in……… (Aspect)(Aspect)

That has an impact on….. That has an impact on….. (Impact)(Impact)

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How?

• Identify main activities, products, and services within your ‘fenceline’

- Brainstorming, process flow diagrams

• List environmental aspects

- Are they under your control and influence? - Identify the associated impacts

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Aspect/Impact MatrixAspect/Impact Matrix

ENVIRONMENTALASPECTS

POTENTIALENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACTS

ACTIVITIES,OPERATIONS,

SERVICES

PRODUCING BROCHURES

paper

1. Purchasing recycled paper2. Recycling paper

1. Recycling conserves natural resources

2. Promotes demand for recycling and contributes to societal goals for resource conservation

water

1. Water use2. Water treatment3. Water discharge to sewer

1. Drawing water impacts rivers and aquifers

2. Overburden at POTW results in untreated discharges

Inkink preserverscleaning solv.

1. Storing supplies2. Removing unneeded suppl.3. Recycling4. Possible spills5. Disposal of packaging

1. Incompatible compounds pose potential hazard

2. Health hazard3. Landfill impacts

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Activity     

Aspect   

Impact  

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NOW WHAT?NOW WHAT?

What do we work on first?What do we work on first?

Determining SIGNIFICANCE helps Determining SIGNIFICANCE helps you decideyou decide

How do you currently How do you currently decide what’s important? decide what’s important?

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Criteria for Significance

• Defined by the core team

• Unique to the organization

• Subjective, not an exact science

• Not based on a complex formula

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A Simple Matrix ApproachA Simple Matrix Approach

ASPECT RegTo

tal

Volume Toxic Health Nuisance Cost

Key: 5 = high 3 = moderate 1 = low 0 = N/A

Everything regulated is significantAspects with a total 12 or higher are significant

Sig?

You determinethese criteria

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Common Issues:Common Issues:

If it’s “Significant” it must be If it’s “Significant” it must be managed!managed!

Just because it’s not (per the scoring) Just because it’s not (per the scoring) doesn’t mean it’s not importantdoesn’t mean it’s not important

““Significant” environmental aspects Significant” environmental aspects need extra intervention and attentionneed extra intervention and attention

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Setting GoalsSetting Goals

Objectives and TargetsObjectives and Targets

Accomplish______ by__________ date.Accomplish______ by__________ date.

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How do we get there?How do we get there?

Action Plans and Environmental Action Plans and Environmental Management ProgramsManagement Programs

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What does it take to What does it take to make it part of the way make it part of the way

we work?we work?

TrainingTraining

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SOPs & Operational SOPs & Operational ControlsControls

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CommunicationCommunication

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CommunicationCommunication

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CommunicationCommunication

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The EMS FrameworkThe EMS Framework

Continual improvement

act

check

do

plan

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Checking Back:The Role of Audits in an EMS

•Compliance Audits: Determines whether operational practices comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

•It is a systematic inspection of regulatory conditions, techniques and practices, operations, records and assesses violations for emissions, effluents, accidental releases, or failed record keeping.

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Role of Audits

EMS Audit: Determines whether the environmental management system conforms with planned arrangements. (3 stages) A Documentation Audit to assure the documented procedures conform to a standard.

A Conformity Audit to verify that the actual management andoperational activities meet the goals of the management system.

Addresses Continuous Development of system procedures to prevent reoccurrences of non-compliances

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When?When?

Audit periodically during development –

like mid term exams.

Check what has worked and what could

work/improved.

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BOTTOM LINE

Are we doing what we said we would do?

Do we need to modify things to improve implementation and efficacy?

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Build a SYSTEM to Build a SYSTEM to SurviveSurvive

Build a SYSTEM to Build a SYSTEM to Manage BetterManage Better

Build a SYSTEM to Build a SYSTEM to ExcelExcel

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ResourcesResourceswww.peercenter.netwww.peercenter.net

www.uml.edu/emscwww.uml.edu/emsc Madeline Snow, UML, 978-934-4875Madeline Snow, UML, 978-934-4875

www.epa.gov/emswww.epa.gov/ems

EMS: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized EMS: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized OrganizationsOrganizations, NSF International, January 2001, NSF International, January 2001

www.epa.gov/owm/iso14001/ems2001final.pdfwww.epa.gov/owm/iso14001/ems2001final.pdf

Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities, Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities, January January 20082008

http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/pdfs/guidebook_si_energymanhttp://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/pdfs/guidebook_si_energymanagement.pdfagement.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/pdfs/guidebook_si_energymanagement.pdf