This blog is Part 2 of Walden’s summary of the EPA’s COVID-19 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program.  Part 1 provided a general overview of EPA’s plan for handling environmental noncompliance issues that private and public sectors might be facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will now present additional details on how EPA intends to handle… Read More

Stabilized Shorelines: Bulkhead Update in Long Island Current General Permits for Bulkheads Bulkheads are essential components of infrastructure in coastal communities to control beach erosion and to protect the local area from tidal action caused by storm surges. Nassau County and Suffolk County saw widespread, devastating effects from Superstorm Sandy; as a result, this prompted… Read More

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently announced the first major update to State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) regulations in more than two decades. When will the SEQR updates take effect? On January 1, 2019, the updates to the SEQR will take effect. What is the intent of the… Read More

  Field data (and lots of it) is omnipresent in the environmental consulting and engineering industries.   Weeks, months, and even years of field investigations and sampling data must be retained and carefully organized for future use.  One way to make this work is to use a generic data management system. However, there are industry-specific… Read More

NYCDEP Registration(s) for Air Emissions Sources How Does New York City Control Air Pollution? The New York City Air Pollution Control Code (APCC) (Chapter 1 of Title 24 of the NYC Administrative Code) regulates the emission into open air “of any harmful or objectionable substance” in order to “preserve, protect and improve the air resources… Read More

Legionnaire’s Disease is Preventable Recent outbreaks of Legionellosis (Legionnaire’s disease) have been traced to the uncontrolled release of Legionella Bacteria in mists generated from operational cooling towers and evaporative coolers (cooling units). Respiring or breathing in this bacteria can result in a pneumonia-like infection of the lungs which can prove fatal for people with compromised… Read More

NYSDEC Solid Waste Meeting On April 10, 2018 Walden attended the Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island (HIA-LI) Environmental/Green Industries Committee Meeting to listen to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) discuss the revised Part 360 Regulations, a set of new rules that effect the solid waste industry in New York. David… Read More

The Environmental Impact of Dry Cleaners Historically, dry cleaning facilities have been hotbeds for subsurface contamination due to the solvents used in the dry cleaning process.  Chlorinated solvents are the chemicals most associated with dry cleaners and their environmental impact, namely perchloroethylene (PCE, or “perc”) and trichloroethylene (TCE).  Living near a former or current dry… Read More

The DEC releases information on their projected enforcement of new NYS Solid Waste Regulations (Part 360 Rules) On March 1st, 2018, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an Enforcement Discretion Letter which relaxes certain provisions of the new Part 360 solid waste rules. This letter supersedes listed portions of Parts 360 and… Read More

New York State Permitted vs. Registered Solid Waste Facilities Have you been hearing about these new NYSDEC Part 360 changes, and are unsure if you are being affected? Watch this short video of Walden’s Robert LoPinto, P.E. who will explain the basis of who will need a sold waste permit. Solid Waste Permits and Registration… Read More