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Brownfields Site Assessment and Receptor Survey

admin_ae Assessment and Remediation

“Thanks to (the Altamont) team for completing the Stockyards & ABCCM contracts under budget & in a timely manner. Altamont has done a great job meeting our program needs with a high degree of competency & skill. We & our clients really appreciated the weekly updates; it certainly made our job easier.” -Kate O’Hara, Land-of-Sky Regional Council Senior Planner – Brownfields The WNC Stockyards site is a 6.82-acre property located beside the French Broad River and adjacent to downtown Asheville. There are currently eight buildings located on the property including a restaurant, antique auction warehouse, two storage warehouses, one tractor shed, one small office building, and two canopy structures housing livestock. Historical property uses include residences, farmland, fairgrounds, tobacco market and warehouse, auto repair and painting shop, filling station, and livestock auction. In January 2011, Altamont was contracted by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council’s Regional Brownfields Initiative under an Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Grant to perform a receptor survey, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), and, if necessary, Phase II ESA at the site. Altamont completed the receptor survey and Phase …

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Environmental Reporting and Stormwater Compliance Monitoring

admin_ae Compliance and Solid Waste

TEAM provides power-train and chassis components for recreational, agricultural and industrial off-highway markets. Altamont provides technical environmental and engineering services to assist TEAM in complying with the many environmental rules under which they are regulated. Altamont consults with TEAM on the following: Wastewater Permit Compliance—Altamont prepared an Industrial Wastewater Survey and Permit Application package for submittal to the Town of Andrews. This required Altamont to conduct an interview with TEAM to acquire information regarding the wastewater at the facility. The interview focused on determining the quantity, supply and use of wastewater in the Andrews facility, and methods currently employed to reduce contaminants in discharged water. Stormwater Permit Compliance—TEAM has a permit to discharge stormwater under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). In accordance with the permit Altamont collects stormwater samples semi-annually throughout the year and has them analyzed by a North Carolina certified laboratory. In addition, Altamont conducts a visual inspection of the stormwater outfall locations. Altamont reports the results of the sampling event to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Air Permit Compliance—On behalf of …

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Reclaimed Water Irrigation System Design

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The Lake Toxaway Country Club irrigates its golf course greens and fairways using treated wastewater under a permit issued by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The Lake Toxaway Country Club needed to expand its permitted area for application of recycled wastewater from four to twenty acres to meet regulatory requirements. Altamont assisted the Country Club in modifying its existing permit. The permit modification included additional wastewater system infrastructure such as adding an automated wastewater pumping system that supplements the non-potable surface water irrigation system and adding a new force main to connect existing irrigation nozzles to the wastewater treatment and discharge system. It also included conducting soil analyses within the golf course to determine a suitable application rate, and modifying the treatment system and permit to address operational constraints. To learn more, contact us now.

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Notice of Violation Response for Damaged Slopes

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Yancey County received a Notice of Violation (NOV) for damaged slopes below the closed construction and demolition debris landfill. Separated slope drains and years of overland flow created a damage area over several acres of steep slope. Altamont conducted a rapid and detailed assessment of the causes of damage and presented the county with repair options. Altamont engineered a cost-effective solution and provided the construction documents, permitting acquisition, and bid and construction administration to implement the repair measures. The project design repaired the eroded gulleys, stabilized slopes, and mitigated stormwater impacts all of which contribute to substantially less maintenance at the site.

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Waste-to-Energy and Beneficial Use of Landfill Gas

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EnergyXchange is an arts and crafts incubator studio that supports developing artists while utilizing landfill gas. EnergyXchange has become one of the nation’s model energy recovery projects and is used regionally, nationally, and internationally as an example of successful small landfill gas projects. The gas extracted from the landfill is put to beneficial use as an alternative energy source for a ceramics kiln, glass studio, and greenhouse. Altamont assists EnergyXchange with its landfill gas extraction system at the closed Yancey-Mitchell County municipal solid waste landfill. Altamont has provided engineering consulting services to EnergyXchange on system expansion, monitoring, and permitting. Additionally, Altamont provides technical expertise to Yancey County regarding solid waste management at the Yancey-Mitchell Landfill. Work performed includes a transfer station evaluation, landfill capacity determination, and landfill cap repairs. Inadequate maintenance at the Yancey-Mitchell landfill resulted in slope failure of the landfill cap. Altamont was contacted by Yancey County to provide cap repair design and construction oversight services.

Landfill Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring and Reporting

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Location: Polk County, North Carolina Altamont actively monitors groundwater and surface water quality for a closed C&D landfill and a municipal solid waste landfill located in Polk County, North Carolina. In total, the environmental monitoring of the two landfills includes five monitoring wells and three surface water locations. Altamont performs all services involved in compliance monitoring for the County, from sampling and data evaluation to report preparation and submission to the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DENR). Upon the recommendation of Altamont, the County recently adopted low-flow sampling techniques for groundwater monitoring in response to high metals concentrations and exceedances of North Carolina groundwater quality standards (2L Standards). Altamont based the recommended modification on its successful experience using these less disturbing groundwater sampling methods at other regional county landfills. Altamont provides the County with technical engineering and hydrogeologic services related to the monitoring systems in effect at the landfills, as well. For example, Altamont recently redeveloped three of the monitoring wells in an attempt to increase yield and reduce turbidity of the wells.

Solid Waste Management, Planning, and Environmental Monitoring

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Location: Jackson County, North Carolina Altamont completes all of the required semiannual groundwater, surface water, and landfill gas monitoring and reporting at the closed municipal solid waste landfill since 1998. The monitoring program includes seven groundwater monitoring wells, three residential drinking water wells, and two surface water locations on the Tuckasegee River. Altamont also collects landfill gas (LFG) measurements from 26 LFG probes. Altamont has performed a hydrogeologic characterization to develop and maintain a conceptual site model (CSM) for the landfill. The characterization included geologic mapping, fracture trace analyses, and water level measurements. The observed lithology and drill rig behavior from well boring activities were also used to develop the CSM. The CSM was used extensively in developing an Assessment of Corrective Measures Report in 2010 and a Corrective Action Plan in 2011. Altamont also assisted the County in the design and implementation of a landfill gas extraction system that is currently operational and provides energy to the Green Energy Park and provided engineering services at the Scott Creek Transfer Stationwellhead detail.

Beneficial Reuse of Closed Landfills

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Location: Canton, NC International Paper (IP) is the owner of five closed industrial solid waste landfills associated with a Canton, NC paper mill, which IP sold in 2000. Altamont is contracted by IP to be their local representative to manage the company’s interest and liability at these sites. Altamont’s responsibilities include quarterly inspection of landfill slopes, caps, and stormwater conveyance structures and property maintenance (which includes maintenance of vegetation, access, and groundwater, surface water, and landfill gas monitoring points). Additionally, Altamont conducts routine groundwater, surface water, and landfill gas sampling and is responsible for the reporting of this data and overall correspondence with regulatory agencies. In 2004, Altamont served as a liaison for IP in the negotiation of a lease of one of the closed landfill cells as a public recreational facility. As a result, the Town of Canton entered into a long-term lease of the landfill property with IP and has built three baseball fields, with additional sport facilities planned for the site. More recently, Altamont contracted with both IP and a local non-profit organization to construct the Western …

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Stream and Streambank Restoration

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Altamont has assisted the Polk County Soil & Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) with submittal of two grants that resulted in the PCSWCD receiving in excess of $2.7 million in funding from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF). Donated permanent conservation easements and in-kind service provide the project a total value of approximately $3.5 million. The project is focused on stabilizing failing streambanks, enhancing riparian vegetation and habitat, and placing into conservation a minimum 50-foot-wide riparian buffer along two miles of the North Pacolet River in Polk County (referred to as Reach 3). The project is part of a Watershed Plan that will restore and place into conservation the riparian area along the entire main stem of the river within North Carolina, a distance of 18 river miles. The assessment of Reach 3 included conducting a Rosgen-style Level III Assessment, riparian and exotic/invasive plant species documentation, hydrologic assessment that included field observation of bankfull indicators, North Carolina Regional Curve Data, watershed area and land cover, sediment transport analysis, US Army Corps of Engineers USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center, River …

Ecofilter Wetland Improvements

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Location: Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, Asheville, NC The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society’s (EMAS’s) mission is to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature, to preserve and protect wildlife and natural ecosystems, and to encourage responsible environmental stewardship. EMAS’s Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary is comprised of an ecofilter wetland that is located in an urban setting with aging infrastructure. The wetland helps to filter contaminants from stormwater runoff and captures a large amount of sediment before the pollutants travel to the adjoining Beaver Lake. The wetland also provides habitat for wildlife in an urban area. Recently, there has been some localized flooding at the bird sanctuary. Altamont was contacted to help improve the functionality of the wetland and restore it to its original design. Over the years, sediment has been deposited into the wetland via stormwater runoff and has filled in much of the area. In addition, outlet structures have clogged and/or are no longer functioning properly. Altamont is developing a dredging plan to bring the elevation of the wetland back to its original design level and redesigning the outlet structures …