Remediation is one of the most important steps towards the goal of reducing the amount of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Although the full scope of PFAS including exposure, toxicities, and human health effects are still being researched, there is overwhelming evidence that remediation should proceed without delay, particularly in the case of contaminated water.

As environmental professionals we want to keep up with the latest water remediation technologies, but what if the existing methods we have already perfected could actually be the best option for cleaning up PFAS? It turns out that the best water remediation technology found in the United States is to “pump and treat” PFAS contaminated water through granulated activated carbon (GAC) filtering technology. Hydro-Terra Group (HTG) and our staff have perfected the use of GAC filtering technology and “pump and treat” remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvent contaminated water for over 30 years and is prepared to remediate PFAS too.

Hydro-Terra Group’s professionals are pleased to provide you with this simplified list of five things you should think about when remediating PFAS:

1. PFAS are a group of more than 6,000 chemicals that do not occur naturally in the environment; all PFAS are man-made. They were first manufactured in the U.S. in the 1940’s. The most regulated PFAS are perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOS and PFOA belong to a group of PFAS known as perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). PFAAs is a collective term to describe a group of about 25 PFAS that are extremely stable in the environment, do not break down under ambient conditions, and are considered terminal PFAS. PFOA and PFOS have been sought after for their oil-resistant, grease-resistant and water-resistant applications. PFOS and PFOA were phased out of production in the U.S. in 2002 and 2015; however, similar alternatives such as “GenX” are still being manufactured. Remediation through GAC filtering does not eliminate the source, but it can greatly reduce the PFAS, including the newer alternatives from making their way into the population.
2. PFAS are the focus of active research and study because new information on their toxicity and health effects are emerging every day. PFAS have been linked to immune suppression, decreased vaccination response, high cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes, low birth weight, and kidney cancer among other health risks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently working with other government agencies to research and establish toxicity values based on scientific understanding. Although the EPA has not established a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for drinking water, some states, including Pennsylvania, have established their own MCLs. Remediation through GAC filtering can greatly reduce the amount of PFAS in drinking water so that each state’s unique regulatory requirements can be met.
3. PFAS bioaccumulate in humans, animals and plants. PFAS have the ability to disperse over long distances through air and water because they are chemically and thermally stable, water soluble, extremely mobile in groundwater, and not volatile. PFAS have been detected in waterways and drinking water systems nationwide. They are transported through rainwater run-off and enter surface water bodies or seep through the soil and migrate into groundwater aquifers. PFAS are mostly anions when the pH is greater than 3 and have the ability to disperse over long distances. PFAS can be detected far from any areas of manufacturing or use, including the arctic. The longer someone/ something is exposed the more PFAS bioaccumulate because more are being absorbed than being eliminated. Although the half-life of all 6,000+ PFAS are unknown, the half-life in humans is estimated at 3.5 years for PFOA and 4.8 years for PFOS. A reduction in spread and length of exposure to PFAS is remedial goal that GAC filtering technologies can provide.
4. PFAS bio transform, they don’t biodegrade. PFAS generally consist of a head and a tail. The tail includes a chain of strong carbon fluorine (C-F) bond that can be short (less than 8 carbons) or long, branched or linear isomers. The head consists of at least one functional group such as carboxylic acid. The heads are interchangeable, hydrophilic (attracted to water), and considered social. The tails are hydrophobic (repel water) and considered anti-social. The C-F bond is nearly impossible to break except under extremely high temperatures and mineralization only occurs at temperatures over 1,100 degrees C. When the weaker bond between the head and tail breaks apart, they are able to bio transform. The polyfluorinated compounds are consider precursors to the perfluourinated compounds because they can bio transform over time into a one of various PFAAs. GAC filtering technologies trap PFAS, including PFAAs and those prone to transform into PFAAs.
5. Although there are multiple exposure routes, exposure primarily occurs through ingestion of contaminated water. Studies have shown that the use of GAC filtering technology can greatly reduce the amount of PFAS that get ingested through contaminated drinking water. PFAS are removed through adsorption, which means dissolved PFAS adhere to the surface of the carbon. The adsorption process is capable of 90-99% removal efficiency.

HTG has been using GAC filtering technology to reduce contamination in drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater for over 30 years and can complete your PFAS remediation from start to finish and assist in meeting each state’s unique regulatory PFAS requirements from the investigation phase through the remediation phase. If you are interested in learning more about remediation of PFAS or the need for GAC filtering technology, please contact Hydro-Terra Group at (410) 861-5376 or (717) 980-5150.

A quick review of FAA rules and regulations on commercial drones to prepare you for your next project.

These days everyone seems to be talking about drones; they own a drone; they know someone who owns a drone; someone they know-knows someone who has flown a drone. It seems as though they are everywhere and can be flown anywhere!

With the advancement of supporting technology including cameras, gimbals, global positioning systems (gps), and processing software, drones have become practical to use in nearly all commercial industries. Cameras and gimbals on drones allow for movie production quality video. Photogrammetry, gps, and processing software produce scaled engineering diagrams with relative accuracies of a few centimeters. Thermal and lidar imagery allow emergency responders and farmers to find and observe features that are difficult or impossible to see with standard photogrammetry or on the ground. With all these applications, drones really do appear to be everywhere.

However, this technology does not come without regulation. Understanding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations on drones is critical when using this technology regardless of the industry.

The following are some general rules and regulations from FAA Part 107 designating the conditions and locations drones can and cannot fly. Keep in mind that you will need to register your drone and obtain a license if you want to fly commercially. Waivers may be acquired for nearly all these rules and regulations.

• Understanding Controlled Airspace Limitations. Before flying anywhere, you need to determine whether your flight location is designated as controlled or uncontrolled airspace. This requires an understanding of sectional charts and controlled airspace classifications. Sectional charts contain information on airspace classifications and can be found on several websites including VFRMap.com, SkyVector.com, and My Pilot Store. In addition to sectional charts, there are many great mobile apps available that provide information regarding airspace designations. Airmap, Kittyhawk, and Skyward are just a few of these apps. Flying within controlled airspace requires authorization from the FAA. You can submit requests for authorization to fly in controlled airspace near airports using Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) or DroneZone. The FAA’s website provides detailed information about these services.
• The maximum altitude limit is 400 ft above ground level. Some exceptions do exist. For instance, if the purpose of your flight is to inspect a tower or feature that is greater than 400 ft, this limit does not apply as long as you stay within 400 ft (vertically or horizontally) of the tower or feature you are inspecting. Be aware at higher elevations you may enter controlled air space.
• The maximum speed limit is 100 miles per hour (groundspeed) or 87 knots. There are several racing drones that can exceed 100 miles per hour. For most industries though, this speed limit will not be an issue.
• The drone operator must always maintain an unaided visual line of sight to the drone. Unaided refers to the fact that you must be able to see the drone without use of binoculars (glasses and contacts are fine). Looking through a first-person view screen does not count as an exception to this rule. Brief moments where the visual line of sight is broken are okay if you are moving around or behind an obstruction and the drone can quickly be maneuvered back into visual line of sight.
• Drones must be operated during the day. Or more specifically, drones may not be flown before morning civil twilight or after evening civil twilight. In the contiguous United States, morning civil twilight is 30 minutes prior to official sunrise and evening civil twilight is 30 minutes after official sunset. You can fly within these 30 minutes civil twilight periods without a waiver, but only if your drone is equipped with anti-collision lights that are visible for up to three statute miles.
• Cloud clearance must be at least 500 ft below the clouds and at least 2000 ft horizontally from clouds. For clarification, this applies only when you are flying directly below a cloud or at the same altitude as clouds. If clouds are off in the distance and you are not flying below them, you do not need to stay 500 ft below the cloud. The 2000 ft horizontal distance applies to when you are operating at the same altitude as the clouds. In this case, you would want to keep your drone 2000 ft from the clouds.
• Operating a drone from a moving vehicle: Under no circumstances can you operate a drone from a moving aircraft. However, you may operate a drone from a land or waterborne vehicle in sparsely populated areas.
• Flying over people or moving vehicles: Drones may not be flown over any part of a person who is not directly participating in drone flight operations unless they are under safe cover that would prevent injury should the drone, or part of the drone, fall from the air. FAA regulations specify that a drone may fly over a stationary vehicle but not over moving vehicles.

Again, there are waivers to many of these rules, so if your job requires flight operations that do not comply with these restrictions, no need to worry. The FAA website provides detailed information on operations that require waivers and how to obtain them.

Hydro-Terra Group maintains an array of specialized “in-house” equipment, tools, and fleet vehicles for our staff to support customers’ projects. This gives us the ability to mobilize quickly to meet our customer schedules while also maintaining the quality and functionality of the equipment to help minimize repairs and “down time”. Our equipment has been acquired over time as needs arise and is critical for the successful completion of our work, including:

• Routine sampling of groundwater monitoring wells
• Installation of test pumps for the completion of aquifer tests
• Water level monitoring
• Water quality monitoring
• Operations and maintenance of water and wastewater systems
• Confined space entry and air monitoring/ventilation
• Construction of water and wastewater systems

Some of the HTG-owned equipment includes a wide range of test pumps with flows up to 400 gallons per minute for pumping tests, automatic data loggers for water level monitoring, water quality meters and test kits to record various water quality parameters, a trailer-mounted 10k diesel-powered generator, flow monitoring equipment, various sizes of flexible discharge line, safety equipment including a confined space tripod and winch retrieval system, air quality monitoring equipment, line camera and locator, well and borehole camera, EZ Pull hydraulic pump puller. The attached links provide a summary of our available test pumps and rental equipment. Coming soon, HTG will be offering thermal imaging and photogrammetric drone capabilities!

Please contact us so we can mobilize to your site and do what we do best…respond to our customers needs!

 

 

At Hydro-Terra, we take ensuring the safety of your water seriously, and want to ensure you’ve got the tools to properly test your water. That’s why we’ve included two checklists on our site to ensure that you can safely test both drinking wells and environmental water samples. But if you’re new to water sampling, here’s an overview of the equipment on each, and why you need it.

Cooler, Cold Packs, And Plastic Bags

When shipping water, whether from a drinking water source or an environmental one, it’s important to preserve the life that might be in it; if the organisms in the water are killed off during transit, the lab won’t be able to determine whether you have a problem that needs treatment. Keeping the water cool will help preserve whatever might be found during your water sampling job. Similarly, putting each sample in a plastic bag will both ensure safety if the sample container breaks and keep it from contaminating the other samples.

Colorimeter And Chlorine Residual Reagents

These are used to help you find the total amount of chlorine in your sample. Chlorine is commonly used to clean wastewater, but it’s not something that should be in your drinking water. This is immediate data most collect during water sampling.

PH Meter with Calibration Buffers

The acidity or alkalinity of your water source is important to know; if the pH of your water sample is too high or too low, it may be dangerous to consume or may be putting wildlife at risk.

PVC or Neoprene Gloves And Safety Goggles

These serve a double function; they help keep anything that might be less than pleasant in the water you’re sampling from, quite literally, getting under your skin. And they also ensure that no contaminants that might be on you get into the water supply; as you might imagine, a few crumbs from your lunch can throw off even the most precise and granular results when water sampling.

Sample Containers, Labels, And Laboratory Chain Of Custody Forms

Especially if you’re shipping water off-site to be tested, it’s important that those samples be carefully and properly preserved and labeled. Incorrect or missing documentation leads to lost samples, switched results, and other problems. So when taking samples, take the time to label them properly; it can literally be a life saver.

Paper Towels

If you need to dry equipment or clean up spills during water sampling, you need something disposable, and paper towels fit the bill perfectly.

Tools Related To Environmental Water Sampling

Water sampling from environmental sources is inherently riskier than sampling from drinking wells; they may have more pollutants and microorganisms. For your health and safety, it’s recommended you bring a water pump with disposable tubing; disposable bailers; clean water; cleaning buckets for equipment; disinfectant for any equipment; and equipment for field tests to determine any problems that the lab may need to be aware of from the samples. Be sure to clean all your equipment thoroughly so it doesn’t contaminate future samples.

Testing properly is important, and that’s why at Hydro-Terra we built these checklists to be used in the field. Along with our calculators, they help ensure you get the right sample and get it tested right away.

Geothermal energy used to be a power option limited to homes and businesses in geologically active areas. But, as the industry has grown and new technology has been developed, geothermal energy is rapidly becoming a viable choice for everyone. Continue reading below to find out five reasons you should consider getting your power from the Earth.

Would you like to speak to a Hydro-Terra Group representative about geothermal solutions for your facility? Give us a call at (410) 861-5376 or click here to contact us online!

It’s Clean

First and foremost, geothermal energy is environmentally friendly. While there are potentially waste products and the possibility of releasing greenhouse gases to some degree, it’s not nearly as carbon heavy or loaded with environmental problems as burning oil or coal. In fact, the most waste you’ll see from a geothermal energy plant? Steam, released as part of the process of creating electricity. Especially if you want to run a green facility, a geothermal plant can ensure that you meet your carbon footprint reduction goals.

It’s Stable

Solar panels need bright days to power your facility, something not even the best solar technology can really overcome. Oil tanks can leak run dry. Coal plants may stop firing if there’s an environmental problem. Nuclear plants… well, those aren’t popular for a reason. But geothermal energy is active day in and day out, always working, always churning, always using the heat of the Earth to create power. The day your geothermal energy plant stops working is the day you’ve got much bigger problems; the Earth isn’t going to stop being warm for a long, long time.

It’s Cheap

After the initial setup of a geothermal energy plant, you’re pretty much in the clear, financially. You have to pay for plant upkeep and staff, of course, but that’s it; there’s no fuel you have to buy by the ton, no worries about supply drying up or prices suddenly spiking. Geothermal energy doesn’t start costing more because of some geopolitical problem half a world away, and it doesn’t take months for the price to go down after a spike; the price stays stable, and a lot lower.

It’s Safer

It’s worth noting that power generation is always going to come with some risks to staff and equipment, and proper safety procedures have to be followed around hot steam and enormous amounts of electricity. But geothermal energy cuts down on a lot of risk. There are no big tanks of flammable liquid to worry about, no chemicals you’ll need to dilute the fuel, no concern about radioactivity or worries about toxic gases or smoke. Keeping up a geothermal energy plant is a lot safer than you might think, and if nothing else, it smells one heck of a lot better.

It’s Forward Thinking

All the panic about “peak oil” and other talking points you see on the news obscure a far more important problem for your facility; the cost of fossil fuels is only going to keep rising. As there’s more demand for them, and as they become harder to get, fossil fuels are going to price themselves out of the market well before we manage to get the last drop of crude out of oil sands. Geothermal energy is a case of thinking ahead; by anticipating that problem now, and acting to fix it, you’ll put your facility on a more secure footing. In short, geothermal energy makes your facility safer, cleaner, and above all, more reliable. And who doesn’t want that?

Would you like to speak to a Hydro-Terra Group representative about geothermal solutions for your facility? Give us a call at (410) 861-5376 or click here to contact us online!