United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Public Affairs (A-107)
Washington, DC 20460
Volt
Numb.. .
July-August 1981
EPA JOURNAL
New Directions
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4
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Public Affairs (A-107)
Washington, DC 20460
Volume 7
Number 7
July-August 1981
3-EPA JOURNAL
Anne McGill Gorsuch, Administrator
Byron Nelson III, Director, Office of Public Affairs
Charles D. Pierce, Editor
Truman Temple, Associate Editor
Articles
EPA is charged by Congress to
protect the Nation's land, air and
water systems. Under a mandate
of national environmental laws,
the Agency strives to formulate
and implement actions which
lead to a compatible balance be-
tween human activities and the
ability of natural systems to sup-
port and nurture life.
o
Gorsuch Commends
State Air
Contributions 2
In her first major address, the
Administrator describes prog-
ress and problems in working
with the Clean Air Act.
EPA Reorganized 5
The Agency is restructured to
improve coordination in policy
and legal efforts and enhance
efficiency.
Key EPA Officials 8
A number of new officials have
been appointed to implement
the Agency's new organization.
Science and EPA 10
In a wide-ranging interview.
Deputy Administrator John W.
Hernandez presents his views
on the future of scientific re-
search at EPA.
Denver Wins
Its River Back 13
Citizen power is scoring gains
in rehabilitation of the South
Platte River.
FBI to Aid in
Hazardous Waste
Investigation 20
"Midnight dumping" and other
criminal violations in transport-
ing hazardous waste will be
probed jointly by the FBI and
EPA.
Controlling PCB's—
A New Approach 24
A chemical process that can
destroy toxic polychlorinated
biphenyls offers hope for
cleaning up this hazardous
pollutant.
U. N. Finds Pollution
Control Cost Less
in Third World 26
The economic cost of curing
environmental ills is less than
the cost of damage, the U. N.
contends.
Summer on the
Chesapeake 30
The bay today and the outlook
for the future which will be
disclosed in a major study to
be released soon.
Departments
Update 23
Around the Nation 28
Front Cover: Sun and clouds over
the Rocky Mountains, by Henry
Lansford. (See p. 2)
Opposite. Waterfowl at Blackwater
National Wildlife Refuge, Md., ad-
jacent to the Chesapeake Bay, by
Susan Bournique. (See p 30)
Photo credits
Belinda Rain, Rick Lamoreaux;
Bill Taggart; Mike Lien,
James Pickerell, Bruce McAllister,
Tom Dolan, Md. Dept. of Natural
Resources.
Design Credits: Robert Flanagan.
Donna Kazaniwsky and Ron Farrah.
The EPA Journal is published
••mined issues
July-August and November i
ber by the U S Environmental
Protection Agency Use of funds for
printing this periodical has been
approved by the Director of the
Office (if Manaciernent and Budget
Views expi • • .tiiors do not
• • .-.inly reflect EPA policy Con
tnbutions and inquiries shi
•-.set! to the Editor i A 1071
Waterside MM. 401 M St S W
Washington DC 20460 No per
mission necessary to ••
contents except copyrighted photos
iition
SI 2 00 a year SI 20foi single
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a foreign address No charge to
employees Send check or money
to Superintendent of Docu-
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Text printed d paper
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The sun bursts, through dark clouds over Richmond Harbor. Calif.
Gorsuch Commends
State Air Contributions
Excerpts from the first major address by
EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch to
the Air Pollution Control Association June
22 in Philadelphia.
s Administrator of EPA, I have had the
primary responsibility for revitalizing
the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Working
Group, which I chair, has considered the
various options available for legislative
action and EPA staff has produced all
major support documents. The Cabinet
Council on Environment and Natural Re-
sources, of which I am a member for this
purpose, will consider the options devel-
oped and make our recommendations to
the President.
"In preparing recommendations, EPA
has studied proposals from State and
local governments, labor, industry, envi-
ronmentalists, academicians, consultants
and interested citizens. In developing the
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Administration's proposal it was also im-
portant to look where we have been in
order to put together a blueprint for the
80's.
"Between 1940 and 1970—the year
the Clean Air Act was first enacted by
Congress —emissions of air pollutants in-
creased by 40 percent. Further, little was
known about the effects of air pollution —
or even how to define clean air. Regula-
tory schemes, where they existed, were
largely inconsistent from State to State.
"Today, as we head into the 1980's,
the situation is dramatically different. The
Clean Air Act and government's respon-
ses have been largely successful in im-
proving the overall quality of our Nation's
air. Illustratively, in the last decade we
experienced a 50 percent reduction in
particulate emissions and a 20 percent
improvement in particulate air quality lev-
els. In our major cities, we have substan-
tially reduced sulfur dioxide and carbon
monoxide.
"Perhaps of greater importance, our
ability to deal with air pollution at both the
State and Federal levels has grown. Most
States and many cities have developed
sophisticated laws and have established
environmental control agencies. At the
State and local level air staff has tripled
since 1970, to a current level of approx-
imately 9,000 people—or about 9 for
every 1 employed by the Federal gov-
ernment in air pollution control. Likewise,
the private sector can be given a good
deal of credit in assisting in the achieve-
ment of our national air goals. Scientists
and engineers—so many of you on hand
today—have joined with concerned in-
dustrial leaders to produce more effective
technology, the application of which has
created a remarkable contrast in air qual-
ity from 1970 to 1980 in America's in-
dustrial centers.
"We can be proud of our progress
under the Clean Air Act. However, a frank
examination of its implementation reveals
staggering complexities and conflicts-
sagas of intolerable time delays and in-
vestment losses—and a sad legacy of
distrust between industry. States and the
Federal government.
"Our business at EPA is to protect and
improve air quality. Yet we've found that,
in trying to implement the current Clean
Air Act, in many instances we've actually
delayed the process of cleaning the air.
"Truthfully, it has reached a point where
the combined effect of these problems
has actually subverted the very intent of
the Clean Air Act. In light of this, I believe
the time has come to make some neces-
sary mid-course corrections.
"If we do not move quickly, the Ameri-
can people will continue to suffer
needlessly from the unnecessary delays
fostered by the current law.
"Delays fuel inflation and —unfortu-
nately—delay can be found in EPA's per-
mitting process for new construction—an
often complex, lengthy and duplicative
exercise. Another example is the fact that
case by case technology requirements
mandate air pollution control decisions at
the end of the capital investment planning
spectrum rather than at the beginning.
The uncertainty over requirements
creates a great deal of indecision and
markedly inhibits capital investment. The
present process in many instances dis-
courages the roll-over of older, polluting
facilities and actually prevents or impedes
the construction of new and cleaner
plants. It's bad environmental policy and
it is bad economics.
"Perhaps we should review just how
the process works today.
"All new plants must, as a minimum,
meet EPA's new source performance
standards. But in clean-air areas, best
available control technology (BACT) must
be used. Unfortunately, BACT can only
be defined on a case-by-case basis. If the
planned construction is for a dirty air
area, then it must meet lowest achievable
emission rates (LAER).
"Even after these complex initial ques-
tions have been answered, getting the
actual permits can mean a torturous trip
through monitoring, atmospheric model-
ling, 'increment' or 'offset' bookkeeping,
and other formidable obstacles. The fact
that much of the procedure may have to
be duplicated at State and Federal levels
serves to slow down the whole process.
"But even more confusion is possible.
For instance, consider the case where a
PSD class II area suddenly shows non-
attainment. In that case, if the State's
Clean Air Plan has yet to be approved, the
ultimate limitation appears: No new plant
can be built at all.
"The permit process can add two to
three years of lead time for a typical
manufacturing plant. This is bad public
policy. Time is money; and such delays
are definitely harmful to our economic
well-being. But of primary significance to
our concerns, there is no incremental
environmental benefit attendant to the
delay, duplication and uncertainty. In
many instances there is environmental
degradation.
"These frustrations are demonstrated
by a recent case in Blytheville, Ark.
There, a local plant, which emitted pollu-
tants, had closed, resulting in the unem-
ployment of 400 people. Another firm
wanted to buy part of the old plant and
move it to a new location nearby, saving
172 of the 400 jobs.
"But the air in the new area wasn't
classified, and PSD regulations prevented
the move until the new company con-
ducted a year's worth of air monitoring.
All this despite the fact that the move
would have decreased the level of exist-
ing emissions in the area.
"Another key provision of the act that
creates confusion concerns EPA's current
role in approving State clean air plans
and their revisions. Instead of approach-
ing the implementation of the Clean Air
Act as partners, the States and EPA have
often developed a hostile relationship,
with EPA being perceived as a didactic
second guesser and meddler.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
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"In the mid-1970's, for example, the
State of Massachusetts recognized the
need to amend emission limitations for 70
individual sources. But, under the current
law, each change had to pass individually
through the SIP revision process. As a
result, EPA has for five years been review-
ing these changes and in many cases
merely duplicating the State's own work.
"In Nevada, a debate over indirect
source regulations has prevented final
approval of the State's Clean Air Plan for
eight years —eight years of litigation,
changing signals from Congress on indi-
rect source control, and changing policies
at EPA. As a result, vital land use issues
and longstanding interstate disputes have
gone unresolved.
"Even simple, non-controversial SIP re-
visions seem to consume unconscionable
amounts of time. In the past few weeks,
I have signed several of these that—if the
public were only aware —they would
surely ask such questions as: Is it rational
to take 17 months for EPA to approve a
change of attainment status for Cleveland
County, Oklahoma? And what could be
so complex about a power plant consent
order obtained by the State of Michigan
that it took EPA 17 months to ratify it?
Again, if time delays translate into envi-
ronmental quality enhancement, then
there might be some justification. But not
one less particle is removed from the air
as a result of time lags.
"In all of these cases, EPA was merely
duplicating actions already carried out by
the States. In none of them did the agency
encounter public opposition to the State
actions.
"The time has come for EPA to culti-
vate a working partnership with State and
local governments in an atmosphere of
cooperation —not confrontation. In our
major environmental laws, Congress
clearly intended the States to have a
major share of the responsibility for clean-
ing up our air, land and water. This intent
goes hand-in-hand with President Rea-
gan's desire to shift control of public pro-
grams to State and local governments
wherever possible. I am delighted that the
President has given me the opportunity
to carry out his call for a new partner-
ship at EPA, and to apply this concept
in the real world. There is so much that
can and should be done to refocus our
efforts on results.
"In order to begin a new era of part-
nership with the States, our way of doing
business at EPA will change. First, our
staff at all levels—consonant with the di-
rection of the new administration —will
conduct business with State and local offi-
cials with the presumption of good faith
and regularity on their part, and a pledge
to openness on our part.
"It is discomforting that so many in
Washington believe that concern for envi-
ronmental quality rests solely on the
banks of the Potomac. They fail to under-
stand the fervent desire of people
throughout the Nation to protect the
environment of each city and town. In
turn, local citizens elect their officials who
equally share their concern. In the new
administration, these officials will become
important partners with all EPA staff.
"Armed with this new approach and
determined to abandon adversary atti-
tudes, EPA staff will return to the field
with a set of management principles in
keeping with the goals of the Reagan
Administration.
"The first of these goals is consisten-
cy, blended with a deep respect for the
internal decisionmaking process of the
Agency. It is certainly inconsistent for EPA
staff to send conflicting signals by prema-
ture disclosure of unsubstantiated scien-
tific studies, improper lobbying of
Congressmen or State Legislators at bud-
get time, or flashy press releases that
upstage our State and local partners. It is
unacceptable for costly decisions at the
local level to be based on premature infor-
mation which EPA later alters.
"Secondly, in the Administration our
aim is to ensure the principle of accounta-
bility. No one is to represent our Agency
unless they know what they are talking
about, can speak with authority, and are
willing to keep their commitments. We
are going to practice accountability in
our own house as well by avoiding divisive
turf-fighting, which delays program
implementation.
"All decisions of the Agency must be
based on sound scientific research and
the best technical information available.
This has become a priority management
goal in my administration.
"Of particular importance is the quality
and reliability of the EPA data on which
rulemaking, monitoring, and enforcement
are based. In this regard, I am fortunate
to have as Deputy Administrator, Dr. John
Hernandez, who is the first person with a
technical background ever selected for
one of the top positions at EPA. Dr.
Hernandez will develop a peer-review for
all of EPA's scientific studies to make
certain that decisions which could cost
taxpayers millions of dollars are based
on sound research.
"Finally, I have called on all EPA em-
ployees to renew their pledge to be public
servants. This means phone calls should
be returned sooner. Letters will be an-
swered, not just acknowledged; unneces-
sary paperwork is to be avoided, and
every consideration will be given to cut-
ting down on red-tape.
"In order to help our front-line manag-
ers apply these principles to their day-to-
day operation, I have reorganized EPA
in a manner which will consolidate all
policy and budget analysis; centralize re-
sponsibility under one assistant adminis-
trator for all phases of an environmental
program area; and unify the Agency's
legal functions. Under this new plan, for
instance, the new Assistant Administra-
tor for Air will supervise all functions—
rulemaking, monitoring, permitting, and
the initiating of enforcement proceedings.
"And, at this point let me add, that
EPA is committed to a strong enforce-
ment doctrine. But success in enforce-
ment will no longer be judged simply by
counting beans—that is, by the number
of suits or orders filed.
"Instead we will look for results—for
real clean-up, and the best environmen-
tal bang for our buck.
"In closing, let me restate that EPA and
the entire Reagan Administration are
firmly committed to the goals of the Clean
Air Act. As Administrator of EPA, I am
pleased that this progress will take place
in the context of another far-reaching
Reagan initiative — regulatory reform. The
new Administration has already moved
dramatically forward in this field. By
streamlining our regulations and proce-
dures without sacrificing our environmen-
tal goals, our Agency can become a model
of efficient and good government for the
entire nation." D
Administrator Gorsuch addressing the Air
Pollution Control Association.
EPAJOURNAL
-------
REORGANIZED
The EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch has announced
a restructuring of the Environmental Protection Agency
designed to improve coordination in its policy and legal
efforts and bring greater efficiency by integrating budget
and policy units.
The Administrator emphasized that the changes will keep
current programs intact with their personnel, and will not
adversely affect any employee.
"With this realignment, I see the Agency, through
stronger management, upgrading our ability to fulfill EPA's
primary mission —protection of the Nation's environment,"
she said.
The plan designates six program areas headed by Assist-
ant Administrators to be named by President Reagan. The
areas are Water; Solid Waste and Emergency Response;
Air, Noise and Radiation; Pesticides and Toxic Substances;
Research and Development; and Administration.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
-------
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mrs. Gorsuch also has cre-
ated two Associate Adminis-
trator positions—one for
Policy and Resource Manage-
ment and the other for Legal
and Enforcement Counsel. The
new policy Associate Adminis-
trator will oversee analysis and
development of standards,
regulations, legislation and the
budget. The new legal Asso-
ciate Administrator will design
and direct policy and strategy
for enforcement in addition to
serving as the Agency's top
attorney.
The reorganization, which
took effect July 1, spells out
the following additional new
functions:
» The Office of Administration
has been established to direct
personnel, organization, infor-
mation data systems, facilities,
fiscal and contracts manage-
ment functions.
• The Office of Solid Waste
and Emergency Response will
direct the Superfund and solid
waste programs.
• The Office of Water and
Waste Management has been
renamed the Office of Water
and is responsible for water
programs.
• Enforcement functions relat-
ing to water; air, noise, and
radiation; pesticides and toxic
substances; and solid waste
and Superfund programs are
established in the respective
offices responsible for those
programs.
Office Of The Administrator
Administrator
Deputy Administrator
Chief Of Staff
Office Of
Adminstrative
Law Judges
Office of
Inspector
General
Office Of
Civil Rights
Office of Small and
Disadvantaged
Business
Utilization
Science
Advisory Board
Associate
Administrator for
Policy and Resource
Management
Associate
Administrator for
Legal Counsel and
Enforcement
Office of Inter-
Governmental
Liaison
Office of
Congressional
Liaison
Office of
Comptroller
Office of
General Counsel
Office of
Policy Analysis
Office of
Enforcement
Policy
Office of
Public Affairs
Office of
Legislation
Office of
International
Activities
Office of
Standards and
Regulations
Office of
Federal Activities
Office of Man-
agement Systems
and Evaluation
Assistant
Administrator for
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Assistant
Administrator
for Air, Noise
and Radiation
Assistant
Administrator for
Administration
Assistant
Administrator
for Water
Office of
Waste Programs
Enforcement
Office of
Personnel and
Organization
Office of Water
Enforcement
Off ice of Air, Noise
and Radiation
Enforcement
Office of Water
Regulations and
Standards
Office of Air
Quality Planning
and Standards
Office of
Solid Waste
Office of Fiscal
and Contracts
Management
Office of
Emergency and
Remedial
Response
Office of Water
Program
Operations
Office of Mobile
Source Air
Pollution Control
Office of
Management
Information and
Support Services
Office of
Drinking Water
Office of Noise
Abatement and
Control
Officeof Radiation
Programs
Region 2
New York
Region 1
Boston
Region 3
Philadelphia
Region 4 jfc Region 5 Ht Region 6
Atlanta Chicago Dallas
' " " "
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• The Office of Planning and
Management and the Office of
Enforcement have been
abolished.
• Regional offices will be di-
rected at a later date to re-
structure their organization to
reflect the Headquarters re-
alignments to the maximum
extent practicable.
The Administrator declared
that with these changes she
viewed EPA as "moving toward
an organization with strong
and consistent internal man-
agement control and an
enhanced ability to define
results-oriented environmental
goals.
"It will be an organization
that will work for us as we do
our part in helping this Admin--
istration achieve its objective
of a balanced budget. Our
budgetary processes will be
intertwined with our policy
formulations; our attention will
be directed to cross-media im-
pacts; our focus on policy,
Assistant
Administrator
for Pesticides and
Toxic Substances.
Assistant
Administrator
for Research
and Development
Office of
Monitoring
Systems and
Quality Assurance
Office of
Pesticides and
Toxic Substances
Enforcement
Office of
Environmental
Engineering and
Technology
Office of
Pesticide
Programs
Office of
Toxic Substances
Office of
Environmental
Processes and
Effects Research
Office of
Health Research
standards, and regulations will
be improved; and we, as an
Agency, will be better able to
use our allotted dollars for
maximum mileage. Our people
and facilities management
functions and other adminis-
trative services will receive the
increased attention they war-
rant," she added.
Under the plan, the func-
tions of the former Office of
Planning and Management
and the Office of Enforcement
have been moved into the new
offices that have been
created.
With operating divisions
moving intact from the former
Office of Enforcement into the
various program offices and
serving under the new Assist-
ant Administrators, enforce-
ment policy coordination will
be the responsibility of the
Associate Administrator for
Legal and Enforcement
Counsel.
"We are moving toward
separation of the administra-
tive aspects of enforcement
from the legal implementation
of enforcement decisions," the
Administrator declared. She
said that putting operating en-
forcement offices into the en-
vironmental program areas will
foster more efficient operation
with responsibility for success
in these areas clearly in the
hands of the individual Assist-
ant Administrators.
"We will also have a new
and better way of doing busi-
ness in which we better articu-
late and assign accountability
for environmental program
results," she declared. "The
integration of our enforcement
and media program functions
will clarify this accountability
for specific program ac-
complishments, enhance the
consistency and quality of
enforcement actions, and
simplify our interrelation-
ships with State and local
governments."
Included in the new Office
of Policy and Resource Man-
agement will be the Offices of
the Comptroller, Policy Analy-
sis, Standards and Regulations,
Legislation, and Management
Systems and Evaluation. Pre-
viously these had been, with
somewhat different titles,
under the now-abolished
Office of Planning and Man-
agement.
The new Office of Legal
Counsel and Enforcement will
include the Offices of the Gen-
eral Counsel and Enforcement
Policy.
The Agency reorganization
also combined the Offices of
Press Services and Public
Awareness into a new Office of
Public Affairs.
The Administrator added
that consolidation of the solid
waste management and Super-
fund functions would permit
specific attention to these pro-
grams consistent with their rel-
ative importance,
"All in all, the reorganization
will increase our functional ef-
fectiveness, reflect the priori-
ties of our time, and facilitate
our ability to respond to the
needs of this country," she
said. D
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Kathleen M. Bennett
Dr. John Morton
Dr. John A. Todhunter
Frank A. Shepherd
Key EPA
Officials
Three Assistant Administra-
tors have been nominated
by President Reagan. John
Horton, a New Jersey engineer
and businessman, was nomi-
nated to be EPA Assistant
Administrator for Administra-
tion. John A. Todhunter was
nominated to be Assistant
Administrator for Pesticides
and Toxic Substances, and
Kathleen M. Bennett to be Assis-
tant Administrator for Air,
Noise and Radiation. The Presi-
dential nominations are subject
to Senate confirmation.
Drawing from the ranks of
management in public and pri-
vate sectors, Administrator
Gorsuch made appointments
to fill new posts created as
part of her reorganization plan
and also named some special
assistants.
The appointees, the Admin-
istrator declared, "will provide
EPA with a wealth of practical
experience in environmental,
governmental, and private sec-
tor affairs. They all bring im-
pressive credentials to their
jobs. Their counsel, advice, and
support will be most valuable
to me in carrying out EPA's
mission of environmental pro-
tection."
Named to fill the new posi-
tion of Associate Administra-
tor for Legal Counsel and
Enforcement was Frank A.
Shepherd, a lawyer from
Miami. Nolan E. Clark, a
Washington attorney, was ap-
pointed to the new post of
Associate Administrator for
Policy and Resource Manage-
ment.
Other appointments by Mrs.
Gorsuch were:
William A. Sullivan Jr., a
lawyer and consultant to steel
communities, as Deputy As-
sociate Administrator for Legal
Counsel and Enforcement;
Robert M. Perry, a Houston
corporate trial attorney, as
EPA General Counsel;
John E. Daniel, a lawyer and
Washington representative,
as Chief of Staff for
the Administrator;
Thornton W. Field, an attor-
ney and regulatory affairs
specialist from Denver, as the
Administrator's special assist-
ant for hazardous wastes;
Kitty Adams, environmental
consultant and former U.S.
Senate legislative assistant as
special assistant for regulatory
reform;
Joseph A. Cannon, a Wash-
ington attorney, as special as-
sistant for regulatory reform.
Christopher J. Capper as a
Special Assistant and for an
interim period to be EPA
Acting Assistant Administrator
for Solid Waste and Emer-
gency Response.
Paul Milbauer as Special Assis-
tant to the Administrator,
serving as advisor on a range
of subjects with emphasis on
toxic substances.
Byron Nelson III, former jour-
nalist and Senatorial press sec-
retary, as Director, Office of
Public Affairs.
Dr. Horton, 56, began his ca-
reer 30 years ago in pollution
control work. He received a
doctorate in sanitary engineer-
ing from Massachusetts Insti-
tute of Technology in 1 95 1.
Previously he attended the
U.S. Naval Academy 1945-47
and MIT, where he received a
Bachelor of Science degree in
1949. During the past decade
he has been a businessman
and director of 16 companies
including several involved in
manufacture and distribution
of mechanical sweeping equip-
ment and industrial supply. He
has served with the American
Public Works Association, the
New Jersey Clean Air Council,
New Jersey State Planning
Task Force, and the State
Council for the Future. He is
the author of more than a
score of technical articles,
holds a dozen patents on his
inventions, and is a member of
several research and engineer-
ing honor societies.
Dr. Todhunter, 31, has been
Chairman of the Biochemistry
Program and Assistant Profes-
sor of Biology at The Catho-
lic University of America in
Washington, D.C. since 1978.
Previously he was a Fellow in
the Department of Biochemis-
try, Roche Institute of Molec-
ular Biology, Hoffman
LaRoche, Inc., in Nutley, N.J.
1976-78. He served as a
teaching assistant, research
assistant, and Regent's Fellow
at the University of California
at Santa Barbara 1974-76.
Earlier he was an instructor at
California State University in
Los Angeles. Dr. Todhunter re-
ceived a B.S. degree from the
University of California in
1971, an M.S. from California
State University in 1973 and
a Ph.D. from the University of
California in 1976. He is a
native of Cali, Colombia, South
America.
Since 1977 Mrs. Bennett,
33, has served as Federal Af-
fairs Representative for the
Crown Zellerbach Corp. She
has been a member of the
American Paper Institute Air
Quality Committee and Chair-
man of the Air Quality Sub-
committee on Prevention of
Significant Deterioration.
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Nolan E. Clark
William A. Sullivan Jr.
Robert M. Perry
John E Dame!
She has served since 1978
as faculty member of the
environmental law series of
Executive Enterprises, Inc.,
lecturing on the Clean Air Act
and on Congressional environ-
mental policymaking. She was
Director of Legislative Affairs
for the American Paper Insti-
tute 1974-77. She served as
Washington representative of
Public Affairs Analysts, Inc.
1972-74, and as Administra-
tive Assistant, Office of Con-
gressional Affairs, General
Services Administration,
1971 -72. Previously she was
Executive Secretary, Office
of the Governor, Chicago, II!.
1970-71 and Executive Sec-
retary to the Director, Citizens
to Elect Senator Ralph Tyler
Smith, in 1970.
She received an A.B. degree
from Manhattanville College,
Purchase, N.Y. in 1970. She is
married, has three children,
and lives in Alexandria, Va.
In his new post. Shepherd,
35, will design and direct pol-
icy and strategy for enforce-
ment activities as well as serve
as EPA's chief legal officer. He
previously was with the law
firm of Kimbrell, Hamann,
Jennings, Womack, Carlson,
and Kniskern of Miami which
he joined in 1972 and where
he has been a partner for the
past four years, representing
many large corporations. A
graduate of the University of
Michigan law school in 1972,
Shepherd holds a master's
degree in government from the
University of Massachusetts
and a bachelor's degree from
the University of Florida. He is
a native of West Palm Beach,
Fla.
Clark, 40, will oversee anal-
ysis and development of stand-
ards, regulations, legislation
and the budget. He has been
associated with the Washing-
ton, D.C. law firm of Kirkland
and Ellis since 1969 and has
been a partner there the past
eight years, specializing chiefly
in government regulation of
business. He is a native of
Montpelier, Idaho, and re-
ceived his law degree from
Stanford University School of
Law in 1968. He was awarded
the Order of the Coif
for finishing in the top 10 per-
cent of the graduating class.
He graduated magna cum
laudein 1962 from Harvard
College with a degree in eco-
nomics.
Sullivan, 41, previously was
with FSI, Inc., a consulting firm
he organized in 1979 that
guided redevelopment of in-
dustrial property after Jones &
Laughlin and Youngstown
Sheet and Tube Companies
closed their steel mills in the
Mahoning Valley in Ohio in
1977. He also has been presi-
dent of Western Reserve Eco-
nomic Development Agency
and the Steel Communities
Coalition, both of which were
involved in solving problems in
a steel-dominated economy.
Sullivan received a law degree
in 1964 from Columbia Uni-
versity and a bachelor's degree
from Trinity College in Hart-
ford, Conn., in 1961.
Perry, 46, has been a trial
lawyer since 1969 with Exxon
Corp. in Houston. He was an
attorney with the Justice De-
partment's Land and Natural
Resources Division 1964-69.
He received a law degree in
1961 from Georgetown Uni-
versity and a bachelor's degree
in 1959 from St. Mary's Uni-
versity in San Antonio, Texas,
his hometown.
Staff Aides
Daniel, 37, will direct the
activities of the Administrator's
immediate staff. He has repre-
sented Johns-Manville Corp.
before a number of regulatory
agencies since March 1980.
He was director of environ-
mental and legislative affairs
for the American Paper Insti-
tute 1976-80. He headed the
Ohio Attorney General's en-
vironmental law section
1975-76, and served as at-
torney for Alabama's Environ-
mental Health Administration
1970-73. He helped develop
enforcement programs for the
former National Air Pollution
Control Administration in
1968-70. He received a law
degree in 1968 from the Uni-
versity of Alabama and a
bachelor's degree in 1965
from that university's College
of Engineering, where he
studied sanitary engineering
and structural design.
Field, 32, has been regula-
tory affairs coordinator and
analyst with Adolph Coors Co.
of Golden, Colo., since 1979.
Previously he was a law clerk
with AMAX Environmental
Services, Inc. of Denver, the
environmental arm of AMAX.
Inc., an international mineral
development corporation. He
received a law degree from
the University of Colorado
School of Law in 1979, and a
bachelor of arts degree from
that university in 1976, grad-
uating magna cum laude.
Kitty Adams, 3 1, served as
legislative assistant to Sen.
James L. Buckley 1973-77
and helped draft amendments
to the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act and the
Clean Air Act. She was associ-
ated in an environmental
capacity with the Business
Roundtable 1977-78, and has
been a private environmental
consultant since 1978. She
graduated from Sweetbriar
College in 1972.
Cannon, 31, was on the staff
of the 1980 Reagan-Bush
Committee in 1980 during the
Presidential campaign. He
graduated cum laude from the
J. Reuben Clark Law School at
Brigham Young University in
1977 where he was an editor
of the school's law review. He
subsequently was with the
Washington, D.C. office of the
Houston, Texas, law firm of
Andrews, Kurth, Campbell &
Jones.
Nelson will serve as
Director of the newly created
Office of Public Affairs. The
Offices of Press Services and
Public Awareness were com-
bined into this single entity as
part of the Administrator's re-
organization plan. Nelson, 32,
served as press secretary for
Senator Frank Murkowski
of Alaska earlier in 1981,
for Senator Roger Jepsen of
Iowa 1979-80, and for Rep-
resentative Frank Evans of
Colorado 1975-77. He was gen-
eral manager for Binns and
Associates of Dallas, political
consultants, in 1978
He was a journalist with
the Los Angeles Times in 1973
and the Denver Post 1973-75.
Nelson received a Bachelor's
degree in journalism in 1970
from East Texas State Univer-
sity and later pursued graduate
studies in journalism at South-
ern Illinois University.
Continued to page 12
JULY/AUGUST 1981
-------
Science
and
EPA
Interview with
Deputy Administrator
John W. Hernandez
Q
As the first scientist to
serve as EPA's Deputy Ad-
ministrator, will you tell us
what you consider to be the
Agency's main scientific
goals?
Q
A
I think basing our deci-
sions on careful, precise evi-
dence has to be our principal
goal. We must have high-qual-
ity science. This is absolutely
imperative. We can't have an
organization founded on less
than the best technical investi-
gations possible.
Q
What is your under-
standing of the phrase "peer
review" and how useful do
you think this procedure
could be for EPA?
Internal —and occasion-
ally—external peer review by
qualified scientists is an abso-
lute must for all of EPA's publi-
cations. This is not true just of
our Research and Develop-
ment documents that people
have come to recognize as be-
longing to EPA, but it's also
true of all of the many other
kinds of publications that are
issued. Unless scientific deduc-
tions really survive rigorous
testing and interpretation,
we're going to make the mis-
take of taking data out of con-
text, away from their qualifying
assumptions,and putting them
in EPA publications that are
read by many, many people.
Our reputation suffers when
we print information that peo-
ple cannot trust because it
proves to be false in isolation.
Peer review to a good scientist
means, "I'm going to ask my
fellow researchers to look over
what I've done and to give me
their advice on the validity of
its hypothesis, method, and
interpretation." If we stick to
this approach in EPA, basing
our policy decisions and state-
ments on sound research,
we're going to have an effec-
tive organization, because the
basic talent is there.
In your view how ser-
ious is the problem caused
by acid rain?
A
f\ I dislike the term, which
has come to bear the connota-
tion of dead fish and dying
lakes.
Well, I think that it is unfor-
tunate that the phrase has
come to mean so many things
to people in the Northeastern
part of the United States. The
general hypothesis is that pre-
cipitation that falls across the
country has a lowered pH be-
cause of a measurable increase
in the hydronium ion due to
chemical transformation of
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides into sulphates and
nitrates respectively. This phe-
nomenon has always occurred
in nature to some degree; it
can be observed on remote is-
lands where no industrializa-
tion exists but is accelerated
over industrial regions of the
globe. There has been an ob-
servable increase in modern
nations since the advent of the
Industrial Revolution. A great
deal of uncertainty exists, how-
ever, over U.S. monitoring
data used to indicate that the
pH trend has markedly accel-
erated within the last thirty
years. We can make few judg-
ments on the information we
have gathered in a relatively
short period. Congress has
suggested that we extend our
investigation over a ten-year
term, seeking the areas where
this change seems to be hap-
pening and assessing its im-
pact on the environment. Are
streams and lakes in igneous
bedrock areas really becoming
more acidic? Has something
changed noticeably from, say,
1950 to the current time? Or
has something happened that
has been a part of man's pro-
gress since the nineteenth
century, with the phenomenon
gradually increasing over time?
What kinds of repairs are pos-
sible? What, in fact, is happen-
ing? What else in man's man-
agement of the earth have
we done that may also have
altered the quality of our small
lakes and the quality of the
runoff from our watersheds?
We have to look at all of those
questions and evaluate our
current activities in the context
of what are the possible solu-
tions to the problem. Are they
causes starting from long dis-
tances away? If they are from
long distances, can we pin-
point them? What in fact are
they? I don't think we're any-
where near the point of solving
many of these questions at this
time.
Q
Do you believe EPA
should place more empha-
sis on having research work
done by private companies
or other government agen-
cies in order to conserve
funds?
A
I don't think the policy on
outside consultants is simply a
matter of conserving funds.
EPA has a talented in-house
staff that for years has had far
more to do than its capacity to
accomplish. EPA has high-
quality scientists, but the work-
load has been so heavy it's
been necessary for us to go
outside to obtain additional
technical support. We're also
going to need outside help in
the future. I'm not sure whether
it'll be to any more or less
extent than we have in the
past. I think that we will do
two things in the future. One of
them is that we'll go back to
asking the university commu-
nity to do research work for
us. I come from that part of
our scientific society and un-
derstand that universities must
have relatively long contracts
with more general kinds of
guidelines than we give our
traditional consultants and
contractors. Universities don't
function on three-month, six-
month, and nine-month peri-
ods. They need a year, a year
and a half, two years, because
10
EPA JOURNAL
-------
the availability of graduate stu-
dents in a particular area fluct-
uates. They need to have a
little wider leeway in what they
agree to do for us. The other
thing I think that we'll go to is
closer coordination with other
government agencies. There's
been a lot of redundancy in the
Federal Government with re-
spect to funding for research
and monitoring. I think that
we should make every effort
to coordinate our projects with
those of the U.S. Geological
Survey, with NOAA, and with
the Department of Energy, so
that we don't do things that
the Bureau of Standards may
in fact already be doing, or
that State agencies already
have under control. We need
to do them in concert to pool
our common resources. So I
think that we will be seeing a
greater level of coordination
with State and other Federal
agencies.
V/ Do you think that any
laboratories or field stations
should be consolidated or
cut back?
/"\ One of the disturbing
aspects of a cursory review of
our various laboratories is that
many of them seem to serve
duplicative functions. For ex-
ample, an office in R&D or in
the programs will have groups
working on a project at many
different labs. This doesn't
seem to be the most efficient
way of getting the job done,
but it will require more than a
cursory review to determine
how and when we might wish
to consolidate or cut back.
How we will do so will most
certainly be a function of the
quality of research being pro-
duced, the relationship of that
research to an improved un-
derstanding of what consti-
tutes a sound scientific and
technical foundation for regu-
lation and guidance to the
States, and budgetary
prioritization.
Q
How can EPA meet the
demands for swift high-
quality scientific findings
while funds for R&D in the
agency are being trimmed?
Q
As a former State offi-
cial, do you think the States
can do more than they are
doing now in environmental
protection?
Q
A
One of the key words in
your question is swift scientific
information. And that's almost
one of those double negatives.
I'm thinking of the words of
Representative George Brown
of California who wrote an
article in Science recently that
discussed EPA's research en-
deavors. One of the things
that he said, referring to our
problems, was that EPA has to
recognize that "If you want it
bad, you get it bad." The idea
that we have to produce some-
thing very quickly to support a
regulation, or a court case,
has led us in the past to making
some bad decisions, very tem-
porary decisions that had to
be overruled and changed be-
cause the directions changed
when additional information
became available. I'd rather
see us go along at a much
slower pace in terms of new
regulations and new initiatives
until we have the scientific
foundation for a proposed
action well in hand and well
understood. When we under-
take an activity, we should be
fully confident that its scien-
tific basis is going to withstand
challenge. When we are ques-
tioned, and we always will be,
we must be able to reply,
"Here's the basic information,
here's what we acted upon,
and we made rational deci-
sions on that basis." I hope we
don't fall back into the days of
the "quick fix" again, and I
would expect to tell Congress
before the fact, if we could not
anticipate being able to pro-
vide a scientifically and tech-
nically rational basis for
regulation.
A
I think a lot of things have
changed over the last 15 years.
When I worked for a State
agency, we had only one or
two State laws that were de-
signed to guide and help us
manage and enforce our activ-
ities. We had virtually no regu-
lations at all. We had one on
milk, a couple on food, and
had one on swimming pools.
The rest of it was done, by and
large, by "jaw-boning," by pro-
viding the technical assistance
the communities needed, by
giving industry our best advice
on how they should solve a
problem that they were faced
with. I think it worked
well considering the resources
available. Since that time, most
States have adopted a full com-
plement of environmental laws
and regulations, much as we
have here at the Federal level.
They've built up their staffs.
Most States can, want to, and
will manage their own environ-
mental protection programs.
The Federal government has
supported the States quite well
over the last four to six years
with grants for key programs.
Today, State money is much
harder to come by when the
total State responsibility is
considered. Some States, be-
cause of a relative reduction in
taxes, have had to reexamine
what they are doing in the en-
vironmental arena. However, I
believe that by and large, with
the technical advice that EPA
will continue to provide, all
States can and will wish to
enter a new era of responsi-
bility in carrying on current
environmental programs for
which we now have so much
momentum.
In view of your long
service on national commit-
tees on drinking water, do
you have any opinion on
whether EPA is taking ade-
quate steps to ensure the
protection of our public
water supplies?
A
You know I've had a long-
time concern that our drinking
water program is placing such
an emphasis on a relatively
narrow band of problems with
drinking water that the Ameri-
can confidence in our public
water supply could be dam-
aged. In fact, that has hap-
pened. Not necessarily through
the actions of EPA, but through
the actions of people who have
questioned whether or not, on
the basis of what we've done,
whether our public water sup-
plies are safe. I believe our
municipal water supplies are
the best in the world. We have
by far the best water-supply
systems in the world. When
the Safe Drinking Water act
was passed, one of my con-
cerns was whether it would
become the mechanism, the
driving force for sending many
Americans to drink bottled
water. Sure enough, that has
in fact happened, and we see
people not using public water
supplies that are indeed safe,
and instead drinking bottled
water that for a long time was
itself not well regulated.
Q
What do you see as
EPA's greatest research
strength?
A
I really believe that EPA
has a wide variety of strengths.
I think in my testimony at the
Senate Confirmation I claimed
that EPA scientists were
among the best in their fields.
And I don't think this excel-
lence is restricted to one nar-
row area. We have a great
deal of outstanding scientific
leadership.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
1 1
-------
Key EPA Officials Named
Kitty Adams
Thornton W. Field
Joseph A. Cannon
Byron Ne/son III
Regional
Mrs. Gorsuch also named
Steven J. Durham as Regional
Administrator of EPA's six-
state Region 8, headquartered
in Denver, and Charles R. Jeter
as Regional Administrator for
the eight-state Region 4, head-
quartered in Atlanta.
Durham, 33, was elected
to the Colorado House of Rep-
resentatives in 1974 and re-
elected in 1976 and 1978.
Last fall he was elected to the
Colorado Senate with 74 per-
cent of the vote. He has served
on a number of committees
during his legislative career in-
cluding Health, Environment,
Welfare and Institutions; Busi-
ness Affairs and Labor;
Finance; Appropriations, and
Game, Fish and Parks. He was
voted Outstanding Freshman
Legislator in 1975 by his col-
leagues.
During the 1981 session he
was Vice Chairman of the
Senate Appropriations Com-
mittee and served on the Joint
Budget Committee. He was a
prime sponsor of a bill requir-
ing legislative approval of State
agency rules and regulations
and of tax reductions bills in
1979 and 1980.
The Administrator said that
Durham's "background in
business and his broad under-
standing of issues relevant to
Colorado and the West-
gleaned from six years of serv-
ice in the Colorado General
Assembly—will bring to EPA
determination to involve State
and local governments as full
partners in meeting our envi-
ronmental goals in the Rocky
Mountain West."
A graduate of the University
of Northern Colorado, Dur-
ham is a resident of Colorado
Springs where he has man-
aged the Seven Falls Com-
pany, operators of a scenic
tourist attraction there.
Jeter, 39, joins EPA after
14 years with the South Caro-
lina Department of Health and
Environmental Control. He has
managed a staff of 170 and a
budget exceeding S3 million
for the past five years as Di-
rector of the State's water pol-
lution control program. Last
year he also served as national
president of the Association
of State and Interstate Water
Pollution Control Administra-
tors.
"Charles Jeter is a solid pro-
fessional whose expertise and
dealings at various levels of
government will contribute
greatly to our efforts to create
a full federal-state partnership
in attacking pollution prob-
lems," Mrs. Gorsuch said.
"His experience runs a
gamut of environmental con-
cerns, and his knowledge of
regional environmental issues
gives him an exceptional back-
ground for his new position,"
she added.
Rebecca W. Hanmer, Re-
gion 4's Regional Administra-
tor since 1980, will return to
Washington, D.C. to serve on
an EPA Task Force on Regional
Reorganization.
As head of the water pollu-
tion control effort in South
Carolina, Jeter was involved in
the engineering design of
treatment systems, managing
the National Pollutant Dis-
charge Elimination System
permit program —a responsi-
bility delegated to the state—
compliance and enforcement
activities, municipal grants
administration, water quality
management planning, envi-
ronmental impact studies, and
many other aspects of pollu-
tion control.
Jeter joined the State envi-
ronmental agency as a chemist
in 1967. In 1972, he was
named Director of the Indus-
trial and Agricultural Waste-
water Division.
He graduated from Clemson
University in 1963 with a B.S.
degree in chemistry and bio-
logical sciences, and earned
his Master's degree in 1971 in
environmental engineering.
From 1965 to 1967, he served
as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Medical Service Corps.
Capper, 41, has been with
the government of Montgo-
mery County, Md., a suburb
of Washington, D.C., for the
past decade, first in the Office
of the Director of the Depart-
ment of Environmental Protec-
tion and more recently in that
Department's Division of Solid
Waste. He has specialized in
disposal techniques, including
landfill design and operation,
and incineration of municipal
solid waste, as well as hazard-
ous waste. "His experience in
handling these at the State and
local levels," Mrs. Gorsuch de-
clared, "will be invaluable to
EPA as the Agency begins to
work more closely with the
States to implement effective
solid and hazardous waste
programs."
Capper graduated from
Manhattan College, N.Y., in
1962 with a B.S. degree in
chemical engineering and is
presently pursuing a Master's
degree in Government-Public
Policy at Georgetown Univer-
sity. He is a member of the
Society of American Value
Engineers, the American Man-
agement Association, and the
American Public Works
Association.
Milbauer, 28, has been since
1980 a partner in Campaign
Systems Management, a pub-
lic policy/political research and
consulting firm which provides
polling and research services
to Republican candidates for
U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress
and State legislatures. The firm
also conducts independent re-
search for trade associations,
businesses and private non-
political public policy
organizations.
From 1978 to 1980, Mil-
bauer was an associate with
the New York City law firm of
Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby,
Palmer & Wood. He worked in
the firm's Corporate
Department.
Milbauer received his law
degree from the Harvard Law
School in 1978. While there,
he was awarded second prize
in the Nathan Burkan Memo-
rial Competition for papers in
the field of copyright law. He
was also managing editor of
The Harvard Journal of Law
and Public Policy during his
final year. Milbauer received a
B.A. degree in political science
and history from Columbia
University in 1975, graduating
cumma cum laude.
12
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Denver Wins its River Back
Techniques for transforming an urban
river from an ugly and malodorous dis-
grace into a striking and dynamic asset
are described in a new publication about
the South Finite River as it flows through
Denver, Colo.
Entitled "Returning the Platte to the
People, "the book offers insights into how
these procedures might be applied to help
rescue other urban rivers around the
country.
Written by Joe Shoemaker, with
Leonard A. Stevens, the volume reports
on the role played by a citizen c<
in /nuking the river a major attraction.
With an initial seed grant from Den-
ver's Mayor William H. McNichols, Jr.,
and the city council, the Platte River
Development Committee, headed by
Shoemaker, first began work in 1974.
Three pilot projects were initiated
which restored more than two miles of
the river. After this demonstration the
committee and its affiliate, the Greenway
Foundation, built the initial $2 million
seed money into more than $8 million by
earning contributions from the Federal
and State governments and from thou-
sands of private donors.
The improvements include numerous
riverfront parks, picnic areas, boating fa-
cilities, nature exhibits, playgrounds, and
outdoor gathering areas. All are linked by
a 10-mile waterfront hike and bike trail
and a boating course extending through
the city.
In describing a raft trip through Denver
on the river. Shoemaker reports in the
following excerpt from the book about
the progress in river rehabilitation:
-
Paddlers whip through the white water course in downtown DC
Early one lovely Monday morning in
June, I left home in southeast
Denver to join several colleagues on an all
day river trip in a ten-man inflatable raft.
We were certain to get wet because we
were headed for a great deal of white
water, so I wore a pair of old sneakers,
blue jean shorts and a tennis shirt. The
Colorado Rockies, dominated by Long's
Peak, were beautiful in the morning sun
as I drove to my destination. The moun-
tains were brilliantly white, for their
snowpack was deep this year. The rising
temperatures of late spring were causing
a heavy snowmelt, which increased the
white water we would navigate during the
day. It was to be an exciting, exhilarating
trip. I was anxious to get onto the river.
"The drive to our launching site took
less than fifteen minutes, and I never left
the city of Denver. Indeed, during the
entire clay's boat ride we would remain in
the city limits. We would be floating down
the South Platte River, embarking where
it enters Denver from the south and fol-
lowing it through the city to where it
flows off to the north at Franklin Street.
Our voyage would cover some ten miles.
"I stopped at Frontier Park, near the
city line, and crossed the street to the
river where several of my fellow sailors
had already inflated our raft. One of them,
Joan Mason, came forward to greet me.
" 'Have you seen this?' she asked, hold-
ing out a page clipped from the Rocky
Mountain News. The piece, titled The
Greening of the Platte,' had been pub-
lished while I was out of town, so I hadn't
read it. The author was Peter Warren, a
JULY/AUGUST 1981
13
-------
professor at the University of Denver and
member of Mayor William MclMichol's
Commission on the Arts.
'"Much has been said about what can-
not be done about Denver,' the long
article began. 'Yet we have in our back-
yard one of the most remarkable exam-
ples of urban revitalization in the United
States. In a brief space of five years, the
Platte Greenway Project has transformed
a blighted, degraded river —little more
than an open sewer — into a major amen-
ity for Denver.'
"Joan and I were delighted with the
piece. Both of us had worked hard at the
transformation of the Platte, she as a
member of the project's three-person
staff, I as Chairman of a nine-member
Citizens' Committee appointed by Mayor
McNichols in 1974 to bring about the
river's improvement. Also, knowledge of
our experience could be valuable to
dozens of communities where disreputa-
ble, repulsive rivers could be restored and
returned to the people.
"Now, I only had time to scan Warren's
piece, but I noticed that he had caught
onto how our unusual Committee had
worked:'. . . A fascinating prototype . . .
operating outside the creaky city bureau-
cracy, without mandated powers or lim-
its, the Committee has been able to act
quickly and effectively.'
"At the raft I was greeted by Kenneth
R. Wright whose 'water-oriented' engi-
neering firm, Wright-Mclaughlin, was re-
sponsible for designing and supervising
construction of a great many of the proj-
ects that were turning the blighted Platte
into an amenity. Ken was wearing a fabu-
lous straw hat he had brought back from
a business trip to southeast Asia. Behind
him, on his knees fitting out the raft, was
William C. Taggart, a young Wright-
McLaughlin engineer. He had been the
firm's man most directly responsible for
its work on the river.
"Three thousand c.f.s., ten times
the normal flow/ said Ken, referring in
engineering parlance to the cubic feet
of water per second rushing down the
Platte. I stepped out to the bank and saw
a churning torrent of water.
'"Hope you're ready for a good ride,
Joe,' said Bill, who would serve as our
helmsman while the rest of us paddled to
his commands. 'I've checked a number of
the roughest spots. We'll have a few
portages, but I think we'll do okay.'
"As I greeted the other passengers who
were assembling, I was suddenly dis-
tracted by a great white truck lumbering
toward us.
"'Hey, hey, what do we have here?' I
asked Ken, well aware that both of us
knew the answer.
"The vehicle was a large tank truck
from Denver's Waste Water Management
Division, and I assumed it was full of
some potent liquid. Moreover, I guessed
that the driver was hoping to discharge
his load into the South Platte, probably at
our launching site. The truck, as white as
it was, made me see pure red. For a half
decade we'd enjoyed a lot of success
shutting off discharges of pollutants into
our river, but stilt there were those who
kept on seeing the Platte as Denver's
receptacle for anything they wanted out
of sight, out of mind. Most disturbing,
this philosophy was still prevalent where
it should be found least of all, in certain
city agencies. It was lodged there like the
instincts of an animal: 'If you have some-
thing to dump, down to the river it goes!'
"The truck driver sensed my perturba-
tion as I hailed him to stop. 'What's in
there?' I asked.
Joe Si
'"Water and stuff, vacuum pumped
from the city's storm sewers,' he ex-
plained. The man's discomfort became
most evident when I asked where the load
was going, but instead of answering he
drove on down the street. He stopped in
about fifty yards and studied us in his
rearview mirror.
" 'He's waiting for our departure,' said
Ken.
'"Sure and then into the river it'll go,' I
added. 'Let's talk to him.'
"The driver made a U-turn and crept
back toward the city. I stopped him again
and asked where his load was going. He
admitted the river was in his mind.
" 'It's just water,' he said. 'Won't hurt
anything.'
" 'Then why don't you dump it right
there in Frontier Park?' I said. The grass
can always use water.'
" 'Well, no. it would smell,' the driver
replied, then demanded to know who I
was.
'"You'll find out when you hear about
this from your boss,' t replied. The driver
shoved his truck into gear, and it soon
disappeared, as I memorized the number
stenciled on its side.
"Shaking my head I returned to our
group of boaters. Our last three passen-
gers had arrived. One was Pat McClearn,
a new member of our Committee who is
with the University of Colorado at Denver
and well known for her work with Trees
for Today and Tomorrow,' an organiza-
tion that distributes and plants trees
throughout Denver. Finally, there were
the other two of our three-member staff,
Rick Lamoreaux and Robert Searns. Both
young men are intensely committed to
the improvement of the Platte.
"As we were about to board the raft, I
looked around to see Denver's Manager
of Safety, Elvin Caldwell, arrive in his car.
He had officially closed the river through
the city to boating because of the high
water, but had issued a special permit for
our trip, which was organized to check
the impact of the currents on our various
projects. Caidwell's visit pleased me, for it
seemed symbolic of an ongoing change in
the feelings of politicians for the river.
Not long ago manv had treated the Platte
virtually as abandoned territory.
"In a few minutes the seven of us had
bid Caldwell goodbye and were bobbing
on the turbulent water in the large,
bulbous raft. Everything that could
I i
EPAJOURNAL
-------
suffer from getting wet, from wallets to
cameras, had been stowed in waterproof
pouches lashed to the raft's inflated
crossmembers. Bill Taggart was on the
stern giving instructions to the rest of us
sitting sidesaddle on the gunwales. He
quickly defined the orders he would be
calling out—to paddle, backpaddle or
hold—and immediately began issuing the
commands that kept our craft on the
course Bill was plotting from his intimate
knowledge of the river.
'"I can't think of anything I'd rather be
doing,' I told Ken Wright sitting in front of
me. 'I really and truly love this!'
"Ken knew me well enough to realize
this expression was not vacuous senti-
mentality. He knew that my work on the
Platte had become one of life's most
rewarding experiences. That included the
frequent opportunity to get into the river
itself where I could sense the differences
we were making in behalf of one of our
most precious but long neglected re-
sources. Furthermore, a raft trip was a tot
of fun.
"In short order the vigorous cold cur-
rents were carrying us past the first of a
series of parks that our Committee had
built or improved on the river. Before the
day's ride was over, we would see nearly
a dozen and a half parks with various
sizes and facilities that were dressing
up the river in scarves of green growth.
This park that we were passing was
Pasquinel's Landing, named after James
Michener's pioneer character, Jacques
Pasquinel. In the best seller, Centennial,
the colorful Pasquinel opened the west
paddling his birch bark canoe up the
South Platte. Here on a three-acre site
beside the river, we built a park with
playground equipment, picnic tables,
parking area and a boat launching ramp.
Our new park complements an older city
park across the river. Ruby Hill Park, laid
out around a high bluff which offers one
of the best panoramas of Denver, the
mile-high city graced with magnificent
views.
"Just beyond Pasquinel's Landing I
caught a glimpse of an early morning
jogger, a middle-aged man heading north
from the start of our Greenway trail. If
the fellow's stamina and energy allowed
him to run the entire length of the trail, it
would take him some ten miles through
the city. He would always be a few feet
from the river, as the trail parallels or
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JULY/AUGUST 1981
-------
bridges the waterway. When it was com-
pleted, the trail became a major attraction
for bringing Denverites back to their
river. It returned the rich citizen to mingle
with the poor, the old with the young,
walking, running, biking, roller skating, or
riding in baby carriages or wheelchairs.
""First portage!' announced Taggart.
'We'll pull off to the right and land down
here by the Florida Avenue dam.'
"Following his orders the starboard
passengers backpaddled slightly. We
were approaching the first of ten check
dams constructed to make the river flow
more evenly, as well as to back up water
so it could be more easily pumped out for
various purposes. In due time we will
have all these dams 'notched' so boat
chutes can be installed allowing vessels
such as ours to ride down over the ob-
structions. But the dam at Florida Avenue
had no chute, and with the high water we
dared not go over it.
"As we maneuvered the raft slowly
toward the shore, we passed another of
our parks, Overland Pond. It was once a
fenced off quarry barred to the public
except where used as a golf driving
range. We reshaped the quarry into two
ponds and opened up most of the area.
However, a part of the six acres was left
for a native wildlife habitat. Also, we
planted the area with indigenous vegeta-
tion which requires no irrigation, in con-
trast to expensive bluegrass landscaping.
"Going down the Platte, Overland Pond
offers the first of several examples of an
unusual approach our Committee took to
finding park sites. Instead of always turn-
ing to pretty places, we looked to some of
the most unsightly areas along the river.
Halfway through our trip we would pass
Frog Hollow, a small green park, popular
for picnics, and resting place for bikers
and joggers, and a launching point for
small boats. Not long ago Frog Hollow
was a typical highway maintenance yard
piled with salt and sand, encumbered
with metal buildings and filled with trucks
and road equipment. Working with our
State Highway Department, we had the
maintenance yard moved to a more prac-
tical site, and Frog Hollow replaced the
mess.
"Just after our portage the raft took us
under the first of six wooden bridges that
we built across the Platte, leading the
Greenway trail from one bank to the
other. These structures, with walkways
eight feet wide, were designed literally to
ride out floods instead of standing and
fighting until battered to pieces. The
bridges, which were prefabricated in
Oregon, were set in sections on concrete
piers so they could actually float off in a
flood. If this happens, however, the way-
ward sections are tethered by cables to
the riverbank piers, and they simply float
on the floodwaters a few yards down-
stream. When the flood recedes, the sec-
tions can be towed back to the piers and
re-set. These innovative bridges, which
now cost $90,000 apiece, were perfect
for our continuing effort to make flood
resistant our projects in reply to an
obvious question from our potential do-
nors: With the Platte's history of flooding,
aren't your projects just going to wash
away? The answer: No!
"When we stepped ashore during the
portage, wet bottoms and backs attested
to the white water we had already
encountered. Now after passing under
the wooden bridge, we were soon in
more rough water, and then we came to
the best white water experience so far,
We purposely rode down over a selected
spot on the second check dam. It was a
low structure, but at the bottom, the
hydraulic backwash turned the raft into a
rambunctious sea serpent.
"With the roiling water astern, the sail-
ing smoothed out as we passed another
of our parks, Habitat. This park is another
example of a bane turned to a boon. Once
a city dump, the six-acre park is now one
of the longest sections of green on the
Denver stretch of river. In time Habitat
Park will contribute to our schoolchild-
ren's knowledge of the natural world,
for it is slated to become an outdoor
classroom amidst a number of restored
natural environments.
"As we sailed by Habitat Park, all on
board were distracted by a great flurry in
the trees on the opposite bank. Our
presence had agitated a large nest of blue
herons, and the great, beautiful birds
were taking to the air. None among us
was more excited than Pat McClearn or
Joan Mason. Both nature lovers are
thrilled that our efforts have made the
South Platte amenable to wildlife, as well
as people. Downstream we would see
more signs of improved fauna —which, in
one case, is a mixed blessing. We planted
hundreds of trees to dress up the Platte,
and the increasing numbers of beaver
have been most appreciative. We know
this from all the trees—our trees—they
have gnawed down.
"Late in the morning. Bill Taggart or-
dered a turn to port into Weir Gulch
Marina where we were greeted by an
excited, curious group of Chicano and
Vietnamese children racing around the
grassy banks. Weir Gulch is one of three
small streams entering the Platte in Den-
ver, flowing down from the front range of
mountains to the west of the city. When
the Committee first came along. Weir, like
the other gulches, was an odoriferous
disaster —old auto tires, garbage, dead
Christmas trees, decrepit refrigerators, on
and on. The little mountain stream was
destined to flow through a concrete can-
yon, planned for flood control. We got rid
of that plan and instead made a small
green park, equally capable of sustaining
a flood. The neighborhood citizens, many
of whom helped us build the park, now
enjoy a grassy pocket around the creek,
instead of an ugly, cement closure.
"On one side of the pretty little park a
marvelous mural was painted on the wall
of an otherwise drab industrial building.
The colorful painting— 125 feet long, 20
feet high —became one of six on the sides
of buildings overlooking our waterways.
School children at Ha,
pair of Canada geese.
n;
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Local artists did the pictures using paint,
an average of $3,000 worth per mural,
donated by the Colorado Paint Company.
The Weir Gulch mural was by artists
Manuel Martinez and Carlos Sandoval
and nearly 100 neighborhood children,
each assigned to paint a square in colors
designated by the muralists. Their picture
represents the emergence of the modern
Mexican as he still clings to his native
culture.
"Ken Wright suggested we give the
bright-eyed youngsters a raft ride, so
while we watched from the shore. Cap-
tain Taggart piloted the kids around the
marina pool. Afterwards we paddled back
out to the river, while the tickled children
ran out to our Greenway trail and waved
goodbye. In this area the trail is on a
wooden deck, cheek by jowl to a railroad
track (we had passed under both enter-
ing and leaving Weir Gulch). The canti-
levered deck, a half mile long, was built to
keep the trail hugging the river.
"My enthusiasm for the greenery we've
added to the South Platte may inadver-
tently convey the image of a river engulfed
in parklands. Actually, rafting through
Denver fs also a marine tour of city indus-
tries. For example, that morning we had
already passed the large Gates rubber
factory, as well as numerous smaller in-
dustries located right on the waterway.
Some of these businesses became our
most enthusiastic, early supporters. In-
deed, our first big donation, a $780,000
gift, came from the Gates Foundation, a
tax-exempt organization using Gates
funds for public purposes.
"Downstream from Weir Gulch we ap-
proached one of the Public Service Com-
pany's large, in-city generating plants,
and there between the shores is an inflat-
able dam, a 'fabri-dam' made of tough
rubberized fabric inflated with water. The
dam backs up a large pool used for
industrial cooling. Of course, our Com-
mittee originally saw the structure as a
barrier for boaters. But then the Public
Service Company obligingly helped us
deal with the problem, and the result was
a special boat chute designed by Bill
Taggart. The chute, weighing thirty-five
tons or so, rests on the inflated dam and
provides an exciting six foot drop—a
great experience for kayakers and others,
with white water at the bottom.
"In a few minutes, with Bill issuing
more paddling commands than I could
follow, we were shooting the chute down
over the fabri-dam, and then hanging
onto the bucking, tossing raft as we ran
the white water below. Our backs and
bottoms got wetter than ever—but who
cared with all the excitement!
"Drifting on down the Platte we moved
closer to the heart of Denver, as well as
into some of the most difficult territory to
convert from blight to amenity. For exam-
ple, the transformation of Lakewood
Gulch, entering the river at Colfax Ave-
nue, took us three years to complete.
Now it connects with Rude Park and the
hike-bike trail built by the Denver Parks
Department to the west city limits. Here
also, the problems, like the city's vast,
unattractive railroad yards, are bigger,
more deeply entrenched, more costly to
solve. But then in this area an improved
river holds the greatest potential for in-
fluencing other city improvements, mak-
ing our efforts doubly worthwhile.
"Close to noon we drifted past a 13-
acre strip of riverfront that we had al-
ready named Gates-Crescent Park—yet it
was anything but a park and turning it
into one was becoming a difficult political
effort. Currently the site was an elliptical
eyesore, a storage area for Denver Public
Works sandwiched between the river and
heavily traveled I-25. It contained all that
such yards usually display, from salted-
sand mountains to grubby asphalt paving
machines. At the moment we were urging
the city to earmark $825,000 in Federal
funds to relocate the facility back away
from the people's river. We already had a
quarter million dollars from the Gates
Foundation (and soon to receive another
quarter million from the Piton Founda-
tion) as a starter for building the park.
Mayor McNichols was with us, but seri-
ous resistance was surfacing from City
Council members eyeballing the Federal
money for their own districts. So we had
a battle coming up, and that afternoon as
I finished paddling we had to go politick-
ing. We intended to see that Denver's
own degradation of the Platte would soon
be moved in favor of a new, green piece
of the city with many advantages for
nearby neighborhoods, as well as for the
hundreds of thousands attending Mile
High Stadium next door.
"At noon we pulled into Fishback Land-
ing, a two-acre park that literally came
out of the blue one day when we were
approached by the trustee of the late
Hermes Fishback whose business had
been located in this area by the river. The
trustee wanted something done in
Fishback's name, and the result was a
$53,000 gift to construct improvements
on land we had already acquired for a
delightful vestpocket park that we named
Fishback Landing. As we docked there,
the park was populated with people who
worked in the neighborhood, and had
come to the park to relax and have lunch.
We joined them with our lunch delivered
to the park by Mary Lou Wesemann, the
staff secretary. Later we visited our
Greenway headquarters located in an old
paint warehouse a few yards behind the
park.
"When it was time to go. Bill Taggart
announced that the river being so high,
his vessel had to proceed by truck for a
short distance to avoid one of the most
precarious stretches of the Platte, practi-
cally in downtown Denver. We were to
take the Greenway trail on foot to a
designated rendezvous.
"The brief walk, shared with noontime
joggers, bikers, skaters and perambula-
tors, took us over and around our most
intensively developed section of the river,
near the city's business center. From one
of our bridges, we looked down on the
short but precipitous piece of river too
rough for rafting. Actually, we were look-
ing at the largest of our boat chutes —or
better put, the nation's first, permanent
Zuni boat chute on Public Si
fabri-dam at 13th Avenue.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
l /
-------
Bikers at Frog Hollow Park, once blighted
by piles of salt and sand for State highway
maintenance.
man-made urban white-water run. Here a
kayaker can zoom down across an old
dam, trying to follow a tortuous course
marked with slalom poles, as on a ski
slope (except our poles dangle from ca-
bles stretched above and across the wa-
tery run).
"Nearby on the river we could see our
impressive brick plaza with broad, gra-
cious steps leading down to the water.
Behind it are two old brick buildings,
beautiful structures, survivors from Den-
ver's past (the Forney Museum and the
H. H. Post Building). The plaza was our
Committee's first big project, built with
seed money from the city. This great
beginning set us in motion and provided
momentum for the continuing improve-
ment of the South Platte. The area was
named Confluence Park, it being at the
point where Cherry Creek (Denver's
second largest stream) joins the Platte.
"From the trail we could also see the
amphitheater across the Platte from the
plaza. When our Committee was formed
by Mayor McNichols, this spot was a
disaster—just like the entire area. It was
marred by broken concrete dumped hap-
hazardly with twisted old iron and timbers
from the Lord knows where. Now we
looked at a grass-covered amphitheater
constructed from the rubble, piled up and
packed in earth. On summer evenings
people, who were once repulsed by the
terrible mess, now sit on the grassy
promontory built on the rubble and listen
to musicians perform on the stage below.
"At one point I noticed Rick Lamoreaux
contemplating this scene of our most
concentrated accomplishments. A lot of
this young man's exceptional creativity
had gone into the doing of what was
before us. As the Greenway's Executive
Director he had found a surprising chal-
lenge in the river. Rick once said:
'"When I came to this job, I had a hard
time reconciling the South Platte in Den-
ver with my feelings of what a river was
all about. But then I recognized what a
real challenge it was to do something for
the river, despite all the constraints im-
posed by the past neglect and abuse.'
"As we resumed our walk, we looked
back along the river to a site that will soon
become another piece of our downtown
complex —and again will consign to bad
memories one of the valley's worst as-
saults on the senses, an automobile
wrecking yard that spewed auditory,
visual, olfactory, pulmonary—you name
it —pollution. We now saw a vacant 6.3
acres to be called Centennial Park minus
this environmental blitzkreig, our Green-
way organization having purchased the
land. Soon it will have four tennis courts
and the first velodrome (bicycle racing
arena) between Illinois and the west coast.
"Remaining in the confluence area, we
took a brief sojourn up a side trail along
Cherry Creek for a look at that stream.
Had we walked its length, the trail would
have led us to downtown Denver and the
Auraria Higher Education Center. With
financial help from the Center, we built
the walkway to make the South Platte
accessible by foot to some 25,000
Auraria students. Without it a direct stroll
to the river could have been a flirt with
suicide, for it would have required cross-
ing sixteen busy railroad tracks. The trail
was to be extended by the City inside the
walls of Cherry Creek to the country club
in the center of Denver. The Parks De-
partment had previously constructed a
trail inside the Cherry Creek channel from
the country club to Cherry Creek Lake.
" 'Hey! There's one of our rangers,'
announced Bob Searns, as we returned
from Cherry Creek Trail. We looked ahead
to see a young man on a bicycle towing a
small, two-wheeled trailer with a wire
basket containing various tools. They're
at work again this season and doing a
good job,' Bob added.
"Our Greenway Rangers, a group of
five young people, ride our ten-mile trail
system, late spring, summer and early
fall, keeping our projects clean, doing
routine maintenance, reporting on the
trail's condition, answering people's ques-
tions, whatever comes along. They were
around for the second year, and I was
glad of their success.
"Bob Searns, who helped develop and
is in charge of the Ranger program, also
came to our river project in its earliest
days. The young man with the black,
bushy hair is from Buffalo, New York.
That's where I was exposed to many of
man's abuses of the environment,' he
says, 'and it helped rne decide to commit
myself to outdoor water recreation, es-
pecially in cities. I believe in people living
in cities, but then I mean cities that are
clean and beautiful. For that purpose
clean, natural water becomes important.'
"Bob is a jack-of-all-trades, which he
needs to be as our Project Director: plan-
ning, administration, public relations, cel-
ebrations, maintenance, safety, anything
required. Above all Bob has won my
gratitude for bringing all of our projects in
at budgeted costs—except for one, Weir
Gulch, where he did not have budgetary
authority.
"When we arrived at the plaza, Bill
Taggart was there ready to launch the
raft from the lowest step and we were
soon aboard drifting downstream again.
"Passing under the 15th Street Bridge
just off the plaza I was reminded of how
many little things added up to make our
Greenway work rewarding. One of them
was visible to our left, where the Green-
way trail runs along a shelf of the viaduct
abutment. There one sees a long, colorful
panel of more than 400 hand-painted tiles
mounted on a wall. Each tile, six inches
square, was decorated by a Denver citi-
zen and set in place by artist Barry Rose,
who was compensated by the First Na-
tional Bank of Denver.
"As our raft drifted lazily along the
river beyond the 16th Street Viaduct
stretch of white water, we saw a patch of
the riverbank that had sustained serious
damage in the past few months, and not
by nature's hand. Again our own city
18
EPA JOURNAL
-------
employees were responsible. Truck driv-
ers from Public Works had selected an
accessible stretch of riverbank as a dump
site for snow plowed up with salt, anti-
freeze, oil and all else one finds in a
modern street. That was bad enough for
the water, but then their choice of dump
site coincided with where we had planted
trees to beautify the Platte. The trees
were now dead, and the scene of their
demise raised my temperature enough to
boil blood.
'"I brought it to their attention,' said
Rick Lamoreaux, 'and they promised no
more dumping.'
'"But a little late for those trees,' added
Ken Wright as he snapped pictures of the
blighted bank.
"Helmsman Taggart grew uneasy as we
approached the 19th Street Bridge, and
then announced, 'I think we ought to pull
ashore. We really should look at the white
water beyond the bridge before going
ahead. It's pretty rough.'
"Taggart, Searns, and Mason left the
raft and walked down the trail to take a
look at the river. The stretch of water
ahead, even though well within city limits,
is said to be one of the finest pieces of
white water for kayaks in the nation. It
might be too much for a big, lumbering
raft like ours, especially with the high
water, but I trusted our inspectors' judg-
ments. Joan is a lover of water recreation
who has seen rough water all over the
country. Bob is also an expert, having had
his baptism in boating in the Canadian
wilderness.
"Returning, they recommended that
we proceed —unless someone preferred
to walk the trail past the white water. Like
the others, I rejected the invitation to
walk, but swallowed hard in doing so. Off
we went and the pudgy raft was soon
twisting, bucking and tossing its passen-
gers all around the craft. At one point I
saw Bob Searns astraddle the forward
gunwale on my side—but against the
sky— and Ken Wright was between us.
When the raft flattened out from that
powerful flap, Bob was in Ken's lap and I
had hold of the latter's belt to keep both
men aboard. Pat McClearn (another ex-
perienced river hand), Joan Mason and
Rick Lamoreaux were firmly in place on
the port gunwales, as if nothing had
happened. When finally we were free of
that cauldron of foam, the remainder of
the trip seemed like sailing on a glass sea,
and we got back to inspecting our river.
" 1 can never pass here,' said Joan
Mason, 'and really believe a sidewheeler
plied the same stretch.'
" 'Whatever became of it?' asked Ken
Wright.
"No one knew, but I wished it were still
around. She would make a great antique
reminder of how people once used their
river. In 1887, before the Platte had
become too foul to visit, all Denver en-
joyed River Front Park (which we had
passed soon after negotiating the last
stretch of white water). There, for a short
time, a person could buy a 50-cent excur-
sion ticket on the steamer to Brighton,
about 20 miles north, until some tricky
sand bars spoiled the idea. The entrepre-
neurs then dammed the Platte at 1 9th
Street, making a lake back to 15th Street,
and there on summer evenings the
steamer, with the oompah of its brass
band echoing across the city, took pas-
sengers on abbreviated excursions in and
out of John Brisben Walker's amusement
center in River Front Park.
"In mid-afternoon Bill Taggart directed
us ashore just short of the Franklin Street
Bridge and the city line. By now we had
rafted nearly ten miles through the center
of Denver and had taken a look at the last
of our parks, Globeville Landing, and
were ready to go home and dry out.
"'Joe! Look, there's your friend!'
shouted Ken Wright as he and Taggart
were deflating the raft. He pointed to a
big, white tank truck coming toward us
across the bridge. I hurried to the street
for a closer look at the stenciled identifi-
cation.
'"He's followed us all day, poor man,'
said Joan Mason, jesting. 'Still trying to
dump in the river.'
'"Don't kid yourself!' I said. 'You could
be right! But you have to admit, we're
making progress.'" D
Anyone interested in buying a copy of
"Returning the Platte to the People"can
mail a check for ten dollars (of which five
dollars is a tax deductible donation) to
The Greenway Foundation, T421 Court
Place, Denver, Colo., 80202, and enclose
a return address.
Brick plaza at Confluence Park, with
bridges and viaducts in background.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
19
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-------
FBI to Aid
in Hazardous Waste
Investigation
"IP* he Environmental Protection Agency
I has begun a joint program with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation to un-
cover criminal violations that may occur
in the transportation, discharge and dis-
posal of hazardous waste.
EPA is focusing especially on "midnight
dumping" and other practices such as the
discharge of toxic wastes into the Na-
tion's waterways to circumvent the
Agency's hazardous waste regulations.
"Th^e FBI's willingness to assist EPA in
these investigations will give us excep-
tional investigatory resources to crack
down on willful violators," explained Ad-
ministrator Anne M. Gorsuch. "The haz-
ardous waste regulations are designed to
protect the public from those few crimi-
nal offenders whose actions can threaten
the health and well being of large num-
bers of our citizens."
Under the program, the investigative
resources of the FBI will be used to
pursue up to 30 cases during the coming
year. EPA will provide the technical sup-
port required for these investigations, in-
cluding site inspections and chemical
waste sampling and analysis.
Published reports in recent months
have indicated that organized crime has
been moving into the toxic waste disposal
business in several northeastern States. A
subcommittee of the House Interstate
and Foreign Commerce Committee (now
the Energy and Commerce Committee)
last December heard testimony that mob-
sters were infiltrating this business in
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
One witness, an FBI informant told legis-
lators that new State and Federal laws on
disposal of hazardous chemicals had
increased costs of legal chemical treat-
ment for many industries to the point
where organized crime could make huge
profits by taking it off their hands and
dumping it illegally. "You can get S20 or
$30 a (cubic) yard for it and dump it for a
dollar," he said.
EPA anticipates that the cases encom-
passed by its joint program with the FBI
will be those involving substantial envi-
ronmental contamination that could pose
hazards to human health. In many cases,
it is expected that the felony provisions
of the Resource Conservation and Re-
covery Act, as well as other criminal and
environmental statutes, will be applied.
Within the FBI, the new program will
be supervised by the White Collar Crime
Section. At EPA, the program will be
coordinated within the Office of the As-
sociate Administrator for Legal Counsel
and Enforcement. Representatives from
both offices have been meeting to estab-
lish procedures and guidelines for the
program in a Memorandum of Under-
standing between the two agencies.
Waste Dump Cleanup
Meanwhile Michael B. Cook, Director of
EPA's Office of Emergency and Remedial
Response, has described to a Senate panel
how the Agency is pursuing a vigorous
enforcement program against parties who
have left hazardous waste dumps strewn
across the country.
This cleanup effort is the "highest prior-
ity of the Environmental Protection
Agency," said Cook, "We have a com-
mitment to the Concfress and the American
citizen to vigorously pursue the cleanup
of inadequately disposed hazardous
wastes."
In testimony before the Senate Sub-
committee on Environmental Pollution,
Cook said the Agency had a "head start"
on the cleanup of hazardous sites when
Congress passed the Superfund law last
Midnight dumping
JULY/AUGUST 1981
21
-------
December to make it possible. By that
time, he said, EPA and the Coast Guard
had emergency response operations un-
derway at a number of waste sites and
enforcement actions to require cleanup
of others.
Cook cited the following EPA waste
dump cleanup efforts:
• Sufficient funding is now available for
future emergencies and to continue emer-
gency cleanup actions at 18 of 24 sites
where work has been in progress. (Emer-
gency actions have been completed on
the remaining six sites).
• Almost 54 million has already been
allocated to plan cleanups at 20 high
priority sites and funds are available to
initiate planning at still another dozen
sites this year.
• Considerable work has already been
completed at hundreds of other sites by
EPA, the Coast Guard, State Agencies
and responsible private parties.
• Currently over 9500 sites have been
identified, 5900 preliminary assessments
have been undertaken, and about 2,700
investigations have been completed.
• Together with the Department of Jus-
tice, EPA has filed 60 Federal judicial
actions to require responsible parties to
clean up sites which represent imminent
and substantial danger to the public health
or the environment. To date, this effort
has produced 11 negotiated consent de-
crees and preliminary judicial relief for an
additional 10 cases.
• There have been 57 enforcement ac-
tions undertaken by the States; 55 admin-
istrative orders issued by EPA; 69 issued
by the States; and two demand letters
requiring action by responsible parties.
Funds for the new abandoned site
cleanup program for 1981 are coming
out of a $68 million appropriation signed
by President Reagan earlier this year.
Of this money, Cook said, between $45
and $50 million will go to the direct
response effort to clean up sites. The
remainder, he said, will help pay for en-
forcement, research and development,
and administrative support.
100 Sites Listed
EPA is compiling an interim priority list of
the top 100 hazardous waste sites nation-
wide—many of which will be targeted for
remedial cleanup during 1981 under the
first phase of the Superfund program.
The Administrator said this "first prior-
ity list" was being developed with the help
of State and local governments, many of
which have extensive experience in this
area.
"EPA is anxious to use limited Superfund
dollars wisely on the sites that pose the
greatest threat to the environment," Mrs.
Gorsuch said.
The Administrated said that the interim
list should be completed by the end of the
summer, and early indications are that at
least one site from almost every State will
be listed. EPA will conduct extensive tests
at each site to determine the hazard level.
Compilation of the top 100 list is an
interim step to a more comprehensive
inventory of sites which will lead to a
required listing of 400 problem sites. All
parties who stored, treated or disposed of
hazardous wastes were required to re-
port the location and disposition of such
sites by June 9, 1981. EPA is currently
tallying the results.
"We cannot put off the initial clean-up
process while waiting for a complete in-
ventory," Mrs. Gorsuch said. "We want
to get Superfund dollars into the ground
—to get actual cleanup underway—and
that's why we are creating the interim top
100 list."
"The cleanup of these waste sites
ranks among President Reagan's highest
environmental priorities," Mrs. Gorsuch
said.
The Superfund law established a $ 1.6
billion fund, primarily levied from a tax on
the chemical industry, to be used to clean-
up or contain hazardous waste problems.
Superfund budget for FY 1982 is $200
million.
EPA, however, is already engaged in
cleaning up hazardous sites under legisla-
tion enacted in previous years by Con-
gress. "We are working closely with the
Department of Justice to require respon-
sible individuals and companies to clean
up sites," Mrs. Gorsuch said.
The Administrator indicated that one-
third of the sites studied in the past
several years were found to pose no
danger to public health or the environ-
ment. D
22
EPAJOURNAL
-------
Update
A review of recent major
EPA activities and devel-
opments in the pollution
control program areas.
HAZARDOUS
WASTE
Site Cleaners
EPA recently held sym-
posiums in Atlanta and
Denver on contracting
under the Superfund
program to clean up haz-
ardous waste sites. The
symposiums were spon-
sored by the American
Institute of Chemical
Engineers, and provided
EPA with the oppor-
tunity to communicate
the scope and nature of
the Superfund program
to potential contractors
and to receive sugges-
tions from industry on
EPA's approach. Con-
gress has authorized
over $ 1.6 billion in fund-
ing for Superfund over a
five-year period, with
87.5 percent of this
amount coming from a
tax on those industries
which operate the chem-
ical feed-stocks of haz-
ardous waste. The
Agency will take clean-up
action only in cases
where a responsible
party cannot be identi-
fied, where a responsible
party refuses or cannot
afford to adequately
respond, and if the State
is unwilling to take cor-
rective steps.
Groundwater Studies
EPA has awarded "pre-
Superfund" contracts
for preliminary engineer-
ing work at the PAS haz-
ardous waste site in
Oswego, N.Y., and the
Kin-Bucsite in Edison,
N.J. for $100,000 each.
The funds will be used to
gather information to
develop groundwater
studies at both sites.
"The cleanup of hazard-
ous waste sites under
Superfund remains one
of the Reagan Adminis-
tration's highest environ-
mental priorities," said
EPA Administrator Anne
M. Gorsuch. The "pre-
Superfund" contracts
were authorized by Con-
gress last year for pre-
liminary investigations
and engineering work at
selected sites under a
separate Resource Con-
servation and Recovery
Act appropriation. In
February 1981 EPA an-
nounced the selection of
sites for these funds. The
start of actual Superfund
clean-up activities at a
limited number of high
priority abandoned
waste sites around the
Nation is expected to be-
gin this summer follow-
ing President Reagan's
signing of a $68 million
supplemental appropria-
tion for fiscal year 1981.
TOXICS
PCB Information
EPA has asked major in-
dustries and small com-
mercial firms to make
available all information
on production, distribu-
tion, and use of low
concentrations of poly-
chlorinated biphenyls
(PCB's) in products or
waste. EPA needs the in-
formation to determine
what types of controls
are needed on PCB's in
concentrations below 50
parts per million. Under
a court order, EPA has
18 months to devise a
plan to control low con-
centration PCB's. Con-
centrations above 50
parts per million are al-
ready regulated by EPA
under the Toxic Sub-
stances Control Act. The
Chemical Manufacturers
Association and the Dry
Color Manufacturers'
Association will supple-
ment EPA's study with
their own surveys. The
Advance Notice of Pro-
posed Rulemaking on
this action appeared in
the May 20, 1981 Fed-
eral Register.
Tests Proposed
EPA recently proposed
that three common in-
dustrial chemicals be
tested to determine
whether they pose a
health risk to workers
and consumers or cause
other environmental
problems. The chemi-
cals, covered in EPA's
"test rule", are dichloro-
methane, nitrobenzene,
and 1,1,1-trichloro-
ethane, used as metal
cleaners, solvents, paint
strippers, and intermedi-
ates in the production of
other chemical products.
EPA proposed testing on
the recommendation of
the Interagency Testing
Committee, a body of
scientists established by
Congress to make pri-
ority testing recommen-
dations to EPA.The
Agency will require firms
making or processing
these chemicals to be
responsible for conduct-
ing the proposed tests.
Affected firms do not all
have to test; they can
cooperate on a single
test program for each
chemical, thereby allow-
ing them to divide the
costs. A public meeting
on the proposal will be
held in Washington, D.C.
September 17, 1981.
WATER
Dredging Seminar
The Maryland Chapter of
the National Association
of Environmental Profes-
sionals will hold a semi-
nar on dredging and
other related problems in
the Mid-Atlantic region
October5-7, 1981, in
Baltimore, Md. The pur-
pose of the seminar is to
provide a forum for
multi-disciplinary discus-
sion of dredging and re-
lated issues, with repre-
sentatives from industry,
government, academia,
and public interest
groups making presenta-
tions. The sponsoring
group is soliciting pre-
sentation of papers and
posters on the subject;
space for exhibits will be
available. For more infor-
mation contact Maryland
Chapter, National Asso-
ciation of Environmental
Professionals, Dredging
Conference, P.O. Box
1643, Annapolis, Md.,
21401.
RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
EPA and the Department
of the Army recently an-
nounced plans to coor-
dinate research activities
to control pollution. EPA
Administrator Anne M.
Gorsuch said the Army
has agreed to let EPA
use land on Army instal-
lations for research and
demonstrations of tech-
nologies for use in the
management and dispos-
al of hazardous waste.
The Army will partici-
pate in selecting and co-
ordinating the projects,
will provide support, and
will share the information
developed from these
projects. "Combining
Federal resources and
sharing information on
pollution control should
help in developing more
effective and less costly
options for the treatment
of pollution problems,"
said Mrs. Gorsuch.
Under the agreement,
the two agencies expect
to work together on the
following environmental
issues: hazardous waste
management, response
actions at hazardous
waste sites, leachate
control, and environ-
mental monitoring and
assessment. In addition,
a joint EPA-Army Tech-
nical Coordinating
Committee will promote
and monitor cooperative
activities, and will be
alternately chaired for
one-year terms by offi-
cials of both agencies
under a Memorandum of
Understanding.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
23
-------
Interior of Sunohio 's mobile unit designed to remove PCB s from transformer oils.
,
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Controlling RGB's
A New Approach
By Charlotte Garvey
The EPA has approved the use of a
new chemical process that can de-
stroy toxic polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCB's) safely.
The mobile chemical treatment system,
called PCBX, is mounted on a vehicle
trailer and removes the toxic PCB's from
oil used in electrical transformers. The
process was developed by Sunohio, of
Canton, Ohio, a partnership owned by
subsidiaries of Sun Company and Ohio
Transformer Corporation.
"The presence of PCB's in the envi-
ronment is potentially one of the most
serious public health issues we face," said
Edwin H. Clark, EPA's former Acting Assis-
tant Administrator for Pesticides and Toxic
Substances.
"The new PCBX process exemplifies an
approach to public health protection that
holds the real key to our effectiveness in
the future," he said. "I am referring to the
absolute necessity that new technology
be developed by the private sector that
will give us the tools we need to deal with
the increasingly complex environmental
problems we confront."
Well-documented tests on laboratory
animals have shown that PCB's can cause
reproductive failures, birth defects, skin
lesions, tumors and other health prob-
lems. PCB's decompose slowly and may
be stored in fatty tissues in humans and
other living creatures. EPA estimates that
91 percent of all U.S. residents have
detectable levels of PCB's in their fatty
tissues.
PCB's were produced in the United
States from 1929 until 1977, the year
production was banned because serious
questions had been raised over their ef-
fects on health and the environment.
Most of the approximately 745 million
pounds of PCB's now in use are in cooling
and nonconducting fluids in electrical
equipment such as transformers and ca-
pacitors. An estimated 20 million pounds
of PCB's are now being stored awaiting
proper disposal; about 10 million pounds
continue to leak, spill and evaporate into
the environment yearly.
According to Sunohio, because PCB's
are man-made, the PCBX system can
basically reverse the manufacturing pro-
cess by stripping chlorine atoms from the
PCB nucleus, leaving only environmentally
safe compounds and residues.
The PCBX unit is self-contained and
can be operated from an external power
source or can generate its own power.
Clark said, "The PCBX disposal system
has a number of unique and interesting
features. For example, it does not pro-
duce any PCB emissions to air or dis-
charges to water. It is also portable, being
mounted in a vehicle trailer.
"This means that PCB's can be treated
where they are found, thereby avoiding
the potential risks associated with extra
handling or transportation of the contam-
inated oils," he said. Also, because the
process removes the chemicals from these
oils, the cleaned oil also can be recycled
for continued use, according to Clark.
Previously transformer oils having
PCB's in concentration under 500 parts
per million could be disposed of only by
using thermal methods such as high-
temperature incinerators and industrial
boilers, or in landfills that have been
specifically approved for that purpose.
Because of fairly rigorous criteria, only
two incinerators have been approved for
commercial use and with a limited capaci-
ty, and only eight landfills nationwide
have been approved for PCB disposal.
Clark said a wide range of new tech-
niques for disposal are now in various
stages of development including new
thermal methods, catalytic decomposi-
tion, and chemical destruction such as
the method used in the PCBX system.
EPA's ten Regional Administrators have
the authority to approve PCB disposal
facilities and processes for use within
their regions.
Region 7, based in Kansas City, Mo.,
has granted full approval for use of the
system within the Midwestern States it
encompasses. Region 4, based in Atlanta,
has given approval for four companies to
use the system in the Region: Tennessee
Valley Authority, Department of Energy's
Oak Ridge Atomic Energy Facility in Ten-
nessee, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arse-
nal in Huntsville, Ala., and the Southern
Company, a private firm and parent com-
pany of a number of electric utilities in
Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
EPA's other Regional offices are now
evaluating the PCBX process following a
demonstration of the system and testing
by EPA; the Regions are expected to
approve use of the system in the near
future.
Sunohio has completed construction of
one trailer equipped with the PCBX sys-
tem and has two more under construc-
tion, according to Norman E. Jackson,
chairman of the board for both Sunohio
and the Ohio Transformer Corporation.
The initial mobile processing unit is
designed to decontaminate about 500
gallons per hour of transformer oils con-
taining up to 1,000 parts per million
(ppm) of PCBs.
Jackson estimated the cost of a single
trailer equipped with PCB-destroying
equipment at $500,000, and said that
Sunohio plans to construct a total of five
such trailers. Each would be equipped to
handle about two million gallons of con-
taminated oil yearly at an average cost of
S3 per gallon.
"The Sunohio PCB process was re-
searched and developed to solve the elec-
trical industry's immediate problem with
PCB's," said Jackson. "The process also
has probable application in other areas of
environmental concern. Preliminary labo-
ratory work leads us to feel confident that
the PCBX process will also be effective
against other halogenated hydrocarbons,
which include a great many of the pesti-
cides and other dangerous chemicals
which are causing so much concern
today."
Jackson estimated that the PCB prob-
lem could be controlled over the next five
to ten years if the PCBX system proves a
success. D
(Charlotte Garvey is an assistant editor of
EPA Journal.}
JULY/AUGUST 1981
25
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EPAJOURNAL
-------
U. N. Finds Pollution
Control Cost Less
in Third World
Ground water, such as this supply col-
lected in an underground cavern, is a
valuable resource in countries around the
world.
The economic cost of pollution control
in developed countries is estimated to
be far less than the cost of pollution dam-
age, and would be an even smaller per-
centage of gross national production in
Third World Countries, according to
Dr. Mostafa Tolba, United Nations Envi-
ronment Program Director.
Dr. Tolba also said in a report issued on
World Environment Day June 5 that vital
groundwaters are being misused around
the globe.
I he State of the World Environment
message, issued annually, also evaluated
the economic advantages of protecting
the environment as an investment for the
future.
"Most people would accept that there
must come a limit of cost, above which
further control or clean-up expenditure
becomes unreasonable," the report stat-
ed. "But not all the damage to the envi-
ronment can be assessed in money terms;
there are many effects on man and his
environment that cannot be quantified."
The report named benefits generated
by improved environmental quality, in-
cluding lower death and sickness rates,
better productivity, technological innova-
tion spurred by environmental protection
policies, and improved amenities. The re-
port also calls for measures to reduce the
levels of toxic chemicals in food and for
more research into how the contaminants
move through the food chain.
"There can be no question that many
chemical products have on balance
brought benefits to man," states the re-
port, but adds that other chemicals have
caused environmental damages, and out-
breaks of poisoning make clear the poten-
tial threat to human health.
"The general public is understandably
concerned by the fact that toxicologists
are at present unable to give reliable
estimates of the risk," Tolba declared.
Noting that groundwater accounts for
most of the fresh water on land (exclud-
ing glaciers and ice in polar regions) Tolba
calls for stringent scrutiny of waste dis-
posal, new procedures governing use of
chemicals on land, and effective controls
against pollution and over-use of ground-
water supplies. "This is not simply an
instance where prevention is better than
cure but where prevention is the only
available option," he said.
In assessing the economic impact of
pollution controls, the report states that
the estimated cost of pollution damage in
developed countries falls between three
and five percent of the countries' gross
national product (GIMP) while the cost of
environmental protection policies is esti-
mated to range between only one and
two percent of GNP.
Developing countries, says the report,
spend their environmental protection bud-
gets mainly in improving drinking water
supplies and sanitation, but to control
pollution effectively as well, they would
require only one half to one percent of
their GNP.
Tolba advises world leaders to base
good management of the environment on
avoidance of resource waste and pollu-
tion, rather than being forced to redress
environmental degradation after it occurs.
The World Environment Day panel dis-
cussion on toxic substances in New York
was led by Dr. Noel J. Brown, director of
UNEP's North American office.
Also on the panel were members of
U.S. non-governmental groups and the
international community, including film-
maker Robert Richter, winner of the
Dupont Award for his documentary, "Un-
safe Here, Okay Anywhere Else" on the
export of pesticides and Pharmaceuticals
from developed to underdeveloped na-
tions. The film was featured on Public
Broadcasting Service's "NOVA" series.
In Washington, D.C., the Canadian
Embassy hosted a reception for World
Environment Day, where establishment
of a UNEP liaison office in Washington
was also announced. D
JULY/AUGUST 1981
27
-------
Around the Nation
Discharge Permits
Region 1 recently issued
draft wastewater dis-
charge permits to seven
oil companies contem-
plating offshore oil and
gas drilling on Georges
Bank in the Atlantic
Ocean. They are Exxon,
Getty, Mobil, Murphy,
Shell, Tenneco and Union
oil companies.
The permits are con-
sidered to be among the
most stringent ever issued
for offshore oil explora-
tion work. The oil compa-
nies are required to use
the best available control
technology during the
exploration process.
Georges Bank is a major
commercial fishing
ground off the coast of
Massachusetts.
The draft permits also
require a comprehensive
monitoring program to
be put in place. The study
will focus on the impact
that drilling muds and
other discharges from
the rigs are having on the
marine environment.
The permits are for
exploratory work only.
New permits will have to
be issued before actual
production could begin.
Generic Bubble
Region 1 has condition-
ally approved the first
"generic bubble" regula-
tion, governing all re-
gulated air pollutants, to
be adopted at the State
level.
In the State of Maine
plants already complying
with existing air quality
emission standards
would be allowed to de-
velop bubble programs
involving all regulated
pollutants. The Maine
proposal for bubbles in
attainment areas is based
on EPA's bubble policy
and contains more strin-
gent eligibility criteria.
EPA's national bubble
policy is an important reg-
ulatory reform initiative
which allows pollution
sources the flexibility to
meet Clean Air Act re-
quirements in a more
cost-effective way. The
policy visualizes a factory
with many smokestakes
as being under a large
imaginary dome or
bubble with only one
emission point. It is a
voluntary program and
permits industry man-
agement to calculate the
best way to clean up air
pollution at individual
plants provided overall
clean air requirements
are met.
Other States have de-
veloped generic rules but
only for one pollutant.
handle and clean up its
work properly.
EPA rules require
firms to notify the
Agency before starting
demolition work. During
demolition they must
comply with regulations
intended to keep carcino-
genic asbestos fibers out
of the atmosphere.
now. EPA Region 3 did
not oppose the State's
request for these rea-
Figures show that
Region 4 accounts for
one-third of all EPA's sav-
Violators Cited
Region 2 recently cited
seven New York State
firms for asbestos con-
trol violations under
national emission stand-
ards for hazardous air
pollutants.
Two of the firms,
David Fabricators of
Brooklyn and J&S Sup-
ply Company of Long Is-
land City, manufacture
products which contain
asbestos. The five other
firms were involved in
the renovation of build-
ings which contained sig-
nificant amounts of
asbestos insulation mate-
rial. Four of the five,
Joseph D. Gibson
Contracting Corp. of
Wantagh, MTF Indus-
tries of Queens, Holly-
wood Commercial Re-
newals of Hicksville, and
Cross-Bay Excavators of
Brooklyn, are alleged to
have started renovation
work without notifying
EPA. EPA alleges that the
fifth, Compass Metal of
Jamaica, N.Y., failed to
Request Denied
A Federal judge in Phila-
delphia recently denied a
request by the Common-
wealth of Pennsylvania
to postpone the start of
an auto-emissions in-
spection and maintenance
program until January
1, 1983. U.S. District
Judge Louis C. Bechtle
said that the program
must go into effect by
May 1982.
Pennsylvania had
agreed to such a pro-
gram in a 1978 consent
decree after suits were
brought by local citizen
groups and EPA. The de-
cree called for the pro-
gram to start by May 1,
1981 in 12 counties
centered around Phila-
delphia and Pittsburgh.
The State asked for the
additional time so that
computerized testing
equipment could be used
by the privately-owned
inspection stations that
would run the tests. The
equipment was not avail-
able for distribution by
the original deadline.
National EPA policy
allows extensions until
January 1, 1983 if
States wish to use more
sophisticated equipment.
The computerized test-
ing equipment is more
accurate, easier to cali-
brate, and less expensive
to use and maintain than
equipment available
sons, but was concerned ing generated using this
about a proposed process.
change in schedule for
State inspection of test-
ing stations. The citizen
groups that signed the
consent decree were
generally opposed to any
change in the original
agreement.
Suit Filed
Region 5 recently filed
suit against the Inland
Steel Co. charging
violations of Federal par-
ticulate and opacity reg-
ulations at the company's
East Chicago, Ind., inte-
grated steel mill facility.
The suit seeks civil
penalties of $25,000 a
day dating back to
August 7, 1977, a per-
manent injunction
against further violations
of Indiana Air Pollution
Control Regulations and
the installation of addi-
tional controls to achieve
compliance with State
and Federal air quality
standards.
Region 5 alleged the
company violated the
Federally approved and
enforceable Indiana
State Implementation
Plan. Particulate sources
cited included eight blast
furnaces, three hot
scarfers, two coke bat-
teries, an electric arc
shop, a basic oxygen fur-
nace shop and an open
hearth shop.
Barrier Islands
The regional office is pre-
paring an environmental
impact statement on
wastewater manage-
ment for the North Car-
olina barrier islands.
The statement will de-
velop and evaluate
alternative treatment
technologies. The alter-
natives are being exam-
ined for environmental
impact, cost effective-
ness and possible finan-
cial impact on barrier
island communities. A
major issue involves pro-
posed centralized waste
treatment facilities. The
concern is that such facil-
ities may promote high
density development re-
sulting in adverse impact
such as increasing the
potential for non-point
source pollution of estua-
rine areas.
Value Engineering
More than $6 1 million
has been saved on 29
wastewater treatment
projects that used Value
Engineering in Region 4.
Value Engineering
helps achieve maximum
value for dollars spent by
identifying and removing
unnecessary project
costs. The process,
begun in 1975 at the
urging of the General Ac-
counting Office, is
mandatory on projects
costing more than $ 10
million.
Superfund
The Regional office has
accelerated efforts in
identifying abandoned
hazardous waste sites re-
quired by the new Super-
fund law.
During a six week re-
porting period, compa-
EPAJOURNAL
-------
niesand individualsmade
800 telephone calls to
the Region 6 Superfund
Unit, resulting in the
reporting of 350 sites in
the five State region.
The Superfund unit,
working with the States,
is currently ranking the
sites which need cleanup
or other remedial action.
This ranking will result
in the selection of 400
priority sites nationwide
as top candidates for
Superfund action.
Earlier this year, each
region selected sites for
study that clearly met
Superfund criteria. Of
the 17 sites chosen
nationwide, two are in
Region 6. The Motco site
in LaMarque, Texas, re-
ceived $ 121,000 for a
hydrogeologic investiga-
tion to determine the
extent of groundwater
contamination. The BWS
Corp. site, in Tate Cove,
La., received $10,000
for monitoring wells. The
Louisiana Department of
Natural Resources con-
tributed $40,000 for the
work at the BWS site.
Control Relinquished
Iowa is the first State in
the Nation to relinquish
primary enforcement re-
sponsibility for public
water supplies. The State
had originally accepted
primacy on September
1 1, 1977.
On April 1, 1981, Re-
gion 7 was officially no-
tified by an authorized
representative of the
Governor that the State
would terminate all public
water supply activities as
of July 1, 1981. This
action reportedly took
place because of a legis-
lative proposal to cut
funds for the State's
water testing program.
The Iowa State Legisla-
ture adjourned on May
22, 1981, without ap-
propriating matching
State funds necessary
for the Iowa Department
of Environmental Quality
to continue to carry out
a public water supply
program.
Under the require-
ments of the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act, EPA must
assume responsibility for
carrying out the man-
dates of the Act when
this activity is terminated
by a State. Region 7,
therefore, will routinely
monitor test results of
the Iowa public water
supplies to determine if
they are in compliance
with the maximum con-
taminant levels provided
in the Safe Drinking
Water Regulations.
Approximately 400
people attended public
meetings in Iowa to dis-
cuss the transfer of
authority from the State
to EPA.
PCB Burn Successful
A test burn of one gallon
of polychlorinated bi-
phenyls (RGB's) at Col-
orado's Rocky Flat
nuclear weapons plant
has successfully des-
troyed 99.999 percent
of the chemical. No de-
tectable amounts of
PCB's were released into
the air.
EPA, Rockwell Inter-
national and the Colo-
rado Department of
Health monitored the
burn. Laboratory tests
were independently con-
ducted by both EPA and
Rockwell, which oper-
ates the plant for the
Department of Energy.
The fluidized-bed
incinerator is a break-
through in the destruc-
tion of PCB's and can be
modified and designed
to fit on a railroad car to
permit burning away
from highly populated
areas. The incinerator is
normally used to destroy
some low-level radio-
active waste produced
in industrial operations
at Rocky Flats.
Predator Control
Reports of high livestock
losses have prompted
the National Wool-
growers and the National
Cattleman's Association
to request public hear-
ings on predator control.
The stockmen primarily
want the return of prod-
ucts containing com-
pound 1080, a poison
used against livestock
predators such as
coyotes.
EPA plans to hold in-
formal hearings in
Denver, Colo., and
Washington, D.C. to
reevaluate the use of cer-
tain poisons, including
1080. The original ban
was imposed in 1972
to protect people and
non-target animals.
EPA Administrator
Anne Gorsuch is slated
to review all information
gathered during the hear-
ings and decide whether
or not to hold formal,
legal hearings to amend
the 1972 ban. Any nec-
essary hearings, how-
ever, will be held before
the 1982 lambing and
calving season.
Water Projects
It is expected that one
half of California's State
Assistance Program
grant dollars will fund
projects that were identi-
fied in EPA financed
plans under Section 208
of the Clean Water Act.
Total capital expendi-
tures of over $39 million
are slated to be used in
implementing programs
that have the potential
to substantially benefit
water quality.
The Clean Water and
Water Conservation
Bond Law of 1978,
known as Proposition 2,
contained provisions for
the expenditure of $50
million to fund water pol-
lution control, water
conservation, and waste-
water reclamation needs
in California. The State
Water Resources Control
Board designated this
as the State Assistance
Program and adopted a
Project Priority List con-
taining 29 projects. Eight
of the 29 funded projects
can be directly traced
to specific recommenda-
tions made in and as a
result of Section 208
planning. This section
created EPA's main pro-
gram to deal with non-
point source pollution.
Roster Update
Region 10 recently
updated its rosters of
business firms owned by
minorities and women
that can help plan, design
and build sewage treat-
ment plants and other
kinds of pollution control
facilities.
To people who think of
sewage construction as
being exclusively a man's
business, the rosters
may provide a surprise.
In the Pacific Northwest,
there are more than two
dozen firms owned by
women offering services
funded by EPA's waste-
water treatment con-
struction program. Even
more surprising may be
the number of minority-
owned businesses—con-
tractors, suppliers, archi-
tects and engineers—
who perform these kinds
of services. According
to figures available from
the Region's Office of
Civil Rights, there are no
less than 368 such com-
panies located in the Re-
gion, including Alaska
(64), Idaho (39), Oregon
(98), and Washington
(167).
States Served by EPA Regions
Region 1 (Boston)
MassachuSfits Nrv,
• •
617 223 7210
Region 2 (New York
City]
N'pv\. J>'( s>vv ^-'
•?ico Virgin
Islands
212 2h :
Region 3
(Philadelphia!
Drl,iw;i!< V.
Wt'Sl Virginia t")is'
Columbia
17 9814
Region 4 (Atlanta)
.
Nortl
881 472 '
Region 5 (Chicago)
•
3123b3 2000
Region 6 (Dallas)
Oklahnm.i Irx.ts New
\' • •• .•
214 '6
Region 7 (Kansas
City)
U'W.I K I
Nebraska
• ; 5493
Region 8 IDenver)
.ult). Utah.
Wyoming Munt.in.i
\ irth i>,iKn!,i South
Dakota
:!():( H;
Region 9 ISan
Francisco)
A n/una (! aM(ir lltfl
N i • v, i 11,1 H n w a u
41!, !>f>6 2320
Region 10 (Seattle)
Alaska l(];lhi. Oftjon
W.IShilli j! '!'
206442 1220
JULY/AUGUST 1981
-------
The Baltimore harbor,
scene of industrial complex.
A sloop heeling over in stiff
breeze on the Cheaspeake.
;i>
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Summer on the
Chesapeake
Commercial oyster dredging
under sail in the Chesapeake.
he Environmental Protection
Agency is now winding up a five-
year in-depth study of the Ches-
apeake Bay, with findings that
may have broad significance to
estuaries in many other areas of
the United States.
Considered the most produc-
tive estuary in North America,
the Chesapeake supports a sea-
food industry grossing $ 175
million in good years and a recre-
ation industry valued at $200
million a year. It includes a major
world port, Baltimore, and
serves as a shipping channel
for global commerce. The Bay is
a haven for migratory birds and
waterfowl, along the Atlantic
Flyway. More than half a million
birds from Canada, including
geese and whistling swans, win-
ter in its marshes, coves and
fields.
But the Bay has its environ-
mental problems, and faces in-
tensified stresses as commercial
shipping, recreation, housing,
industry, and other human activ-
ities increase in the years ahead.
For these reasons, Congress in
1976 directed EPA to inaugurate
the Chesapeake Bay Program, a
$25 million study of the envi-
ronmental quality and manage-
ment of the estuary. Scientists
and managers in a joint effort
of EPA's Office of Research and
Development and Region 3, in
close cooperation with States
adjacent to the estuary, have
been assessing the chief factors
that have an adverse impact
on the Bay, as well as the many
laws, policies, and citizen efforts
affecting it, so that Federal,
State, and local governments
can more efficiently protect the
Chesapeake. The findings are
expected to be made available in
1982, with special focus on
three environmental questions:
toxic chemicals, eutrophication
(excess nutrient problems),and
the decline of submerged
grasses.
The photographs on these
pages illustrate some of the di-
versity of the Chesapeake scene
today and the ways the Bay
serves both people and wildlife
as a rich and varied resource.
Catching blue crabs with
chicken neck bait and nets
is favorite Bay pastime.
JULY/AUGUST 1981
-------
Loading timbers at
dockside in busy Baltimore
harbor.
An osprey makes its home
atop a channel marker.
The Bay Bridge span
Chesapeake near
Annapolis, Md.
EPA JOURNAL
-------
Fishing skiff on Patuxent River.
a tributary of the Chesapeake.
by Steve Delaney.
Back cover: A tranquil cove of
the Chesapeake Bay at sunrise,
by Steve Delaney.
-------
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Washington D C 20460
Official Business
Penally for Private Use 5300
Postage and
Fees Paid
Environmental
Protection
Agency
EPA 335
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U£MAtl
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Bulk
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