1 Improving Operations, Compliance, & Environmental Performance at Public Works Facilities APWA 4/11/08

2

3 Ever had challenges meeting or maintaining compliance? What made it a challenge?

4 What are your biggest challenges? Operational? Compliance? Supervisory? Fiscal?

5 What’s changed over past 5, 10, 20 years? What challenges lie in the future?

6 Contributing Factors?

7 What could make it better? How could Plan-Do-Check-Act help?

8 ISO Household EMS Exercise

9 An EMS Has Three Key Commitments Compliance with relevant laws and regulations Compliance with relevant laws and regulations Prevention of pollution Prevention of pollution Continual improvement Continual improvement ENV. POLICY COMPLYCOMPLY P R O E L V L E U N T T I O N IMPROVEIMPROVE

10 The P-D-C-A Framework Continual improvement act check do plan

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

12 A way to figure out: Who has what impact on the environment How to prevent/address that impact Make it everyone’s responsibility Stay out of trouble, save money, feel and look good over a long period of time

13 Fancy term for good management

14 Basic Steps IDENTIFY how operations affect the environment PRIORITIZEMANAGEMITIGATEDOCUMENTCHECKLEARN

15 Say what you do Do what you say Prove it

16 Lessons Learned Much of what is needed for an EMS may already be in place Much of what is needed for an EMS may already be in place An EMS is more of a change management issue than a technical fix An EMS is more of a change management issue than a technical fix

17 Keys to Success Management support Effective ‘champion’ Involved and engaged staff KISS Effective teams Effective teams

18

19 Plan-Do-Check-Act Tools Process flow diagrams Process flow diagrams Aspects and Impacts Aspects and Impacts Significance Ranking Significance Ranking Action Plans/Environmental Management Programs Action Plans/Environmental Management Programs Operational Controls Operational Controls

20 Environmental Aspects & Impacts: Figuring out how our activities affect the environment How do you do it now?

21 What is an Environmental Aspect What is an Environmental Aspect? Examples Air Emissions (CO & NOx) Air Emissions (CO & NOx) Energy Usage (Gas & Diesel) Energy Usage (Gas & Diesel) Used Oil Recycling Used Oil Recycling Solid Waste Generation Solid Waste Generation An Element of An Organization’s Activities, Products or Services That Can Interact with the Environment An Element of An Organization’s Activities, Products or Services That Can Interact with the Environment

22 Key: Identify the environmental aspects that your organization - Can control, and - Over which it can have an influence

23 Environmental Impact Examples Degradation of Air Quality Reduction in Natural Resources Conservation of Natural Resources Reduction in Landfill Space Any Changes to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s activities, products or services

24 Relationship ASPECTCAUSE Air Emissions (CO, NOx) Air Emissions (CO, NOx) Energy Usage (Gas and Diesel) Energy Usage (Gas and Diesel) Used Oil Recycling Used Oil Recycling Solid Waste Generation Solid Waste Generation IMPACT EFFECT Degradation of Air Quality Reduction in Natural Resources Conservation of Natural Resources Reduction in Landfill Space

25 We do or provide…….. (Activity) We do or provide…….. (Activity) That results in……… (Aspect) That results in……… (Aspect) That has an impact on….. (Impact) That has an impact on….. (Impact)

26 How? Identify main activities, products, and services within your ‘fenceline’ - Brainstorming, process flow diagrams List environmental aspects - Are they under your control and influence? - Identify the associated impacts

27 Aspect/Impact Matrix ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ACTIVITIES, OPERATIONS, SERVICES PRODUCING BROCHURES paper 1. Purchasing recycled paper 2. Recycling paper 1. Recycling conserves natural resources 2. Promotes demand for recycling and contributes to societal goals for resource conservation water 1. Water use 2. Water treatment 3. Water discharge to sewer 1. Drawing water impacts rivers and aquifers 2. Overburden at POTW results in untreated discharges Ink ink preservers cleaning solv. 1. Storing supplies 2. Removing unneeded suppl. 3. Recycling 4. Possible spills 5. Disposal of packaging 1. Incompatible compounds pose potential hazard 2. Health hazard 3. Landfill impacts

28 Activity Aspect Impact

29 NOW WHAT? What do we work on first? Determining SIGNIFICANCE helps you decide How do you currently decide what’s important?

30 Criteria for Significance Defined by the core team Unique to the organization Subjective, not an exact science Not based on a complex formula

31 A Simple Matrix Approach ASPECT Reg Total VolumeToxic HealthNuisance Cost Key: 5 = high 3 = moderate 1 = low 0 = N/A Everything regulated is significant Aspects with a total 12 or higher are significant Sig? You determine these criteria

32 Common Issues: If it’s “Significant” it must be managed! If it’s “Significant” it must be managed! Just because it’s not (per the scoring) doesn’t mean it’s not important Just because it’s not (per the scoring) doesn’t mean it’s not important “Significant” environmental aspects need extra intervention and attention “Significant” environmental aspects need extra intervention and attention

33 Setting Goals Objectives and Targets Objectives and Targets Accomplish______ by__________ date. Accomplish______ by__________ date.

34 How do we get there? Action Plans and Environmental Management Programs Action Plans and Environmental Management Programs

35 What does it take to make it part of the way we work? Training

36 SOPs & Operational Controls

37 Communication

38 Communication

39 Communication

40 The EMS Framework Continual improvement act check do plan

41

42 Checking Back: The Role of Audits in an EMS Compliance Audits: Determines whether operational practices comply with applicable regulatory requirements. It is a systematic inspection of regulatory conditions, techniques and practices, operations, records and assesses violations for emissions, effluents, accidental releases, or failed record keeping.

43 Role of Audits EMS Audit: Determines whether the environmental management system conforms with planned arrangements. (3 stages) A Documentation Audit to assure the documented procedures conform to a standard. A Conformity Audit to verify that the actual management and operational activities meet the goals of the management system. Addresses Continuous Development of system procedures to prevent reoccurrences of non-compliances

44 When? Audit periodically during development – like mid term exams. Check what has worked and what could work/improved.

45 BOTTOM LINE Are we doing what we said we would do? Do we need to modify things to improve implementation and efficacy?

46 Build a SYSTEM to Survive Build a SYSTEM to Manage Better Build a SYSTEM to Excel

47 Resources Snow, UML, EMS: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations, NSF International, January Ensuring a Sustainable Future: An Energy Management Guidebook for Wastewater and Water Utilities, January