EnviroScience, Inc has provided a series of environmental website links below that help to address a variety of ecological services. Please let us know if you need additional help with environmental inspections, water quality assessments, or emergency response to minimize the environmental impact.

Environmental Inspection Resources:

International Erosion Control Association
Soil and Water Conservation Society
National Sedimentation Laboratory
ODNR Rainwater and Land Development Manual
PA Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program Manual
WV Erosion & Sediment Control BMP Manual
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

The purpose of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) is assess the extent of injury to a natural resource and determine appropriate ways of restoring and compensating for damage to the environment. Under CERCLA 101(6) and 1001(20), natural resources are defined as: “land, fish, wildlife, biota, air, water, ground water, drinking water supplies, and other such resources.” In a NRDA, the functions or services provided by the contaminated resource are determined. The reduction in service levels as a result of the contamination are then quantified.

The regulations used to conduct a NRDA are based on the nature of the release. If natural resources are damaged by a release of hazardous substances or a mixture of oil and hazardous substances, then the Department of the Interior (DOI) regulations apply.

DOI regulations provide a framework for two types of assessments, based on habitat. Type A evaluations apply to coastal and marine environments. In Type A assessments, a computer model is used to assess damages resulting from a chemical or oil spill to a marine environment. Type B assessments cover all other environments and utilize various approaches. Both types of assessments follow four sequential phases to assess damages:

• Phase 1: Pre-Assessment Screen to determine if additional action is warranted
• Phase 2: Assessment Plan to identify how potential damages will be evaluated
• Phase 3: Assessment Implementation to gather the data necessary to quantify injuries and determine damages
• Phase 4: Post-Assessment to report the results of the Assessment Implementation phase and propose restoration alternatives

In cases involving discharges of oil (except for any part of oil defined as a “hazardous substance” by CERCLA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulations are used to perform an assessment. NOAA outlines the following three phases under their protocols for conducting NRDAs.

• Phase 1: Pre-Assessment Screen to determine appropriate jurisdiction and likelihood of environmental damage
• Phase 2: Restoration Planning involving injury assessment and restoration selection
• Phase 3: Restoration Implementation in which the final plan is presented to the responsible parties for implementation

EnviroScience’s experience with NRDA projects includes both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Our large staff of biologists possess an understanding of the NRDA planning and implementation process and have a wide array of technical expertise. Our environmental professionals respond rapidly and effectively to projects with a high-degree of technical and decision-making skill. EnviroScience’s technical expertise has allowed the company to complete environmental investigations throughout the United States and Canada, and our staff is familiar with federal environmental documentation processes at multiple levels.

Conservationists and government wildlife agencies are working to restore small but important creatures to the state’s rivers and streams. Mussels and other mollusks help keep waterways clean, but their population has shrunk. They’ve been threatened by pollution, dams and a now dormant mussel shell industry. WOSU’s Jen Monroe traces the history of mussel shell production in Ohio.

They aren’t cute, or cuddly, and if you’re walking along a river bank, they’re hardly interesting. They’re freshwater mussels, and they’re found in the shallow parts of Ohio’s lakes and rivers. But mussels play a vital role in our ecosystem-and they’re at serious risk of extinction. “Well they’re actually the most imperiled animals in North America.” Says Tom Watters.

Watters is the curator of the Division of Mollusks at Ohio State’s Museum of Biological Diversity. He and fellow conservationists recently reintroduced fifteen hundred endangered mussels into Big Darby Creek. He says two-thirds of the mussels in Ohio are either at-risk, endangered, or already extinct. “In many ways it is a little depressing because places that I used to go 20 years or so ago, the mussels are gone.”

The role mussels play in rivers and lakes is similar to the canary in a coal mine; they are an early warning system. Mussels constantly filter nutrients and toxins out of the water as they breathe. Watters says if the water’s not clean, mussels die and that means poor water quality. Despite the importance of mussels to our ecosystem, history shows people have more interest in the mussel shell than the creature itself.

“This is another one.” Says Marty Huehner. “Sometimes they can have very thick shells, that one was not so thick, this one is.” Huehner pulls out drawers full of mussel shells. He studies mussels for a local environmental firm and has acquired quite the collection. Mussels at one time were big business in Ohio. In the first part of the 20th century, the mussel shells were carved into discs, polished and sold as buttons… Huehner says at one time barges full of mussels were harvested out of Ohio rivers. “This is what really wiped them out. I mean you can imagine, they just scoured the river bottoms for whatever they could get.”

Plastic buttons eventually killed that shell industry but not before the mussel population plummeted So, Ohio banned mussel harvesting. But then came the cultured pearl business. Freshwater mussels now illegally taken from Ohio waterways were being shipped to Asia to help make pearls. Again, Marty Huehner.

“The shells are taken up, they’re cut up, and they’re tumbled to produce little spheres and then they’re inserted in the pearl oyster. And the pearl oyster produces a series of layers of pearl around the mother-of-pearl from the mussel shell.”

Sophia Prinz makes a living selling cultured pearls. She says to the naked eye, there is no difference between a natural pearl and a cultured one. But natural ones pretty enough to string on a necklace occur in about one in ten thousand oysters. Natural, totally untouched by man, pearls are not on the market. They are truly in the hands of collectors. Prinz says the only pearls on the market today are ones made from freshwater mussel shells. Some of these shells were poached from Ohio and sent to Japan, but in the nineteen-nineties the market for Ohio’s shells dried up. Pollution in Japan’s oyster beds cut production. And China began cultivating pearls and is now the world’s leading exporter. For Ohio that means there’s one less threat to mussel populations. So the mussels in Big Darby Creek can enjoy their new home, at least for now.

Jen Monroe, WOSU News. © Copyright 2010, wosu

Freshwater Mussel Translocation Monitoring for Endangered Species in PA

EnviroScience Inc., a Stow, Ohio-based environmental services company, was recognized for the company’s outstanding growth by the Weatherhead 100.

Since its inception in 1987, the Weatherhead 100 has been the event that showcases the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. Qualifying companies must show consistent growth over the last five years. The Weatherhead 100 list–objectively determined annually and highly regarded throughout the region–is a testament to hard work, commitment, innovation, and the dream to succeed.

As a 2010 Weatherhead 100 winner, EnviroScience has been distinguished as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio. The Weatherhead 100 list – objectively determined and highly regarded throughout the region – is compiled and managed by the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). EnviroScience was honored amongst its peers and other professionals at the annual Weatherhead 100 Awards dinner on Tuesday, December 7, 2010.

To see the Weatherhead 100 profile of EnviroScience, CLICK HERE to read the full article from Smart Business

One of the hottest buzzwords in aquatic invasive plants is Hydrilla. And rightly so, as this extremely aggressive and problematic invader is regularly popping up in isolated Midwestern lakes in recent years. Because everyone knows what happens when exotic plants take over, vigilance is essential to keeping Hydrilla from getting a foothold in your lake.

Hydrilla verticillata entered the United States in the late 1950s through Tampa, Florida, with the aquarium trade. Its aggressive nature is exemplified by the fact that it has spread across the southern states to California, north to Washington, up the east coast to Maine, and continues to march northward and into the central states.

Recent occurrences include Lake Manitou in Rochester, Indiana, in 2006. This was the only location in Indiana and the only known outbreak in the Midwest at the time. In 2007, Hydrilla appeared in an artificial pond in Marinette County, Wisconsin, along the Michigan border. That same year, suburban Boise and several locations in Bruneau, Idaho, reported infestations.

Hydrilla is considered an “invisible menace” because it often goes undetected until it has a strong foothold, and by then it may be too late. Early infestations are difficult to identify because the plant closely resembles Elodea (Elodea canadensis), a common and desirable native species. Once established, the plant can spread quickly, as the submersed plant grows an inch per day and can do so in any freshwater, including tidal zones (brackish water), and in depths from a few inches to 20 or more feet. Hydrilla also tolerates extremely low light and all nutrient conditions.

Description – Stems are slender and branched reaching up to 25 feet. Small, pointed leaves with serrated margins grow in whorls of four to eight around the stem. Hydrilla often has one or more sharp teeth along the length of the leaf mid-rib and tiny white flowers grow on long stalks above the water’s surface.

As noted, Hydrilla can be easily confused with the native Elodea, or Common waterweed, and the non-native Egeria densa (Brazilian elodea). Elodea is common in freshwater and has three leaves in a whorl. Egeria, an exotic invasive, has minutely serrated leaves, with those near the middle and upper parts of the plant growing in whorls of four to eight.

So far, chemical treatments are the chief control measure. The use of the Hydrilla fly (Hydrellia pakistanae) has shown promise as a biological control agent, and research by the US Army Corps of Engineers is continuing. Mechanical harvesting causes fragmenting, which tends to increase the rate of spread.

Periodic plant surveys conducted by a trained professional are the best way to keep up with what is growing in your lake and to identify early infestations of dangerous invaders like Hydrilla. In addition, watching for unusual plants or accelerated plant growth over the course of the summer can help spot new intruders. Do not hesitate to send new or unusual plant samples to your local or state Department of Natural Resources, Conservation, or Ecology for identification. Keep up with potential new invasives, talk to experts and your neighbors, and keep the communication lines open. Education and rapid response are critical and it is always better to be safe than sorry!

According to a recent National Invasive Species Council estimate, a new exotic species enters North America every 14 weeks. Federal regulations cannot keep up with such an onslaught so local groups have to step in. To head off the spread of zebra and quagga mussels, as well as other unwanted hitchhikers, some organizations set up voluntary boat washing and inspection stations. However, other agencies in Idaho, California, and Colorado have taken it to a completely different level.

Beginning in June 2009, any boat that is registered in Idaho, or another state, and any non-motorized vessel (canoe, kayak, raft, drift boat, etc.) will be required to purchase and display Idaho Invasive Species Fund stickers in order to legally launch and operate in the state. Only inflatable, non-motorized vessels less than 10 feet in length are exempted. The fees generated from the sale of stickers will fund vessel inspections, washing stations, and informational materials that will help Idaho prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species.

Boaters launching in many California lakes are required to have an inspection sticker before entering a water body. In some counties, there is no charge. However, at Lake Tahoe, starting June 2009, boaters will pay a small fee to fund an inspection program. Fees range depending on vessel size and surcharges are added for vessels with ballast tanks, live wells and bladders. When a vessel comes out of the lake, an inspection seal will be attached to boats so that they do not have to be inspected or pay a fee again as long as the boat returns with the seal intact. The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) sets up mandatory boat inspections along some highways to check for quagga and zebra mussels. Vehicles pulling watercraft are inspected while the owners are asked a series of questions. Clean vessels are released but boaters with suspect vessels are inspected further by biologists and specially trained detection dogs. Dirty vessels that have not been cleaned, drained, and dried out could be quarantined, although DFG officials said they do not anticipate any quarantine issues.

When zebra and quagga mussels were found in Lake Pueblo, Colorado in 2008, the state park implemented mandatory inspections for watercraft entering and leaving the lake. This year, the Colorado State Parks Board approved a statewide mandatory boat inspection program for lakes within the parks. In addition, many other lake and reservoir agencies are requiring strict inspections.

Even though there are no enforced inspections in thousands of lakes across the country, individual boat owners and lake groups can assist in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. Visit www.protectyourwaters.net for complete information about cleaning watercraft. For ideas on setting up an inspection and decontamination program at your lake view a presentation on watercraft inspection and decontamination compiled by Portland State University’s Center for Lakes and Reservoirs.

Although both nitrogen and phosphorous are considered positive as nutrients in plant fertilizers and as ingredients in household cleaners such as dishwashing detergent, at higher concentrations they interfere with the ecology of natural water systems like lakes and streams. In fact, excess nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from lawns, farm fields and septic systems are some of the largest threats to overall lake and stream health. Both substances contribute to large algal blooms and unwanted plant growth, and phosphorus is often the limiting nutrient in aquatic systems. Excess nutrients encourage non-native, invasive aquatic plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil to grow and spread rapidly, not only choking out the pre-existing native plants but also creating a thick mat at the surface that blocks sunlight.

Algal blooms are a result of nutrient overloads.

Nitrogen is the number one nutrient that promotes excessive macrophyte growth, although it does not directly decrease water clarity. Nitrogen concentrations of 250 ppb or lower are considered normal or background in lakes in many parts of the country. Phosphorous, on the other hand, does promote algae growth resulting in decreased water clarity when it reaches concentrations as low as 10 ppb.

Luckily, there are things that we can do to reduce the amount nitrogen and phosphorous entering our lakes. Having your septic system inspected and pumped each year is a great way to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorous pollution. Even simpler measures can be taken—some common household cleaning products like dishwashing detergent contain phosphorous, but switching to phosphate-free detergents and cleaners can make a big difference. Examples include Bi-O-Kleen®, EcoVer®, Mrs. Meyers®, and Seventh Generation®. Phosphate-free lawn fertilizers are also now widely available.

A ban on dishwashing detergents that contain more than 0.5 percent phosphates will go into effect in July 2010 in the state of Washington. Several other states are planning to or already have done the same, including Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New York.