WDNR RR Report for March 2, 2012

 

DNR Unveils New Website 

 

If you have visited the RR Program website recently, you probably noticed some big changes! The Department of Natural Resources has redesigned and reorganized the website for the entire agency. Here’s a portion of the official DNR press release on the new design:

The Department of Natural Resources website, dnr.wi.gov, has undergone an extreme makeover and now it’s ready for the big reveal.

The new layout, global header, footer, topic-based landing and content pages will make it easier for those looking for information or ways to access permit applications and purchase licenses online. This new look and functionality is designed to provide a better customer experience.

Please note that most RR web pages have new web addresses (URLs). If you use bookmarks in your internet browser to go directly to a specific RR web page, we encourage you to update your bookmarks with the new address.

While it may take some practice to find content on the redesigned pages, we think these refreshed pages will ultimately be easier for you to navigate.

If you have questions, or cannot find a specific RR topic on the web, e-mail Eric.Ballas@wisconsin.gov for assistance. If you have general comments about the design of the pages (fonts, colors, navigation), please scroll down to the bottom of any DNR web page and use the “Feedback” button to make a comment.

 

New Manual Offers a Green & Sustainable Remediation Guide 

The GSR Manual was developed for DNR by AECOM, and further refined by team members of DNR’s Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Remediation and Redevelopment (WISRR).

An additional document, the Site-Specific Sustainability Analyses (RR-921), examines how real-world implementation of the processes outlined in the GSR Manual could be used at four, state-funded remediation projects.

This manual will hopefully serve as a blueprint for environmental consultants and DNR project managers to develop remedial strategies that incorporate sustainable elements. There is no current requirement for cleanups to meet a sustainable standard, but proposed changes to NR 722, Wis. Admin. Code, do reference the importance of sustainability when considering a remedial option. The WISRR team is already working on training DNR project managers on use of the manual in early 2012, and will likely offer public training opportunities within the coming year.

 

Reminder: Use Web to Avoid Submitting Outdated DNR Forms

The RR Program recommends all customers download DNR forms directly from our website, rather than by saving PDF-versions of the form to your computer. We do announce all revised versions of forms through the RR Report, however, we still find that there are customers who submit outdated forms. Using forms directly from the website will help ensure DNR staff can respond to your submittal, without requesting further information be provided.

  

RR Staff to Present at Two Upcoming Trainings 

 

Customers interested in cleanup and redevelopment projects will want to check out these two upcoming technical and policy training opportunities:

What: Consultant’s Day

When: Thursday, March 29 (8:30am-3:30pm)

Where: UW Oshkosh, Reeve Memorial Union

Cost: $35 (includes lunch)

To Register: Contact Denise Danelski for registration information (Denise.Danelski@wisconsin.gov) 

Topics include: green and sustainable remediation, vapor intrusion, continuing obligations, working with lenders, proposed changes to the NR 700 rule series, and more.

   

What: Environmental Regulatory Update Seminar

When: Wednesday, April 4, (8:00am-4:15pm)

Where: Midway Hotel, Brookfield

Click here to view the agenda and register.

Topics include: Proposed NR 700 rule-changes, brownfields cleanups, federal regulatory update, state legislative update, air regulation developments, water regulations and environmental enforcement.

 

 

Towing Company Owner Fined $3000 for Illegal Spill

 A Jackson County auto shop settled a lawsuit with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, after the owner was found to have illegally disposed oil, grease and fuel oil into a garage drainage pipe.

The owner of Hwy. 54 Towing and Repair, LLC agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for operating without a license and for discharging industrial waste – oil, grease and fuel oil – into the environment, endangering the soil and groundwater. The release was discovered during tests on a nearby remediation project. The tests showed high chemical counts near the towing business, and alerted the DNR to a new problem.

A DNR wastewater inspector and a hazardous waste inspector took initial soil and water samples. Later, a warden accompanied them to conduct dye tests of all drains. The samples and dye tests results, all conducted with permission of the owner, provided justification to request compliance with industrial wastewater codes.

 

DNR Shows Students the Science of Brownfields Success

In January, a group of about 50 students in from the Fox River Academy charter school visited

the Eagle Flats redevelopment site in Appleton to learn about this interesting brownfields success story. The site is in the process of being redeveloped from a paper mill to a downtown residential and retail destination. Representatives of the city, the developer, and RR project manager Jennifer Borski walked the students through the history of the site, environmental conditions, soil and water remediation methods, Energy Star programs, and sustainability. Look for a full success story on the Eagle Flats project in our March edition of ReNews.