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Water Resource Associations of the Delaware River Basin

Jan '10

Around the Basin: Wastewater Plant Taps Biogas, Solar and Wind

THE GOAL of the Landis Sewerage Authority (LSA) in Vineland, New Jersey is to become one of the greenest wastewater treatment plants in the state, reducing its carbon footprint to near zero and perhaps even have a negative footprint through multiple reuse and recycling programs. The recent funding of a windmill by a Sustainable Jersey grant will complement existing multimedia green energy programs.

LSA is part of the City of Vineland Sustainability Team. LSA is the largest facility in New Jersey that processes wastewater to a very high level of treatment and returns all of the water back to the aquifer through infiltration basins and spray irrigation.
Currently, biosolids are applied to the mixed hay fields of LSA’s 400-acre farm and disked into the soil. Crops are grown and carbon is removed from the air. In addition, LSA has also planted 150 acres of southern yellow pines which also are fertilized with biosolids.

With an annual electric budget of more than $1 million, LSA has taken steps to reduce usage and generate its own power. These include a cogeneration unit to utilize biogas from the anaerobic digester, a solar array and most recently, a wind turbine. Cogeneration offsets about 12 to 14% of electricity costs. The wind turbine was just installed and on a windy day it will power the LSA Administration building. The solar is a power purchase agreement and LSA receives a lease payment rather then direct use of the electricity. The lease payment is anticipated to cover about 8 to 10% of the annual electric bill.

LSA also has an anaerobic digester that produces methane, a greenhouse gas, that was previously wasted by being burned in a flare. Now the gas is collected, run through a clean
burning engine Schmitt Enertec engine and produces electricity and hot water which is used in the plant. The payback on the cogeneration engine will be 6.2 years with no increase in electric rates.

Just completed this past summer was a 2 MW solar electric generation project on seven acres of LSA-owned land. This will be one of the largest land-based solar projects in New Jersey. There is also potential to add another 4 MW on additional land for a total of 8 MW of generation during 2010. The project is a joint public/public/private partnership between the City of Vineland Municipal Electric Utility, LSA and Conectiv.

LSA also recently installed a wind turbine that has a generating capacity of 2.6 kW. The turbine’s capital cost was offset with a state grant.

For the future, LSA is looking at heating its scum/grease and pumping it through a heated line to the digester for more gas production rather than hauling it to another treatment plant for incineration. To boost biogas generation, grease trap pump outs from local restaurants and food establishments may also be accepted.

Many thanks to LSA Executive Director Dennis Palmer for contributing this article. An expanded version of the article can be found in the December 2009 edition of BioCycle magazine.

Recommendations of the DRBC Flood Advisory Committee for More Effective Regulations in the Delaware River Basin

The Delaware River Basin Interstate Flood Mitigation Task Force issued a report in July 2007 identifying recommendations for a proactive, sustainable and systematic approach to flood damage reduction. One of the six priority management areas identified by the Task Force was floodplain regulations.

In May 2008, Commissioners from New Jersey and Pennsylvania requested that that a subcommittee of the DRBC Flood Advisory Committee (FAC) be formed to address Task Force Recommendation FR-1: Catalog, Evaluate and Update Existing Floodplain Regulations in the Basin.

The Floodplain Regulations Evaluation Subcommittee (FRES) was formed in November 2008 to review and evaluate the similarities and differences in floodplain regulations throughout the Delaware River Basin and to develop and present recommendations on the potential for more effective floodplain management throughout the basin. The Floodplain Regulations Evaluation Subcommittee delivered its report to the DRBC Flood Advisory Committee on May 19, 2009. The report reviews and evaluates existing floodplain regulations throughout the Delaware River Basin and presents recommendations for more effective floodplain management to the FAC. The release of the report and its presentation to the FAC do not implement nor recommend a means of implementing new land use regulations.
Following a review of the FRES report, FAC members met on August 26, 2009 to discuss the subcommittee's recommendations. Following deliberation and some modification, the FAC presented its findings and recommendations for more effective floodplain regulations to the DRBC Commissioners and public on October 22, 2009.

Should the Commission decide to move forward with any of the recommendations, a full rulemaking process will be conducted with public notice and opportunities for public comment.
Source: DRBC Website

DRBC Signs New Administrative Agreement with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC or Commission) directed the Executive Director, in consultation with their respective state environmental agencies and the Commission’s Water Quality and Water Management advisory committees, to examine current Administrative Agreements (AAs) between the Commission and state environmental agencies including among others, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for the review and approval of projects in accordance with Sections 1.3, 1.5, 3.8, and Articles 10 and 11 of the Delaware River Basin Compact (Compact) and to develop recommendations for updating these agreements. The current AA’s were made during the 1970s and no longer reflect current or best practices.

The majority of the projects reviewed by the Commission involve ground and/or surface water withdrawals and discharges to the ground or surface waters of the Basin. Following the creation of the Commission and the execution of the existing AAs, numerous state and federal laws were enacted, regulations were promulgated and state and local programs were established to regulate water withdrawal and discharge projects. In addition, the Commission has promulgated and implemented regulations and programs consistent with the Compact. As a result of these statutory and regulatory changes and the experience gained in implementing the existing AAs and programs the Department and the Commission wanted to enter into a revised Administrative Agreement to establish practices and procedures to promote intergovernmental cooperation and avoid unnecessary duplication of staff functions. The revised Agreement will minimize burdens on the regulated community while allowing resources from both the Department and the Commission to be redirected to other critical Basin priorities.

The Commission staff in consultation with staff of the state environmental agencies including the Department has completed its review of relevant statutes and regulations of the Commission and the respective state agencies; its evaluation of current practices of the Commission and state agencies in implementing Section 3.8 and Articles 10 and 11; and in particular, its consideration of the methods used to coordinate the review of projects by state agencies and the Commission. DRBC staff also has consulted with the Commission’s Water Quality and Water Management Advisory Committees on the matter of coordinated reviews and has reported its progress periodically at Commission meetings.

The Agreement with New Jersey was presented in final form to the Commissioners at their December 2009 meeting and is now posted on the DRBC website. The agreements with the three remaining states will be forthcoming with Delaware being next in line.

WRA has supported this effort because it is aimed at streamlining the regulatory review and permitting process by avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort and costs by both the applicant/permittee and the agencies. It also helps to eliminate the “double jeopardy” of two permits with contradictory or conflicting requirements. This has been a longstanding issue with the regulated community.

Portions of this article were excerpted from DRBC’s agreement with New Jersey.

DRBC Water Use Charge Increase Proposed

Plagued by budget shortfalls due to state and federal cutbacks, DRBC recently presented a proposal to increase revenues collected from the Basin’s post-Compact surface water users and posted to their Water Supply Storage Facilities Fund. The revenues collected would be transferred over to their general fund to support the expenses for work on Key Result Area 1 of their 2004 Water Resources Plan, “Ensuring the Sustainable Supply of Suitable Water Quality”. According to DRBC, 40% of staff time is expended on this Key Result Area.

DRBC provided an overview of the their 2011 fiscal year budget at the December 2009 Commissioner’s meeting. No action was taken by the Commissioners on the 2011 budget proposal. DRBC’s Richard Gore did indicate that a public hearing on the proposal would be held within the next 180 days.

If the budget proposal were to be approved by the Commissioners and a resolution passed to increase the water use charge rate, it would mean that rates would double by January 1, 2012. The increase would apply to certain facilities located on the Delaware River Basin that have a surface water allocation (consumptive and/or non-consumptive) and are currently paying water use charges. These facilities would include those owned by electric generating companies, water utilities and authorities, municipalities, refineries and other industrial water users.

Although the water use charge rate has not increased since 1978 there have been initial concerns expressed by WRA regarding the limitations for such an increase within and under Section 3.7 and 4.3 of the Delaware River Basin Compact.

For more information on the proposal please contact Richard Gore of DRBC or call the WRA office.

Nominations Sought for the 2010 Dr. John L. Buzzi Memorial Scholarship

The Board of Directors of the Water Resources Association is pleased to announce that, for a seventh year, a $1,000 scholarship in memory of Dr. John L. Buzzi, former Chairman and Board member, will be awarded to a qualified high school senior that is interested in or desires a career in a water resources related field. The announcement of the scholarship is being sent to numerous high schools within the Delaware River Basin’s watershed. More information on the scholarship, eligibility, selection criteria and the application process can be found on WRA’s website at www.wradrb.org. If you receive this newsletter and know of a high school student that may be interested in applying for the scholarship because of his interest in water resources or related fields please pass this information on to him or her. If they have any questions they can contact the WRA office. The deadline for the application’s submittal is March 31, 2010. The student selected will be notified in April. The award will be presented at WRA’s Annual Recognition Dinner on April 21.

Dennis Palmer Reelected Chairman of WRA

At the December 2009 Board of Directors meeting of WRA, Dennis Palmer was unanimously reelected as Chairman of the Board for a fifth consecutive term. “Dennis has been a great leader and supporter of WRA for many years and I am pleased that the Board has voted to allow him to continue in this role” stated Bob Molzahn, President of WRA.

Dennis is the Executive Director/Chief Engineer for the Landis Sewerage Authority in Vineland, NJ. Currently he serves as the Chair of the AEA and NJWEA Legislative Committees and is also the past President of AEA and the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce. Dennis also served on the NJDEP Board of Examiners for Water and Wastewater Operators and is a past member and Chair of the Advisory Committee for Operator Training. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in NJ and PA and licensed Professional Planner in NJ.

Chairman’s Message

Stimulus funding and projects, green energy and finally water supply management across the basin were items covered and discussed at WRA’s October Fall Conference at the EcoComplex and at our annual combined membership and Board of Directors meeting in December. Without question, WRA has strived to deliver timely and informative sessions and panels for its membership and the water resources community.

I, as well as several other members, attended a meeting with Carol Collier and her staff to hear two proposals for the Basin with far reaching impacts, one beneficial and one that may have significant fiscal impact to certain Basin water users. The first is a rewriting of the Commission’s three decade old administrative agreement with each of the states. The first rewritten agreement, pioneered in New Jersey, has taken a hard look at how projects are reviewed by both state members and the Commission to reduce or eliminate redundant project reviews. This we support and should make the review process faster and smoother. The second proposal is one that increases the fees charged for certain surface water withdrawals by 50% in 2011 and then a year later by 100% . Your WRA has formed a committee of our members to meet over the winter to review and receive member input on this proposal. We understand that DRBC will be holding a hearing on it within the next several months.

Mark your calendars for this coming April 21 and our 28th Annual Recognition Dinner. Once again we will be recognizing our Basin’s water resource leaders at The Down Town Club in our nation’s first capitol city. Nominations will be closed as of January 31 so if you want to nominate a colleague or an organization for their accomplishments, feel free to contact the WRA office. Most importantly please come to the dinner. Your invitation should be in the mail in early March.

Lastly, I would like to thank all our members and others who have supported WRA over the past year. These are trying economic times for many individuals, businesses and non-profits and we, at WRA, are feeling it and are concerned. WRA, like other non-profit organizations, is solely supported by the financial contributions of our members and supporters through annual member dues and by attending and sponsoring our conferences and dinner. We can’t do what we do without you so please continue to support us and our activities. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming year!

-Dennis Palmer, P.E., Chairman