News and Insights
Page 2

Success, unchecked, can also bring failure.   The rapid business growth for a New England manufacturer of industrial coatings had a runaway chemical reaction that could have destroyed the plant and been an environmental disaster.   A poorly trained employee and weak chemical inventory controls caused the event which required emergency HazMat teams from state and local officials...

Read More

SAK Environmental was selected by the City of Amesbury to provide Licensed Site Professional (LSP) and environmental consulting services on an on-call basis. SAK recently responded to a spill on city park property and worked with the City DPW and other officials to rectify the issue to minimize any impact to the environment or human health. “Proximity to our...

Read More

On June 16, 2015, The United States Environmental Protection Agency released the long awaited 2015 Multisector General Permit for industrial stormwater discharges.  The 2015 MSGP replaces the 2008 MSGP, which expired on September 29, 2013.   Significant new requirements to the 2015 permit include: Only electronic reporting will be accepted. Consolidation of Annual and Routine inspection procedures into a...

Read More

Environmental regulators have created a new category of soil called “Impacted Soil” to more consistently manage soils that have contamination below notification thresholds but above background levels. Regulators have long wrestled with the problem of enforcing anti-degradation rules for soil that does not trigger management under a state’s waste site cleanup program with the creation of “Impacted...

Read More

In November 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) proposed changes to their air pollution control rules governing asbestos.  Significant changes include the explicit requirement for building owners/operators to inspect for asbestos prior to demolition, renovation or other disturbance.  An expanded definition of “friable” material incorporates material that is crumbled, shattered, pulverized or reduced to powder...

Read More

In February 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) promulgated significant amendments to the Department’s solid waste regulations 310 CMR 19.000 that include the addition of commercial organic waste as a “waste ban” material, and lowering of thresholds to existing banned materials such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal.  Commercial organic material means food material...

Read More

SAK Environmental received approval for a Massachusetts Brownfields Generic Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) by US EPA Region 1. This Generic QAPP was developed in accordance with US EPA guidance documents to provide a framework to Brownfield assessments and cleanup within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  The purpose of the QAPP is to establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for sampling...

Read More

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) recently released a final Solid Waste Master Plan through 2020 for the state, themed with putting Massachusetts on a “zero waste” path. The Plan includes a goal of reducing waste by 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.  A major component to achieving this goal is expansion of third party, independent...

Read More

SAK Environmental’s team of volunteers assisted volunteers from Groundwork Lawrence and Comcast by planting trees, spreading mulch and cleaning up Campagnone Common in Lawrence on Earth Day 2013!  Excited to support Groundwork Lawrence in their Earth Day initiative, a team of environmental engineers & scientists set to work early Saturday morning and successfully planted a row of trees...

Read More

SAK Environmental, LLC assisted a confidential major lending institution in determining environmental risks at a commercial property as part of foreclosure proceedings. The slow economy took its toll on a commercial real estate owner and forced the bank’s hand to initiate foreclosure on a privately owned retail gasoline station. Phase I and II investigations revealed that a release of...

Read More