WSSC Pre-Stressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) BOA

PEER was selected as a subcontractor to support the WSSC Pre-stressed  Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) BOA program. These services include Coordination, Inspection, Condition Assessment, Recommendation,  and  Program Development activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, conducting a visual and sounding inspection of PCCP water transmission infrastructure, sonic/ultrasonic pulse-echo testing,  related PCCP engineering services, forensic field investigation, and laboratory testing. 

PEER is responsible for multiple tasks to be performed along multiple Water Main alignments in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. PEER participated in the walkover inspection for the 60” Adelphi Steel Water Transmission Main and was tasked with the elaboration and filing of necessary environmental and non-environmental permits for the potential addition of 11 more entry ports along this Water Main. Additionally, PEER was in charge of the elaboration of the construction drawings depicting all the surveyed features and plans for the respective permits and finally the construction of these enhancing features. PEER, was also responsible for the creation of Site Plans and Profiles for multiple pipe sections that required Replacement or CFRP Rehabilitation along the Potomac 48” Main Zone Pipeline, 42” Montgomery Village Avenue Pipeline, 36” Mid County Pipeline, 66” PCCP I-270 Gaithersburg Pipeline, 60” PCCP Montgomery High Zone, 66” & 72” PCCP MZ, 36” Dower House Road Pipeline, Leisure World 36” Pipeline, 36” NIST Water Transmission Main and 54” Prince George’s High Zone Water Transmission Main. In addition to Plan and Profiles, PEER also worked in obtaining the required permits to perform the necessary Rehabilitation/Replacement. Mr. Ricardo Martinez, our Director of Environmental Management, acted as the project manager for all activities, acquisition of permits, consultation with environmental scientists, agencies representatives, and interaction with our Prime to ensure the project was running smoothly. 

Twenty-seven (27) tasks have been performed by PEER under this contract thus far.  

Complementary NESHAP Hazmat Survey for the Calverton Elementary-Middle school

PEER Consultants performed an assessment of regulated building materials at the Calverton Elementary/Middle School, including Asbestos, Lead-Based Paint, and Other Hazardous Materials based on previous inconclusive investigations. The owner was interested in a National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) report given that the current building on the ground would be demolished in preparation for a new school building. 

A NESHAP Asbestos report was prepared, the report contained all the proportioned asbestos information (e.g. Asbestos-Containing Materials Plan, dated May 9, 1989) and other results from sampling in comprehensive tables. This report contained a summary of the sampled areas, a review of previous inspections and abatements, a discussion of analytical laboratory results, and recommendations for abatement prior to demolition. PEER also performed a site investigation for Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA). The Phase I ESA was conducted in accordance with ASTM Standard E-1527 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.” The report contained observations in reference to the apparent environmental condition of the site and recommendations and input on the further additional environmental investigation if deemed necessary. 

DOEE Consolidated Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan and Monitoring Program

The District of Columbia is responsible for improving the quality of its urban waterways. Under a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, the District is obligated to manage and reduce pollution in urban stormwater. The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) is the agency designated with primary responsibility to administer and oversee the District’s MS4 permit. A major component of the MS4 permit is the development of a Consolidated Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan, which will guide the agency in reducing pollution on its discharges to surrounding water bodies.

Starting in 2013, PEER Consultants, P.C. (PEER) served as a subcontractor. on this project. The goal was to enhance the Stormwater Management Database using ArcGIS Online (AGOL) - among other tools - to track, evaluate, and report on the presence and operation quality of Green Infrastructure (GI), commonly known as Low Impact Development (LID) installations in the District, and to provide baseline data for compliance with the 2013 Stormwater Rule adopted by DOEE.

MDOT SHA Environmental Engineering & Compliance

The PEER team is serving as a District Environmental Coordinator (DEC) for the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration’s (MDOT SHA) Environmental Compliance Division (ECD). In this role, the team liaises between the ECD and SHA facilities to ensure all sites are compliant with state and federal environmental regulations. This initially requires establishing communication with facility staff, subsequently going onsite to perform facility inspections, and then following up with corrective actions, as required.

Facility inspections are performed on multiple types of SHA facilities, including primary maintenance facilities, salt storage barns, rest areas, and satellite shops each with site specific standards that needed to be met. The environmental regulations applied to each site are collated from multiple sources including the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and the Maryland General Discharge Permit (12-SW) for qualified sites.

Inspections focused on environmental compliance in areas such as the storage and/or disposal of hazardous waste, hazardous materials, universal waste, solid wastes, pesticide usage and storage, and scrap tires at SHA facilities and right of ways. Additionally, stormwater management practices, spill prevention and response plans, and onsite material storage are also inspected to minimize the possibility of pollution discharge from SHA facilities into local waters. Review of stormwater management features aims to ensure they continued to mitigate storm flow and minimize pollution in surface runoff as designed. The inspection of above ground storage tanks (chemical, oil, and salt) and vehicle storage areas is aimed at detecting any evidence of leaks and the presence of tools to quickly remediate the area if leaks or spills occurred.

The team visited and inspected approximately 30 SHA facilities ranging from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the western mountains in the course of this project. The staff members filled a valuable gap in ECD at a time of great transition within the division that allowed it to continue meeting its mandate of ensuring environmental compliance at SHA facilities.

WMATA Environmental Management and Industrial Hygiene Compliance

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) selected PEER as a qualified contractor to provide consulting expertise in the Authority’s Environmental Management and Industrial Hygiene (EMIH) compliance programs, policies, and procedures, including performing surveys and assessments, developing and implementing sampling plans and corrective actions, conducting compliance audits and planning studies, and documenting its work through the draft and final reports.

The team will be responding to a wide variety of regulatory compliance and engineering tasks that may require specific expertise including, but not limited to, environmental science, geotechnical, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, engineering, and industrial hygiene, can provide operations and maintenance support for environmental remediation, pretreatment, and other systems as required, and can provide engineering assistance in the preparation and/or review of plans for the construction of new facilities, the modification of existing facilities, and the abandonment and/or closure of facilities no longer used by the Authority.

The Office of Environmental Management and Industrial Hygiene (EMIH) is responsible for the overall management of design, construction, operation, and maintenance of environmental systems including wastewater, stormwater, asbestos, air emissions, groundwater and soil remediation, underground and aboveground storage tanks, monitoring equipment, control equipment, information systems, sampling and testing, and anything related to environmental compliance. In addition, the Office is responsible for industrial hygiene oversight to include periodic testing for air quality and noise, chemical evaluations, program development, and implementation.

Environmental Site Assessments

PEER was awarded this contract to perform Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) and NEPA Environmental Assessments on various sites in the District. PEER has already performed these assessments on Lincoln Heights, Richardson Dwellings, and Kelly Miller which are all public housing sites owned by DCHA.

The environmental assessment consulting services are required resources to administer program objectives in support of the DCHA’s and its subsidiaries’ mission to “provide quality affordable housing to extremely low- to moderate-income households and foster sustainable communities.”

The Phase I ESAs were conducted in accordance with ASTM Standard E 1527 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.” As part of the scope, the PEER team prepared a final report that summarized the results of the assessment, relating to the apparent environmental condition of the site and a recommendation as to whether additional environmental investigation is required on the subject property. As part of the assessment, historical research, records review, site reconnaissance, and interviews with owners/occupants were conducted.