Presentation to the DNRE (formerly the MDEQ)




Presentation to the MDNRE (formerly the MDEQ)

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has recently changed its name to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE or just DNRE).  At the same time they merged the Environmental (pollution regulatory issues, etc..) side of things with the Natural Resources (hunting, fishing, etc..) side of things.  Or should I say re-merged them.  They were merged at one time but split apart back during the Gov. Engler administration in the 1990s.  I’m not even going to pretend that I understand why they were split in the 1990s and why they are being put back together now.  Its politics and I’m not that interested in the reasons why.  I just hope it makes them more efficient and it saves tax payer money.

The reason I bring this up is because I have been asked to present at a MDNRE District Supervisors monthly meeting on February 18th, 2010 (next week).  The topic of my presentation is “Third Party Sampling and Web Based Data Management and Reporting”.  We have already done some sampling directly for the State and hopefully this will lead to even more work. Believe it or not, they pay very quickly ……about 7 – 8 days.  Over the last 2 years I have had several conversations  with District Supervisors and other regulatory Staff and the most frequent 2 comments from them is something to the effect of “You’re going to do well” and “For that price maybe more people will be willing to do sampling to keep their site in compliance”.  I’m not claiming this is an endorsement of what it is we do, I just saying that the MDNRE see’s the potential merit in our program and wants to learn more.

I will let you know how it goes.

Comments

  1. A. Russell SchindlerMarch 15, 2010 at 3:04 PM

    Meeting went well. I think we might even get some more work from it. Time will tell.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Groundwater Elevation and Contaminant Levels, Correlation, or Causation.How can you tell?

Image
Groundwater Elevation and Contaminant Levels, Correlation, or Causation.    How can you tell? "The obvious is that which is never seen until someone  expresses it simply." -Kahlil Gibran Over the years I've heard a lot of explanations regarding groundwater elevations and subsequent increases and/or decreases in contaminant levels and the presence and disappearance of free product. I've heard people argue that increasing water levels increase contamination, and I've also heard the opposite. Some people believe that increasing water levels causes free product to disappear and that decreasing levels cause it to re-appear (which is counter-intuitive to a lay person). The question or debate is (all other things being equal): does groundwater elevation have an effect on contaminant levels? Furthermore, does groundwater elevation have an effect on the presence or absence of free product? These are a question of correlation or causation. I've been d
Read more

Game Changer - Remediation May Be Over Rated

Image
"You can't help but... with 20/20 hindsight, go back and say,   Look, had we done something different, we probably   wouldn't be facing what we are facing today." - Norman Schwarzkopf Selecting a remedial approach can be a complicated task. The process is based on identifying desired clean-up goals, sensitive issues that could affect a remediation strategy (e.g. proximity to drinking water wells, surface waters, other sensitive receptors or public perception/relations), and  costs. Each site presents different decisions and uncertainties regarding remediation options. However, the process of deciding which corrective action to take should be relatively the same at each site. The four main steps are 1) delineation, 2) risk evaluation, 3) feasibility, and 4) cost.  The individual parameters and details of each step will differ for each site, but the process will be the same.The companies that understand the process and also work to keep it simple end up selec
Read more

Multi-Parameter Meter Comparision - 6 meters compared, which one is best?

Image
Multi-Parameter Meter Comparision   -   6 meters compared, which one is best?      " After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world." - Calvin Coolidge   Multi-Parameter Meter Comparison As a long time and daily user of multi-parameter water quality meters, I've used almost every kind of meter on the market with just a few exceptions. When you use a meter as much as I do you become intimately familiar with the meters and subtle nuances of each brand and model. Not only have I used the meters, I've also had lengthy conversations with many of the manufacturer's representatives discussing the things I liked about the meters and the things I don't like. In this article, I will summarize six of the top multi-parameter meters and tell you what   I know about each, the things I like and the things I don't like. Every one of th
Read more