MAYNARD, Massachusetts, 7/10/09 - Epsilon will participate in the INTER-NOISE 2009 International Congress on Noise Control Engineering in Ottawa Canada from August 23- 26, 2009.  Rob O’Neal (Principal) and Rich Lampeter (Engineer) will present an invited paper on noise from wind turbine farms.  Copies of the paper may be requested by sending an email to info@epsilonassociates.com.

ABSTRACT: “Nuisance noise and the defense of a wind farm”

There have been many nuisance lawsuits brought against the wind energy industry over the past several years.  Some of these lawsuits claimed that noise from a wind farm interfered with the use and enjoyment of a person’s private property.  The most famous case was the Horse Hollow Wind Farm near Abilene, Texas where a group of landowners sued FPL Energy (FPLE) in 2006.  This paper describes the course of action taken to address the lawsuit, the detailed field program and sound level data collected, the standards used in the case, and the ultimate jury trial.  As the largest wind energy developer in the USA, FPL Energy had a lot at stake in this case, which was the first nuisance lawsuit against the wind industry.  At the conclusion of the trial, the jury ruled in favor of FPL Energy agreeing that they had not created a noise nuisance condition.

Bob Hellweg (Senior Consultant) co-organized a technical session on noise from alternative energy facilities and organized a session on low noise machinery and equipment at the concurrent CAETS workshop on Worldwide Noise Sources.

The INTER-NOISE Congresses are held annually and are the premier international conference on noise control engineering. Information on the INTER-NOISE 2009 conference can be obtained:  http://www.internoise2009.com/

MAYNARD, Massachusetts, 4/23/09 - Epsilon Associates is proud to announce that two of its staff members recently passed the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) exam.

Dave Hewett is a Senior Planner with over twenty years of professional experience in the field of environmental impact analysis and permitting. He focuses on the preparation of environmental documentation for submittal to the Commonwealth and the City of Boston, pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), and Article 80 of the City of Boston’s Zoning Code, respectively.

Ron Morad is a land use and environmental Planner.  He is primarily responsible for working on environmental permitting submissions to the MEPA Office and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

By becoming LEED Accredited Professionals, Dave and Ron are now recognized as having the skills necessary to guide projects through the LEED certification process,  contributing to the development of a more sustainable approach to project design and construction.

MAYNARD, Massachusetts, 6/23/09 - Epsilonians Les Smith (Principal), Mark Rits (Senior Coastal Geologist) and Chris Vaccaro (Coastal Ecologist) are presenting their paper, Salt Marsh Restoration at High Pines, Duxbury Beach, Massachusetts:  Beneficial Use of Dredged Material to Restore Eroding Salt Marsh, at the Northeast Beaches Conference. The 3-day conference begins September 21st at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth and is presented by the Northeast Shore & Beach Preservation Association in partnership with IECA Northeast Chapter, Woods Hole Sea Grant and others.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Salt Marsh Restoration at High Pines, Duxbury Beach, Massachusetts:  Beneficial Use of Dredged Material to Restore Eroding Salt Marsh

Lester B. Smith, Jr., M.S., Geological Oceanography, is a Principal Environmental Scientist with over 40 years of consulting experience focusing on coastal environments including erosion analysis, waterfront permitting, beach nourishment, dredging analysis, coastal science/management studies, and expert testimony. 

Mark Rits, M.A., Earth Sciences, is a Senior Coastal Geologist with experience in coastal process modeling, environmental science, environmental modeling, and image processing and project work in coastal permitting, field investigations, surface and sub-surface geologic mapping and modeling.

Chris Vaccaro, M.S. Marine Biology, is a Coastal Ecologist with experience in ecological monitoring, field investigations, project work in coastal permitting, biological data analysis, and scientific research and report writing.

The High Pines salt marsh, located on the landward side of Duxbury Beach in Duxbury, MA, has experienced significant erosion in recent history.  A review of historical aerial photographs from 1952 to 2005 (Figure 1) indicates that approximately 7 acres of salt marsh have been lost during that 53 year time frame, with localized losses of over 100 feet.  In addition to providing vital ecological functions such as habitat for estuarine organisms and providing a trophic link to the nearshore environment, this salt marsh also protects the narrowest portion of the Duxbury barrier beach from significant erosion. 

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is proposing to dredge the Duxbury Bay anchorage and navigation channel, which will yield approximately 60,000 cubic yards (CY) of mostly fine sand, silt, and clay sized material.  This project provides a beneficial use opportunity for the dredged material to restore the eroded High Pines salt marsh area.  The sediments were deemed suitable for marine disposal, and thus are appropriate for restoration purposes.

The Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc. (DBR) is a private non-profit group, which owns and manages Duxbury Beach, and aims to preserve its ecological values and to provide public access. DBR requested that USACE consider making the dredged material available for salt marsh restoration at High Pines.  Originally, the USACE had considered using a mechanical dredge and split hull scow to dispose the dredged material offshore.  However, a split hull scow would be infeasible to use for disposal at High Pines due to shallow water surrounding the salt marsh.  DBR proposed that USACE consider using a cutterhead dredge in conjunction with booster pumps to place the dredged material at High Pines.  The material would be dewatered behind a geotextile tube and allowed to compact prior to planting with appropriate salt marsh vegetation. 

DBR submitted several funding applications to assist with this restoration effort, including an application to USACE for funding under Section 204 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992, which provides support for wetland restoration projects in connection with dredging projects.  A request for assistance is also being sought from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation which provides funding for dredging and other waterfront projects in the state.  Additionally, DBR worked cooperatively with the Town of Duxbury and local environmental groups to solicit political and other funding support for this project.

While most salt marsh restoration projects in Massachusetts have sought to remove fill from or restore hydrologic conditions at degraded salt marshes, this project aims to restore salt marsh that has been lost by coastal erosion.  With sea level rise and the accelerated erosion of salt marshes in the Northeast, the use of dredged material to restore eroded marshes may inform additional restoration efforts in the future.

MAYNARD, Massachusetts, 6/17/09 - The July issue of Environmental Connection, the quarterly magazine for members of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), features an article describing Epsilon's coastal group and their efforts to protect Nantucket's Sconset Bluff from devastating erosion that threatens to destroy several oceanside homes.  Les Smith, Holly Carlson and Mark Rits (pictured below, right to left) presented the paper at IECA's EC08 annual Environmental Connection conference.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Geotextile and Vegetation Terraces for Sconset Bluff Stabilization

Lester B. Smith, Jr., M.S., Geological Oceanography, is a Principal Environmental Scientist with over 40 years of consulting experience focusing on coastal environments including erosion analysis, waterfront permitting, beach nourishment, dredging analysis, coastal science/management studies, and expert testimony. 

Mark Rits, M.A., Earth Sciences, is a Senior Coastal Geologist with experience in coastal process modeling, environmental science, environmental modeling, and image processing and project work in coastal permitting, field investigations, surface and sub-surface geologic mapping and modeling. 

Holly Carlson, M.S., Environmental Law, is a Project Environmental Scientist with a background in environmental law, geology, and coastal processes with experience in waterfront permitting, coastal science/management, dredging and disposal, field investigations, and scientific and regulatory research.

Abstract: Coastal bank terraces constructed of natural geotextile materials and vegetation provide a sacrificial buffer to protect landward properties from coastal storm damage and downslope erosion.  Sconset Bluff is a glacial coastal bank on the east coast of Nantucket Island, located off the mainland of Massachusetts.  This bluff, which ranges in height from 4.6 meters (15 feet) to more than 24.4 meters (80 feet) near the historic Sankaty Head Lighthouse, has exhibited historic shoreline retreat at an average rate of 0.9-1.2 meters (3-4 feet) per year over the past century.  Coastal storms erode the toe of the bluff, destabilizing upper portions and causing bank failure and collapse.  Where entities seek to halt or slow the bank’s landward retreat, local, state, and federal regulatory standards require the use of non-structural shoreline protection strategies, if feasible.  Private landowners with houses landward of the top of Sconset Bluff formed the non-profit group Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund (SBPF) to collectively pursue a comprehensive approach to coastal erosion control.  Coastal bank terraces are an important component of the shoreline protection utilized to protect Sconset Bluff.  These terraces can slow shoreline retreat, but to be an effective long-term solution they must be supplemented with other measures, such as beach nourishment, which protect the toe of the bank against erosive undercutting.  SBPF is currently engaged in an effort to permit a beach and dune nourishment project along three miles of the eroding shoreline; bank terraces have been and are currently used at Sconset in isolation, without accompanying forms of protection, while the lengthy permitting process proceeds.  Even with shoreline nourishment, terraces remain critical for protecting landward resources since nourishment material alone will not remedy existing over-steepened conditions, induced by undercutting and collapse, which exist along portions of the bank.  Due to these conditions, terraces are needed to prevent runoff- and gravity-induced downslope failure.  Ultimately, when used in conjunction with nourishment, terraces will stabilize the bank slope and prevent additional bank face retreat, thus protecting landward houses, properties, and public utilities.

SOMERSET, Massachusetts, 5/22/09 - Construction of two cooling towers has started at the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset. The PSD permit was issued in early April, followed by a 30 day appeal period.  Epsilon provided comprehensive environmental licensing support for the project.

About the Project:
Dominion New England is investing approximately $500 million to dramatically reduce the amount of cooling water its Brayton Point Power Station uses from Mt. Hope Bay, thereby minimizing the station's thermal impact on the bay.

Brayton Point is New England's largest fossil-fueled power station, with three coal-fired units and one oil-fired unit generating a total net summer capability of 1,568 megawatts.  Working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and several environmental groups, Dominion has agreed to install a closed-loop system that will reduce the amount of cooling water Brayton Point requires by more than 90 percent.

Dominion will construct two natural draft cooling towers for all four electricity generating units to comply with its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Dominion is committed to completing the construction in an expeditious fashion to achieve the necessary reduction outlined in the permit.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, 4/30/09 - The Boston Preservation Alliance 2009 Preservation Achievement Awards and Auction is being held tonight at 160 Federal Street in Boston. Epsilon congratulates the 2009 award honorees and commends the work of the Boston Preservation Alliance to protect and improve the quality of Boston's architectural heritage.

Award Honorees (Epsilon Projects)
Adaptive Use of a Historic Industrial Space - Baker Square (Lofts at Lower Mills), Winn Development
Adaptive Use of a Historic Industrial Space - 311 Summer Street, ADD Inc
Significant New Construction - Charles/MGH Red Line T Station, MBTA

About the Awards
The awards are bestowed annually to honor outstanding achievements in historic preservation and compatible new construction in Boston.  Recipients are selected from nominations that are solicited at the end of each calendar year.

For more information about this year's awards or the Boston Preservation Alliance, please visit their website at www.bostonpreservation.org.

MAYNARD, Massachusetts, 4/30/09 - Maureen Cavanaugh, Senior Consultant, was recently elected chairperson of the Boston Harbor Island Advisory Council.  She was appointed to the Advisory Council in 2006 by the Director of the National Park Service.  The 28-member Advisory Council advises the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership on the development and implementation of the General Management Plan for the islands and ongoing operation of the Boston Harbor Islands national park area.  The Council is the primary mechanism used by the Partnership to consult with the public on matters of park planning and management.  One of the Council's priorities for the upcoming year is to further engage the public on current park initiatives.

Ms. Cavanaugh has over 24 years of professional experience in cultural resource management, historic preservation planning, architectural design review, municipal, state and federal environmental regulation and compliance, federal rehabilitation investment tax credits, Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits program, and project management, including seven years with the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) as a Preservation Planner and Director of Architectural Review.  She has served as Project Manager for numerous multi-disciplinary projects involving environmental review, planning, and cultural resources.  Ms. Cavanaugh assists clients in meeting regulatory requirements through consultation with state and federal agencies and the preparation of environmental impact assessments and documentation, Section 106 and Section 4(f) evaluations, and memoranda of agreement.

In her capacity as a preservation specialist, Ms. Cavanaugh provides guidance for developers and architects on appropriate methods and materials for complex redevelopment and adaptive reuse projects that meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.  Her expertise in the field of preservation planning provides a unique perspective within a development project team.  Ms. Cavanaugh meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Qualifications as a Historic Preservation Consultant.