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Drone Rules Make Tracking Down Faults a Difficult Feat

Chelsea Scott looks on as Michael Bunds lands a fixed-wing drone in Southern California. Credit: Jui-Chi (Vickie) Lee Source: Drone Rules Make Tracking Down Faults a Difficult Feat - Eos Chelsea Scott and Ramón Arrowsmith, like many earthquake scientists, track down faults. As tectonics researchers at Arizona State University, they need to know where a fault is, how much it’s moved, and how it behaves below the surface. Small uncrewed aerial systems, also known as drones, provide them with high-resolution photographs that capture the necessary information at the scale of centimeters—a higher resolution than some commonly used, easily accessible satellite or airborne data sets. However, collecting drone data along the length of a fault is no simple task. Bigger Is Better A magnitude 7.0 earthquake can produce a 62-mile-long (100-kilometer-long) rupture with surface displacements of up to about 3 feet (1 meter), said Arrowsmith. “You need to have a good enough ruler to measure [that],” he said, which imagery collected from drones can easily provide. The problem, he said, is rapidly covering a 62-mile stretch. Nearly every country that regulates drone operations recommends or requires that pilots maintain visual contact with their drone. One way around the problem is to use a bigger drone. Cheap, heavy quadcopters—helicopters that can easily take off and land—are small compared with lightweight, expensive fixed-wing drones that look like tiny airplanes. In February 2020, Scott and three colleagues spent almost 4 days mapping 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the San Andreas Fault in Southern California. Although they had quadcopters, Scott said “the workhorse was the fixed-wing drone.” “Because fixed-wing drones are so expensive, flight planning is done very, very carefully, and unfortunately the project is over if the drone crashes.” The average quadcopter can be spotted approximately half a mile (0.8 kilometer) away; mapping long linear features like [...]

Peer-Reviewed Paper Explains Unprecedented Performance of BioLargo’s AOS Water Treatment Technology

Source: Peer-Reviewed Paper Explains Unprecedented Performance of BioLargo's AOS Water Treatment Technology - Digital Journal WESTMINSTER, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 4, 2021 / BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), a developer of sustainable cleantech technologies and full-service environmental engineering company, announced the publication of an important peer-reviewed article confirming that its innovative water treatment technology, the Advanced Oxidation System (AOS), generates highly energetic iodine molecules. The article establishes the foundational scientific principles about why the AOS is a powerful, efficient, and novel water treatment technology. The BioLargo AOS, which is currently deployed in a demonstration pilot project at a municipal wastewater treatment plant, is a ground-breaking water treatment platform that provides rapid and effective disinfection and concurrent organics removal while consuming less electricity than other common treatment technologies. The AOS has previously been shown in bench-scale and pilot-scale studies to exhibit greater water disinfection and decontamination performance than would be expected in similar water treatment technologies. This spurred BioLargo scientists and academic collaborators to elucidate the exact electrochemical mechanisms of the AOS in this study. The paper, published in the American Chemical Society’s journal ES&T Water, examines the mechanism by which the BioLargo AOS produces such rapid and effective disinfection performance relative to past electrochemical water treatment technologies. The study used the Canadian Light Source particle accelerator to perform advanced measurements of the chemical reactions that occur inside the AOS during operation. This technique revealed that the AOS generates highly oxidized iodine molecules that the researchers concluded are likely responsible for the technology’s elevated disinfection efficacy. These special iodine molecules were only present inside the active layers of the AOS and were neutralized before water flowed out of the AOS. Dr. Richard Smith, President of BioLargo Water commented, “Our AOS technology is a technical leap forward in advanced water treatment. This study is [...]

Kirkwood Lake, other Superfund waterways finally to get cleanup

Source: Kirkwood Lake, other Superfund waterways finally to get cleanup The federal government finally has decided to clean up Kirkwood Lake and other waterways connected with the Sherwin-Williams/Lucas Paintworks Superfund Site in Camden County. The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the next phase of the extensive Superfund site cleanup would be dredging of three contaminated lakes and one creek that span three communities — Gibbsboro, Voorhees and Lindenwold. "Hallelujah!"  was the reaction of activist Alice Johnston, head of the Kirkwood Lake Environmental Committee. The committee has clamored for years for the cleanup of Kirkwood lake, as have residents and officials from Camden County, Gibbsboro and Voorhees in New Jersey. The lake borders on Voorhees and Lindenwold and is downstream from the former paint plant site in neighboring Gibbsboro. The other contaminated waterways due for cleanup are Silver Lake, Bridgewood Lake and Hilliard's Creek. "It has been a long haul. The Superfund site dates to 1980 when it was discovered and documented, but the first testing was not done until 1999," Johnston recalled. Besides contamination, Kirkwood Lake has become very shallow and is prone to vegetation growth that the county has tried to manage through herbicide spraying. “This final decision addresses the communities’ expressed desire that we clean up contamination in these waterbodies," said acting EPA Regional Administrator Walter Mugdan. He said the cleanup also will protect people "from exposure to arsenic and lead contamination in the soil and sediment while preserving valued community wetlands." An elated Camden County Director Jeffrey Nash called the EPA decision "a goal we all have been working toward for years." He credited persistence by local residents and especially by Gibbsboro Mayor Ed Campbell, who  has been pushing for clean-up of multiple sites for several decades. Past cleanup phases have focused on the Route 561 Dump Site and the United States Avenue Burn [...]

Why did Morro Bay officials select the site of the water recycling plant?

Source: Why did Morro Bay officials select the site of the water recycling plant? Have you wondered why the Morro Bay City Council in California chose the South Bay Boulevard site for the Water Reclamation Facility? Why this site when it did not provide any public benefit that other sites didn’t offer? The council members knew that it added at least $26,000,000 to the lowest cost option and that it required digging up Quintana Road. And they knew it would mean decades of pumping all of Morro Bay’s raw sewage almost three miles inland and uphill. In 2017, the city council convened a peer review panel of wastewater professionals who informed council members that the best way to reduce project costs was to not use the South Bay Boulevard site. The panel said that “the biggest contributor to cost at the South Bay Boulevard site is the site itself. Pipeline and earthwork costs there are very high.” But why this site when the entire project site is designated by San Luis Obispo County as a Geologic Study Area (GSA)? According to the county’s Estero Area Plan   and land use ordinance GSA means that the ground is subject to high landslide risk. The Geologic Hazard Map in the project Environment Impact Report (EIR) also shows that the whole project site is designated a “landslide risk”. The city’s own geotechnical report describes the soil at the project site as including  “… landslide deposits …” and as “…commonly associated with … slope instability and landsliding,” And — especially in light of these known hazardous conditions — why this site when it is on the bank of a stream that flows directly within about a mile into the Morro Bay National Estuary? Stormwater carrying soil from a landslide could cause catastrophic harms to the estuary. Then there are the facts that there is [...]

Collaborative summer at ERIC for freshwater research

Source: Freshwater research: A collaborative summer at ERIC | All In Wisconsin When Amanda Stickney learned about chemistry in sixth grade, her love of math and science clicked.   Amanda Stickney analyzes samples at the ERIC lab. “In high school, I went to a semester boarding school that focused on environmental science and stewardship,” says the recent graduate of UW-Stevens Point’s chemistry program. “That’s when I knew I wanted to do something with environmental chemistry.” Last summer, Stickney had a unique opportunity to expand her laboratory skills at UW Oshkosh’s Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC), the UW System’s most comprehensive research and testing center. Each year ERIC hires about 40 students for its various programs. Historically, most of them have been undergraduates from UW Oshkosh.   A grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin (FCW) helped give students from other UW campuses, including UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-Superior, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater, the opportunity to train at one of ERIC’s three locations — Oshkosh, Manitowoc, or Door County. The FCW grant funded four positions, and an additional three-and-half positions were funded through matching grants.   “We provide opportunities for students to learn the techniques, the workflow and the environment of this type of laboratory,” says Greg Kleinheinz, Viessmann Chair of Sustainable Technology and professor of environmental engineering technology at UW Oshkosh. “One of the goals of our Freshwater Collaborative project was to make inroads with other campuses and bring students from the different campuses together.”   Students spent a week in the ERIC lab training and learning analytical techniques. Because of her major, Stickney worked in the lab all summer, learning how to run the equipment, analyze samples and follow standard operating procedures.   “If I want to work in a lab, I wanted to really learn chemical safety,” she says. “Not everyone can follow an SOP  [Standard Operating Procedure] for [...]

Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County

Source: Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County | WHOP 1230 AM | News Radio A section of Cobb Road in northern Trigg County is closed due to the formation of a sinkhole between the 4 and 5 mile marker not far from the Brushy Grove Creek Bridge. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it’s about two miles west of the Cerulean Community and a little less than a mile east of the Trigg-Caldwell County Line. A contract mowing crew was working along the right-of-way Wednesday when one of the tractors broke through the surface.  On investigation, the crew discovered a hole created by the tractor at the edge of the pavement was about 8 feet deep and extended out under the pavement about 10 feet or more. Cobb Road is closed and barricaded at the site as state officials develop a repair plan. The Cabinet says while sinkholes are not uncommon in areas with karst topography, this appears to be one of the larger holes to develop in recent years. Depending on the depth of the sinkhole, Cobb Road could be closed at the site for several days or more.

Craig officials warn of landslide danger as fall storm heads for Southeast Alaska

Source: Craig officials warn of landslide danger as fall storm heads for Southeast Alaska Officials in the Prince of Wales Island community of Craig are warning of potential landslides, flooding and high winds this weekend as a powerful fall storm bears down on Southeast Alaska. The strongest in a series of three storms is forecast to arrive Friday night, the National Weather Service said in a special weather statement. The storm could bring potentially damaging winds with gusts up to 70 mph to Southeast Alaska, including Juneau. Rainfall totals are forecast at between three and six inches from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. Similar conditions resulted in at least seven landslides across Prince of Wales Island after one storm last fall. Forecasters say saturated soils and strong winds are “a good recipe for landslides.” Now, officials in Craig say they’re preparing for power and water outages, landslides and road closures. And they’re asking the public to be ready. In Craig, residents are asked to use caution or avoid the landslide-prone Port St. Nicholas Road from Thursday through Sunday. Officials ask residents to be prepared to shelter in place with plenty of food and water in case roads are closed. Residents should also conserve water and be ready for power outages. High wind watches take effect Friday afternoon for nearly all of Southeast Alaska with the exception of Upper Lynn Canal and the Yakutat area. The weather service says the Gulf of Alaska is expecting 30-foot seas and storm-force winds of 60-70 mph. Widespread gales are possible along inside waters. Meanwhile, city officials in Craig say they’re staging equipment for a potential response and stepping up their monitoring. City officials are asking the public to keep an eye out for hazards and report them to police — specifically, flooding, soil movement, damage to culverts or [...]

HS2 tunneling machine completes first mile under the Chilterns

Source: HS2 tunneling machine completes first mile under the Chilterns The first 2,000 ton tunneling machine passed the one mile mark this week during the construction of the first tunnels for HS2. Launched in May, the 170m long Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) covered the first mile cutting through a mix of chalk and flint beneath the Chiltern hills just outside London. The TBM – named Florence – is one of two identical machines excavating the twin ten-mile-long tunnels. A second machine, Cecilia, is a short way behind, with both TBMs expected to break out in around three years’ time. Designed specifically for the geology of the Chilterns, each machine is a self-contained underground factory, digging the tunnel, lining it with concrete wall segments and grouting them into place as it moves forward. Welcoming the progress, HS2 Ltd Project Client Rohan Perin said: “The 10 mile Chiltern tunnel will take HS2 underneath the hills and safeguard the woodlands and wildlife habits above ground as well as significantly reducing disruption to communities during construction and operation of the new railway. “Once complete, HS2 will offer low carbon journey options linking London with the major cities of the north and releasing capacity for more freight and local trains on our existing mainlines. It’s great to see how much progress has been made over the summer and I’d like to thank the crew of Florence and all the tunneling team for their hard work.” The first two TBMs are operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick. A crew of 17 people keep the machines running, working in shifts and supported by over 100 people on the surface, managing the logistics and maintaining the smooth progress of the tunnelling operation. Align Project Director [...]

Kentucky seeks action against West Virginia’s Governor’s coal companies

Source: Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies - LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then. The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said. Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.” Justice has said many of the violations were inherited when he acquired the properties. The companies admitted to hundreds of reclamation violations in eastern Kentucky in 2014 and agreed to monitor water quality, fix drainage problems, stabilize landslides, clean out sediment ponds and eliminate highwalls at dozens of mines. After the companies missed a deadline to fix the issues, the state sued in 2015 to enforce the earlier agreement. A new settlement was reached in 2019 setting deadlines to complete reclamation work at five mines, along with other requirements. Last year, Justice's companies agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations in a civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and [...]

Landslide Prevention Near Sussex

Source: 'An engineering feat': Why this key section of railway is closed | ITV News Meridian Network Rail describes it as engineering feat, a two week project to stabilize three sections of Victorian railway embankment between Brighton and Hove. Until Saturday October 2nd 120 workers each day are working from up to 15 meters high to install rock bolts, soil nails and netting. All three interventions are designed to protect debris falling onto the tracks. In recent years landslides have led to significant delays for passengers on the network and climate change has made the chalk cutting incredibly vulnerable. Project manager, Tom McNamee says, "We've seen previously catastrophic failures of the embankment and that’s an unplanned failure, we have loose material fall onto the railway and that becomes a danger to trains and essentially we have to close the line in an unplanned, unexpected manor. "We really would like to thank our lineside neighbors, it is a massive inconvenience, we are using chainsaws and rock drills, loud and noisy equipment, right at the. Back of their properties for 14 days but we’re working closely with them and taking in all their concerns and considerations. If we were unable to do this work over 14 days we would have to do this over 12 weeks of night work and that would obviously have a bigger impact on the lives of people living here." 1,012 rock bolts being installed 1,000 soil nails being drilled in £5 million spent on the project Traveling between Brighton and Hove? This is what you need to know Trains between Brighton and London are unaffected No trains will run directly between Brighton and Hove/stations towards Littlehampton Trains will run to an amended timetable between Preston Park and Littlehampton and between Littlehampton and Portsmouth Harbour/Southampton Central Southern passengers will [...]

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