Decentralized Wastewater Management

Representative Experience

&

References

1.      National Recognition

Lombardo Associates, Inc. is nationally recognized for its decentralized wastewater management experience.  Notable achievements are:

• American Consulting Engineers Council Engineering excellence award for the Mayo, MD decentralized wastewater management project.
• Selected by Engineering News Record as a Construction Man of the Year candidate for the Mayo, MD decentralized wastewater management project.
• Technical reviewer of the EPA Manual Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters, published September 2000.
• Contributor and technical reviewer of the EPA On-Site Wastewater Management Manual, published winter 2000.
• Vice chair of the Water Environment Federation Small Community Committee
• Engineer of Record for >$200 million of decentralized wastewater systems throughout the eastern United States.
• Consultant to the US EPA on decentralized wastewater issues since 1976
• Consultant to the Small Flows Clearinghouse at West Virginia University on decentralized wastewater issues since early 1980s
• Speaker at national conferences on decentralized wastewater management

2.       Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan – Concord, MA

Lombardo Associates is the engineering consultant for the Town of Concord’s Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan.  The project consists of developing a parcel-by-parcel analysis of the Town’s wastewater management needs.  Information on the Town’s natural resources and wastewater management practices was utilized in a GIS framework to define wastewater management needs and those areas that can be served with on-site solutions vs. those requiring offsite.  An assessment of the existing wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system was performed. 

Existing problems were defined into various categories of causes, i.e. likely to fail property transfer, inadequate treatment, etc.  Alternative solutions for the various problem areas will be developed along with a financing and implementation plan.  Areas that utilize on-site systems as a long tern strategy and those requiring off-site solutions have been defined.

Ms. Sharon Jones, P.E.
Public Works Commission
(617) 527-1525, ext. 107

3.      Comprehensive Wastewater and Water Supply Management Plan – Application Wellfleet, MA

Lombardo Associates was the wastewater engineering consultant for a comprehensive wastewater and water supply management plan that addressed the issues for this resort Town on Cape Cod.  A lot by lot analysis was performed by Lombardo Associates that identified which lots required off-site solutions and which lots could be served with on-site systems.  Water quality impacts of current practices and the various alternative solution approaches were addressed.  The wastewater plan was integrated with the water supply plans for the Town.  The recommended plan consisted of an alternative collection system for the downtown commercial area, small cluster systems in parts of the Town and reliance on on-site septic systems for a large percentage of the town.  Funding options were identified to develop alternative user charges.

Product: Facilities Plan

Reference: Selectman Roger Putnam, (508) 349-7472

4.      County Decentralized Wastewater Management Plan – Hall County Georgia

Lombardo Associates is preparing a decentralized wastewater management plan for this rapidly growing County north of Atlanta.  Demonstration of decentralized wastewater systems for a limited number of households is planned after completion of the Master Plan.  The entire County is a water supply watershed for the area, including Atlanta, and Lake Lanier is a major water supply reservoir and recreational resource in the County.  Water quality protection and addressing the needs of the 30% growth in the past decade and projected 50% growth in the next 20 years are the major project issues.

The project is funded by the National Small Flows Clearinghouse at West Virginia University.

Product: County Decentralized Wastewater Master Plan

Reference: Clement Solomon, Small Flows Clearinghouse, (800) 624-8301
                Ms. Patricia Lacey, Hall County Health Dept., 770-531-3973

5.      Integrated Decentralized Wastewater Management Planning Process

Lombardo Associates was the engineering consultant for the leading process manual developed by USEPA that presented the detailed integrated approach for small community wastewater management planning – which is achieved by optimizing the integration of decentralized wastewater systems.  The components of the process were explicitly defined and consisted of Problem Definition, Environmental Considerations, thorough Alternatives Knowledge and Consideration, Alternative Strategies Development and comparison, Selection Process through public participation, Implementation Plan

Product: USEPA publication “Wastewater Management Planning for Small Communities”, Publication Number EPA – 600/8-80-030

Relevant Additional Publications prepared by Lombardo Associates:

•  USEPA Septage Treatment and Disposal Manual (EPA-625/6-84-009)
• A Guidebook for Local Officials on Small Community Wastewater Management Options
• Principal Participant in nationwide seminars on development and implementation of alternative decentralized wastewater management systems. 

Prepared a number of seminar publications (distributed by USEOPA Small Flows Clearinghouse, Morgantown, West Virginia) on topics including:

• Financial Analysis
• Technology Choices and Integration
• Implementation Issues – Financing, User Charge and Institutional
• USEPA, “It's Your Choice, A Guidebook for Local Officials on Small Community Wastewater Management Options”, (EPA-625/9-87-006)
• USEPA Manual Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters (EPA\625\R-99\010), 2000
• USEPA On-Site Wastewater Management Design Manual, 2001

Reference: Mr. James Kreissl, (859) 341-3669

6.  Integrated Decentralized Wastewater Management Planning – Application Holliston, MA

Lombardo Associates prepared an extensive integrated decentralized wastewater plan for the Town of Holliston, MA.  The plan consisted of:

• Centralized collection, treatment and disposal facilities for the downtown area (appropriately 125,000 gpd);
• Numerous (seven) cluster systems serving problem areas throughout the Town – solutions of septic tank effluent collection to cluster leachfields;
• On-site septic maintenance for the remainder of Town – repair of existing problems and on-going maintenance for all on-site systems.

Product: Facilities Plan

Reference: Mr. Brian Moran, Holliston Board of Health  (508) 822-5500

The USEPA contracted with Lombardo Associates to have a generic version of the Holliston Plan be its USEPA Model Facility Plan.

7. Integrated Decentralized Wastewater Management Planning – Application Mayo, Maryland

Lombardo Associates prepared an extensive integrated wastewater decentralized wastewater management Master Plan for the Mayo Peninsula area of Anne Arundel County, MD.  The Plan served a 9 square mile area

adjacent to Annapolis, MD with a population of approximately 8,000, where integration of growth management was a key issue.

The Plan consisted of:

• Centralized collection (40 miles of septic tank effluent system – 50% gravity), treatment (recirculating sand filters, constructed bulrush wetland, constructed peat wetland, UV disinfection – build out capacity of 0.9 MGD) and disposal facilities (discharge to Chesapeake Bay) for approximately 2,200 connections;
• A cluster septic tank effluent collection to leachfield system serving 78 connections;
• On-site septic district for the remainder 80 properties– repair of existing problems and ongoing maintenance

 The Plan was:

• Overwhelmingly approved by the local residents through an extensive public participation program – 11 sub areas with representatives from each area
• Integrated with the Planning Department’s approval process, with numerous County Council actions taken to address implementation issues
• Implemented at a capital cost of approximately $ 60 million.
• Received American Consulting Engineers Council Engineering Excellence Awards from local and National chapters
• Basis for Tom Neel, Director of Anne Arundel County Dept. of Utilities and Pio Lombardo, P.E.., Engineer-of-Record, being selected by Engineering News Record as Construction Man of the Year candidates.
• Basis for subsequent Lombardo prepared Master Plan for Anne Arundel County Wide (approximately 25,000 systems) On-Site Wastewater Management Utility.

Reference: Mr. Thomas Neel, Former Director,  Anne Arundel Dept. of Utilities
                CEO, ADS Environmental Systems
                800-633-7246

8. Integrated Decentralized Wastewater Management Planning – Application Woodstock, New York   

Lombardo Associates prepared an extensive integrated wastewater decentralized wastewater management Master Plan for the Town of Woodstock, New York.  The Plan proposed the establishment of:

• Hamlet Wastewater Management District with a centralized (septic tank effluent collection and aquaculture treatment – UV disinfection system with river discharge) wastewater system for the 460 connections
• Three On-site Wastewater Management Districts

The Hamlet Plan was overwhelmingly accepted by referendum (7-1 vote) and 2 of the 3 districts established – first On-site Wastewater Management Districts in New York State.  The implemented systems, at a capital cost of approximately $ 14 million, were:

• Hamlet septic tank effluent collection (with a 2 mile siphon), oxidation ditch, UV disinfection and River discharge. 
• Repair of 200 residential and commercial on-site wastewater systems using a combination of conventional and innovative systems (predominately sand filters-leachfields and mounds) in individual and cluster formats.  Use of innovative contracting techniques were employed.

 Reference: Mr. John LaValle, Former Supervisor, Town of Woodstock
                904-423-0540

9. Integrated Decentralized Wastewater Management – Application   

Lombardo Associates has prepared Decentralized Wastewater Management Facilities Plans for the following communities:

• Burlington County, New Jersey  
• Rehoboth, MA
• Middlebridge Area of South Kingstown, RI
• Pinelands, New Jersey
• Monongalia County, West Virginia
• Hingham, MA
• Freetown, MA

For the following communities, the Decentralized Wastewater Management Plans were implemented as proposed:

• Bass River, New Jersey    - capital cost $ 1.4 million for 96 homes  
• Oriskany Falls, New York – capital cost of $ 4 million for 300+ connections plus a large industrial user
• Red Lily Pond, Barnstable, MA – 32 connections – grinder pump to community leachfield

Representative Testimonials

"You (Pio Lombardo) and your team did an absolutely magnificent job that will be long remembered by all of us as the standard against which all such efforts will be measured."

Selectman Richard Wheeler
Town of Concord, MA

"I consider Pio to be one of the pre-eminent national figures in the area of wastewater management. Pio has a thorough grasp of all technological and business issues and solutions in the field of wastewater treatment. This knowledge forms the solid foundation for his work. What is unique is that he can apply technology with a sure and far reaching vision that is rare in the field of engineering.  One only needs to examine some of his past projects to gain an  understanding of this outstanding skill."

Randy May, Bureau of Waste Management
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Hartford, CT

"It is relevant to note that the alternative system recommended by Lombardo Associates was not identified by previous engineering studies and was more cost-effective than the previously proposed conventional system."

John Brandt, Chairman
Board of Sewer Commissioners, Hingham, MA

"Lombardo Associates was able to convince... [the Town of Woodstock] that realistic and economical solutions were available. ...[Lombardo Associates] worked effectively with three Citizens Advisory Committees... almost every problem involved with this project concerning the various levels of governmental agencies was anticipated by Pio and his staff. I recommend Lombardo Associates to any community with a serious environmental problem."

Richard W. Nixdorf, Chairman
Citizens Construction Advisory Committee
Woodstock, NY

"I most heartily endorse Pio Lombardo in any role for an alternative [wastewater management] technology concept or project with local and regional governments."

James Kreissl (Retired Manager of EPA Small Community  Technical Wastewater Efforts)
USEPA, Cincinnati, OH

"[Lombardo Associates] did an excellent job in leading such a diverse group as our committee to a common decision."

Ralph Goneau
Chairman
Citizens Advisory Committee
Woodstock, NY

"Accessibility to Township residents as well as Township officials throughout the study process was invaluable, as excellent communication alleviated many potential misunderstandings."

Floyd West, Mayor
Bass River Township
New Gretna, NJ

"Of all the environmental engineers we talked with, it was Mr. Lombardo who proposed the innovative procedure...for the Towns of Seekonk, Rehoboth, and Swansea."

Michael Lindbloom, Chairman
Board of Selectmen, Rehoboth, MA

"We have found Mr. Lombardo to be a competent engineer... to have a political and public relations sensitivity that is unique in his profession.

...What sets Mr. Lombardo apart is his ability to develop an engineering solution to a problem that is tailored to the specific needs of the project at hand."

Thomas C. McRae, President
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
Little Rock, AR

"Mr. Lombardo has consistently pursued innovative and environmentally protective wastewater plans."

Esther Snyder
Executive Director
Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod
Orleans, MA