News
Meet Nicole Bruneel, Staff Chemist
Where are you from and where do you live now? I am from central Idaho, and now I own a small farm in Northern Idaho. What do you do at MFA? I am a chemist and manage projects out of the MFA Kellogg office. Most of the projects…
Erik NaylorA Call to Action: Climate Change Mitigation in the Environmental Field
At MFA, our core purpose is strengthening communities. For many of our projects, strengthening communities involves cleaning up contaminated sites and developing new community amenities. As we enter the last decade in which we can act on the…
Tessa Shabram, EITTax Increment Financing—A New Opportunity for Washington Communities
In Washington State, a recently passed bill provides local governments with a new tool to help spur revitalization in areas where private investment is lacking. Engrossed Substitute House Bill (ESHB) 1189 (also called the TIF for Jobs bill)…
Dylan BassMeet Carolyn Wise, LHG, RG, Project Hydrogeologist
Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in Northfield, Minnesota—the town that defeated the Jesse James Gang! I moved to Bellingham, Washington, to attend Western Washington University and have lived here now…
Phil Wiescher, PhDResults for "Stormwater"
The renewed 1200-Z Industrial Stormwater Discharge Permit (Permit) has been issued, and there are quite a few changes that Oregon industries must wrap their heads around before the Permit becomes effective on July 1, 2021. We’ve summed up…
Ada H. Banasik, PEOver the last few weeks, Oregon and Washington industries have had to implement significant changes to their operations to protect their employees and the public, and comply with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidelines related…
Ada H. Banasik, PEWe don’t have to tell our industrial clients twice—regulatory compliance is an important topic. An efficient compliance program helps businesses reduce risk, meet regulatory requirements, and ultimately, run a successful business. In…
Amy PecciaAre you an industrial stormwater permit holder? Your permit renews on January 1, and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) updates reflecting the new permit are due January 30. We know these changes can be confusing, so we have…
Ada H. Banasik, PECompliance at industrial facilities is important 365 days a year, and each season comes with its own compliance challenges. As we head into the summer season, here are our top tips to ensure your facility remains compliant. Stormwater…
Amy PecciaYou may have heard of “PFAS” in a documentary or in the news recently. You also may have heard that, in the U.S., PFAS chemicals are in drinking water and in people’s blood. And you would be right to say—what!? How can this be? This…
Erik NaylorIn August, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) entered into a Settlement Agreement with environmental advocacy groups (Columbia Riverkeeper and Northwest Environmental Defense Center) and a group of industrial stormwater…
Ada H. Banasik, PEIn our daily lives we are constantly exposed to ever-changing mixtures of chemicals, and existing tools for figuring out how these chemical mixtures affect our health are not necessarily comprehensive. This is largely because they do not…
Phil Wiescher, PhDLooking for the most recent information about the Oregon 1200-Z Stormwater Discharge Permit? Read our blog post about modifications to the permit in October, 2018. After issuing two draft permits and reviewing two rounds of public…
Ada H. Banasik, PEFor more than 40 years, the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits have aimed to curb water pollution by regulating the levels of pollutants that are allowed to discharge into our rivers, lakes, and…
Ada H. Banasik, PEEPA recently launched the new Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) to regulate industrial stormwater, but the already more-stringent state permits in California, Washington, and Oregon leave the MSGP a moot-point. Industrial stormwater permit…
Ada H. Banasik, PEMany Oregon businesses were caught off-guard when the state lowered the effluent benchmark levels significantly in the 2012 update of the 1200-Z industrial stormwater permit. The resulting benchmark levels are so low that most industries…
Ada H. Banasik, PEMaul Foster & Alongi staff will be hosting two presentations at this year’s NEBC Managing Stormwater in Oregon Conference on May 21. Stormwater expert, Ada Banasik, will share her experiences in implementing effective and economical…
Ada H. Banasik, PEThe Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently implemented a program to assign construction stormwater general permit (CSWGP) coverage to sites that have known contamination and that may discharge potentially contaminated…
Josh Elliott, PEDuring the last quarter of 2014, MFA assisted 16 industrial facilities in Northwest Oregon with the selection and conceptual design of stormwater-treatment measures required for compliance with the Tier II corrective action requirements…
Ada H. Banasik, PESeveral MFA staff are presenting at conferences in February. Neil Alongi will be presenting at the Advanced Washington Stormwater Conference, February 7th at the Washington Convention Center in Seattle, Washington. His practical years of…
James J. Maul, RG, LHG