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Biosolids Environmental Management System (EMS)
Maintaining our Commitment to Excellence | Fostering Continuous Improvement |
Involving our Stakeholders | What is an EMS? | Achieving Certification | The Atlantic Treatment Plant | Award Winning Facility | Partner in Environmental Education | Frequently Asked Questions
Maintaining Our Committment To Excellence
HRSD is developing a biosolids environmental management system (EMS) for our Atlantic Treatment Plant to maintain and demonstrate environmental excellence in our biosolids land application program. The EMS will help us document our achievements for those we serve.
Key components of HRSD’s EMS include:
- A policy reaffirming our high principles for protecting the environment and public health;
- Performance improvement goals and performance indicators; and
- Procedures for communicating with stakeholders, responding to incidents, and managing documents and information.
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Fostering Continuous Improvement
| HRSD’s EMS approach is based on the “Plan, Do, Check, Act”
cycle of total quality management programs. This process is used by public and private sector organizations around the world to provide high quality products and foster continual improvement over time. |
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Involving Our Stakeholders
Public input is an important element of our EMS. We encourage you to provide comments about our program, to suggest improvement goals, and to contact us if you have questions or concerns about any aspect of our operations. To learn more, call 757-460-4276, or send an e-mail to writeus@hrsd.com.
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What Is An EMS?
An EMS is a management framework for reducing environmental impacts and improving organizational performance. HRSD is implementing its EMS to ensure continued excellence and demonstrate high performance in the following areas:
- Product and service quality;
- Regulatory compliance;
- Risk management and preparedness;
- Credibility with stakeholders; and
- Record-keeping, documentation, and information management.
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Achieving Certification
HRSD is pursuing certification of our EMS by the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP). Independent auditors will conduct a rigorous review to verify that our program demonstrates and reports high levels of environmental performance, educates, and involves stakeholders. A certified organization must:
- Document its responsibility for pretreatment, treatment and final use;
- Commit to the 10 principles in the NBP Code of Good Practice;
- Operate a system that meets all NBP requirements;
- Commit to make continual improvements; and
- Successfully complete an independent audit.
For more information about the EMS program and NBP visit www.biosolids.org.
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The Atlantic Treatment Plant
The Atlantic Treatment Plant, located in Virginia Beach, is one of HRSD’s nine major treatment plants. The plant has been operating since 1983 and treats up to 36 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater. To accommodate the growth within the plant’s service area, which includes parts of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, a major construction project will expand the plant’s capacity to 54 MGD in the near future.
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Award Winning Facility
The Atlantic Treatment Plant has earned prestigious national awards for outstanding permit compliance for more than 17 consecutive years. It also has received national and regional US EPA awards for wastewater management excellence for its program to beneficially recycle biosolids. Other honors include a National Environmental Achievement Award for its Ocean Lakes High School Environmental Education Program.
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A Partner In Environmental Education
The plant and its adjacent Progress Farm, which includes several acres of farmland, forest, and wetlands, has become a laboratory and outdoor classroom for activities that teach students about the environment and how to care for it.
A partnership with Ocean Lakes High School, which is located next to the treatment plant, has evolved into a program that includes periodic classroom instruction by HRSD staff, involvement in the Smithsonian Institution’s Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Program, and an annual Earth Action Day Project.
HRSD also sponsors Celebrate Farming Day, an annual event to recognize the agricultural community and educate participants about the beneficial recycling of biosolids.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are biosolids?
Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic byproduct of biological wastewater treatment. They contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and other trace nutrients vital to plant growth. Biosolids can be recycled as fertilizer and land applied as a soil amendment.
Are biosolids safe?
HRSD’s program conforms to the federal biosolids rules contained in 40 CFR Part 503 and the state regulations found in 12 VAC 5-585-10. In addition, long-term scientific studies, which are the basis for federal and state biosolids regulations, have repeatedly shown that biosolids recycling is safe. More than 20 years ago, HRSD established a research program on our Progress Farm to determine the long-term effects of land application of biosolids. The data collected during our extensive monitoring of biosolids, soils, water resources, and crops grown on this site continue to document the safety and benefits of biosolids recycling.
What are the benefits of land application of biosolids?
Land application is an environmentally responsible means of sustaining the production of agricultural lands for future generations. The application of biosolids improves soil properties, adds valuable organic matter, and increases plant productivity. Farmers reduce their operating costs under the land application program, significantly improve crop yields, and reduce erosion and runoff associated with the use of unregulated commercial inorganic fertilizers.
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