Vermont finds PFAS in 95% of waste samples, as states increase landfill scrutiny | Waste Dive

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Vermont finds PFAS in 95% of waste samples, as states increase landfill scrutiny | Waste Dive

  • Testing from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released recently showed per- and polyfluoroalkyl​ substances (PFAS)​ were in 95% of waste samples from throughout the state. This included the Coventry landfill, owned and operated by Casella Waste Systems, where the toxic "forever chemicals" were found in all samples.
  • Despite the evident contamination, the DEC found "that a small fraction of the PFAS entering the landfill in wastes leave it in leachate." But VTDigger reported high readings for PFAS have been found at two local wastewater treatment plants. One, in Montpelier, took significant levels of leachate from Coventry. The other in Newport no longer accepts the landfill's leachate, but did during the period measured by DEC. 
  • Kasey Kathan, an analyst with DEC, told Waste Dive some of Vermont's PFAS monitoring reports have been completed "in collaboration with Casella" and the state is working with the company on the issue.

PSTA begins construction on first inductive wireless electric bus charging station on U.S. East Coast | Mass Transit

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PSTA begins construction on first inductive wireless electric bus charging station on U.S. East Coast | Mass Transit

Inductive chargers work on the same principle that switch-mode power supplies work in your tiny cellphone wall charger works -- it's just a transformer with two loops of wire -- and while each cycle might not move a lot of current and magnetic fields are very weak -- if you cycle fast enough you can move a significant amount of current with relatively small losses.

Know Before you Go…..Solar

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Northview Diary: Know Before you Go…..Solar

With the wild proliferation of solar arrays across valuable farm land, scrub land, and pretty near everywhere else, and with solar companies approaching and pressuring farmers to lease or sell, it is important to know the potential ramifications of signing a deal.

Below is an excellent article, which brings up some issues I hadn't previously considered. We have been approached by at least seven or eight companies, so there has been a lot of research done by Northview folks. The solar company reps who call, write, or stop by in pickup trucks don't seem to like that very much.

The Trip During the Heat of Summer.

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Last summer during some of the hottest days of the year, I went up to the Potholers and Piseco-Powley Road for a four-day, three-night trip. Just long enough that I wouldn’t have to get a camping permit.

Campfire

That was the weekend that it was in the upper 90s with heat indexes in the low 100s in Albany, but I didn’t mind, because I spent most of my days down at the potholers.

Where I Spent Many Days

Despite the heat, the water was nice and cold. And when I got back to camp the beer was delicious.

Natural Rock Dam

Maybe not the most exotic trip ever, but it was nice to escape the heat for a few days in the wilderness.

Dusk

February 12, 2020 Morning

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Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Next Wednesday is February Save the Pine Dinner 🦋. I better post that event on the Save the Pine Bush page. Partly sunny and 30 degrees passing by the Bethlehem Public Library on the bus downtown. ☀ There is a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. There is a inch of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at around 9 am. 🌡️ Listening to Bread Guitar 🎸 Man heading downtown on this relatively sunny morning.

Yesterday I went over to John Wolcott house 🏡 and we are mostly finished up on a lot of his unsorted files 📂. It’s been over a year but the project is mostly done. I had no idea that I would be working on it for another year. It’s nice having more time after work to do this these days.

I got home and read for a little more. Almost done with Almost President, my forth or fifth book 📚 of the year. I’ve made spending least a half hour each night reading a priority. I look forward to bring a book down to the park to read 📖 come the summer although I might not sit in the grass due to the ticks. 🐜

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 39 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 1st. West wind 6 to 8 mph becoming south in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became light sleet by afternoon. The high last year was 21 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 1932. 13.5 inches of snow fell back in 1988.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:11 pm with sun having an altitude of 33.6° from the due south horizon (-37.3° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:43 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (245°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (252°) starting at 5:20 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 5:51 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:25 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 38 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 26 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 38 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will snow, mainly after 11pm. 🌨 Low of 32 degrees at 3am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 29th. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. In 2019, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1875.

Not much has changed for the President Weekend forecast. ⛅Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 24. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees.

I heard Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. That surprises no one with Pete Buttigieg in second. ❎ I think that’s fine. I don’t have a strong preference between the candidates. Voted for Sanders in 2016. I don’t like Howie Hawkins at all for the Green Party so I’ll probably vote for the libertarian in the General although I’m sure any rotting carcass could defeat Trump in New York so my vote doesn’t matter. 💩 As long as the federal government leaves me alone and keeps my taxes low I don’t have any complaints. I don’t own a television so I don’t have to listen to the mad man pontificating all day long and the pundits analyzing it. 📺

🌹🌻🌼Only 36 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼 Tomorrow is 35.

As previously noted, next Wednesday is February Save the Pine Dinner 🦋 when the sun will be setting at 5:31 pm with dusk at 6:00 pm. On that day in 2019, we had cold, mostly sunny and temperatures between 24 and 4 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1981.

Gobler's Knob Stage