HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-12-2006 South Bend Raises the Bar on Environmental Compliance 5Ou xH
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Office of the Mayor
News Release
Wednesday,April 12, 2006
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications& Special Projects, 235-5855, or
876-1564
Jack Dillon, Director of Environmental Services, 277-8515
South Bend Raises the Bar on Environmental Compliance
The City of South Bend, in keeping with its commitment to the highest standards
of environmental management, has established a new position,Environmental
Compliance Specialist, to ensure that the City is meeting quality assurance guidelines and
compliance requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management(IDEM). "We are committed to being good
stewards of the environment. This new position will enable us to continue providing
quality compliance in an ever-tightening environmental regulation climate," stated Mayor
Luecke. "Our bottom line is maintaining a quality environment for our citizens today and
as importantly, for future generations as well."
The Division of Environmental Services has named Kim Thompson to this
position. Thompson earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Indiana University and
wastewater operator certifications for the State of Indiana Class IV and Class D
Wastewater Treatment plants. She has been with the Wastewater Department for five
years, as a chemist in the laboratory,where she performed analysis on both drinking
water and wastewater samples for environmental compliance and process control of the
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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As the Environmental Compliance Specialist,Kim will work closely with the
Director of Wastewater, the Environmental Services Engineer, and staff to support the
establishment and use of key performance indicators (KPI); short interval controls (SIC),
standards of excellence and action logs, to maintain compliance with monthly regulatory
and permit requirements. She will formulate and recommend responses to regulatory
issues and questions, and help to implement new tools to meet the demands of changing
regulatory compliance.
As a result of the City's continuing efforts to maintain high water quality and
environmental responsibility, the Wastewater Treatment Plant has also received two
awards. The Safety Excellence Award and Laboratory Excellence Award presented by
the Indiana Water Environment Association. The Wastewater Treatment Plant has
received the safety excellence award for the past nine years and the Laboratory has
received the excellence award for ten consecutive years, demonstrating the leadership,
dedicated work ethic and professionalism of the department employees, in providing
continual safety measures for all of South Bend's residents and visitors.
"These two awards are indicative of the excellent work performed by the
employees of South Bend's wastewater treatment plant, in their efforts to maintain and
improve the water quality of the Saint Joseph River," stated Jack Dillon, Director of
Environmental Services.
Members of the IWEA Safety Committee based the Indiana Water Environment
Association Safety Award on inspection of the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant, using
a checklist consisting of 135 possible criteria to rate the facility. Some of the criteria
included hazard abatement, worker safety records,written safety programs, cleanliness of
the facility, safety training programs and other items. The facility must score 92% or
better to be eligible for this safety award. A score of 98.5%was the grade given to the
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Laboratory Excellence Award recognizes laboratories that demonstrate high
levels of commitment to outstanding laboratory practices and accurate data reporting.
Some of the categorical criteria used by the examiners in the rating system were
laboratory quality control and assurance procedures, safety programs and standard
operating procedures.
The following staff persons are available to discuss the details of these awards:
Al Greek, Dir. Of WasteWater, 277-8515
Safety Award- Mark Rzepnicki, Safety Coordinator with the Environmental Services
Division, 277-8515
Laboratory Award - Paula Martinez, Chemist with the Environmental Services
Laboratory Team, 277-8515
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