Groundhog Day: Pipe Condition Assessment
Our water/wastewater engineers can help remedy even your largest sewer problems and nuisances!
For more than 50 years, SSM's water and wastewater engineers have been addressing capacity and blockage issues in stormwater pipes, sanitary sewer mains and assessing the conditions of underground pipes.
We can help remedy even your largest sewer problems and nuisances!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Scott Carl, Sr. | Division Vice President | Water and Wastewater Engineering and Operations
DEP Offers Funding for Stormwater Management Programs
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is offering grants up to $200,000 to local entities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for stormwater management projects that implement best management practices (BMP) to reduce the amount of nutrients and sediment pollution in local waterways.
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Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is offering grants up to $200,000 to local entities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for stormwater management projects that implement best management practices (BMP) to reduce the amount of nutrients and sediment pollution in local waterways.
The program is available to counties, cities, boroughs, townships, incorporated towns and municipal authorities. Stormwater projects must be located in Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming and York counties.
“The department continues to work toward one of the top goals of this administration: improving local water quality and ultimately cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay,” said DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “This grant program achieves that by offering financial assistance to local governments that share in that goal and they are encouraged to apply as we work together in this important environmental initiative.”
Some examples of eligible projects include: raingardens, bio-swales, urban nutrient management/tree planting, vegetated open channels/roofs and wet ponds and wetland preservation. The projects can be located on public or private property.
Applicants can be eligible for grants of up to $200,000, and no local matching funds are required. Funding for the projects is competitive and the department will apply a scoring system when awarding the grant money. The application must include a description of the project and timetable for the work. Grant applications are due by March 3, 2017.
Please visit http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/View/Collection-12545 for application instructions and eligibility. Other parties that wish to obtain funding for a stormwater project are encouraged to approach the eligible local entity where the project would be located and offer to assist with the project application and management.
The grant program is federally funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the department.
Grant monies will be awarded on September 1, 2017.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Mark Stabolepszy, PE Director Municipal Engineering and Planning
A great time to explore Solar opportunities in PA
Why Solar Now in PA? Prices for solar systems have fallen by nearly 60% over the past five years. The lowered prices combined with incentives currently available make solar particularly attractive.
WHY NOW?
Prices for solar systems have fallen by nearly 60% over the past five years. The lowered prices combined with incentives currently available make solar particularly attractive
SSM Group, Inc and RER Energy Group, LLC are offering a seminar on solar photovoltaic energy for commercial, industrial, and municipal enterprises to explore the current opportunities in Pennsylvania.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? The seminar will benefitbusiness owners, municipal officials, and all personnel who are responsible for managing electrical energy systems and associated costs.
ON THE AGENDA
Financial Incentives and Options
Federal Tax Credit: 30% of project costs
Accelerated Depreciation: 5 years (50% in the first two years)
Financing Options and PPA’s (Purchase Power Agreements)
Effective cost of energy for businesses: $0.03–$0.05 per kWh for next 25–35 years!
Technology Best Practices and Case Studies
Equipment and Installation Options
Utility Interconnection and Net Metering Considerations
Case Study Examples
Snow and Your Roof
The snow is deep and as the weather begins to creep out of freezing, the addition of rain or snow melt into the mix can become a real threat. While all exposed roofs could be at risk, older flat roofs and roofs with poor drainage are the most susceptible to collapse due to snow.
With winter weather well under way, we can't help but raise our eyes to our roofs, and notice the snow piling up. The snow is getting deeper, and as the weather begins to creep out of freezing, the addition of rain or snow melt into the mix can become a real threat. While all exposed roofs could be at risk, older flat roofs and roofs with poor drainage are the most susceptible to collapse due to snow.
Newer roofs should have been designed for the minimum snow load as prescribed in the International Building Code, and the ASCE 7 – Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. Typically in the Berks County area, the design ground snow load is 30 pounds per square foot (PSF), which equates to just over 20 inches of dense snow. Additional snow load needs to be considered where snow from an adjacent sloped roof can slide onto a lower roof. Also, additional load from drifting snow must be considered when portions of the roof abut parapets, roof top equipment or higher roofs. Lastly, rain-on-snow surcharge can add 5 PSF for every inch of rain that is retained on the roof by the snow or poor drainage.
If you think your roof is at risk, you should contact a structural engineer to evaluate your roof condition. It may be necessary to remove some of the accumulated snow, clear roof drains, or provide temporary shoring to lessen the burden on the structural members. The removal of snow can be very dangerous, and is a job best left to a professional.
SSM Group Overview of Services
SSM Group Overview of Services
Solutions
We are the resource that communities, institutions, and businesses turn to for forward-thinking solutions to their everyday challenges. We enhance the quality of life of those touched by our work – our clients and those they serve; our employees; and our partners. We work with our clients to plan, design, build, finance, operate, and maintain diverse types of infrastructure and assets. SSM provides and connects specialists, across an extensive network, with deep technical expertise to address complex challenges. Rigorous project management with obsessive communication deliver solutions on time and on budget.
Our work truly knows no boundaries. SSM’s clients have taken us to 25 states, coast-to-coast, and six foreign countries and US territories. We reach out from our Pennsylvania headquarters to serve clients and projects across the country and around the world.
Celebrating National Parks Week
Structural Design for Gun Display
Pennsylvania Military Museum
Pennsylvania Military Museum
Structural Design for Gun Display
- Provided engineering services to support the installation of two, 14-inch diameter, 53-foot-long gun barrels from the Battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) on a concrete pedestal.
- Oversaw a geotechnical investigation and prepared structural designs to design pedestal that would approximate the manner in which the guns appeared on the ship, including a 28’diameter disc that replaces the ship’s turret.
Celebrating National Parks Week
Wastewater Treatment Plant Emergency Assessment
Daniel Boone Homestead
Daniel Boone Homestead
Wastewater Treatment Plant Emergency Assessment
- Conducted site investigations and evaluated appropriate technology and the feasibility of planned improvements to method of proceeding to develop an environmentally sound and technically feasible solution for wastewater collection and treatment.
- Developed preliminary sizing, design requirements, costs, permitting, and regulatory requirements.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Patrick McCoy, PE, LEED AP, Division Vice President, Facilities and Site Engineering
Energy Efficiency is Good for the Bottom Line
SSM performs Energy Analysis in accordance with ASHRAE's Procedures For Commercial Building Energy Audits. The analysis is performed in steps and a value judgment made at the end of each step as to the benefit of proceeding to the next level.
SSM performs Energy Analysis in accordance with ASHRAE's Procedures For Commercial Building Energy Audits. The analysis is performed in steps and a value judgment made at the end of each step as to the benefit of proceeding to the next level.
Preliminary Energy Use Analysis - Develop the Energy Utilization Index (EUI) of the building.
Level I Walk-Through Analysis - A Level I energy analysis will identify and provide a savings and cost analysis of low-cost/no-cost measures.
Level II Energy Survey and Analysis - A Level II energy analysis will identify and provide the savings and cost analysis of all practical measures that meet the owner's constraints and economic criteria, along with a discussion of any changes to operation and maintenance procedures.
Level III Detailed Analysis of Capital-Intensive Modifications - This level of engineering analysis focuses on potential capital-intensive projects and provides detailed project cost and savings calculations with a high level of confidence sufficient for major capital investment.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Bruce Bell, PE, LEED AP, Sr. Technical Director, Mechanical and Plumbing Services