Tidbits
Newletters, helpful advice and other pearls of wisdom from Earthworks' staff.
VoyagePhoenix Interview with Cherie Koester
Meet Cherie Koester of Earthworks Environmental Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherie Koester. Thanks for sharing your story with us Cherie. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there. Briefly is difficult. I was a statistic. I was a native girl in a small town in Wisconsin who then became a teenage mother at the age of 16. I made it a life goal to get out of the small town I grew up in not because I didn’t love it. I do love it; we go home to visi...
2019-07-31
Read MoreRed Tide - Florida
Red tide is a phenomenon caused by algal blooms. Algal blooms are when concentrations of algae become so numerous they’ll discolor the coastal waters. These algal blooms will also deplete the oxygen levels in the water while releasing a toxin that will cause illness in wildlife. The algal bloom is a result of excess nutrients, that cause a large growth of algae and green plants. As the amount of algae and green plants grown the other loose the balance and die off. When these algal blooms ...
2018-10-01
Read MoreMcCook Reservoir also known as the Grand Canyon of the Midwest
What is a solution for maintaining and improving infrastructure to protect one of our most valuable resources in Southern Chicago and northwestern Indiana? As magnificent the Grand Canyon in the West, at a much smaller scale, the Midwest now relies on the McCook Reservoir for water protection. This tunnel and reservoir project, better known as TARP, construction began back in 2000 as a massive flood and pollution reduction project, evolved to better manage storm water and biosolids. The pre-e...
2018-10-01
Read MoreDoes it seem to be raining more in Texas?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the Atlas 14, Vol 11 Precipitation-Frequency Atlast of the United States for Texas. This report released on September, 27 updates Texas rainfall frequency values. The analysis find significantly higher rainfall frequency values in parts of Texas, redefining the amount of rainfall it taeks to qualify as a 100-year or 1000-year event. The Atlas 14 study uses historical rainfall data to predict future events. This data c...
2018-10-01
Read MoreMost Influential Women in Arizona 2018 - Honoree Cherie Koester
I had such amazing evening @thecambyhotel thank you to my family, my patient husband, my favorite five children, and the entire Earthworks Team not just in Arizona but my magic workers in Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Indian, Illinois and Minnesota. Such an #honor to be one of The Most Influential Women in 2018 in Arizona #earthworksenv #swppplife #noplanstoslowdown #whatsnext#bigtimerush #mypeople @ The Camby, Autograph Collection Photo credit: Mike Mertes
2018-09-10
Read MoreFlorida: The Rain State
As the 2nd quarter of the year comes to an end, we are settling into the thickest part of the rainy season. The sunshine begins to hide behind thick, dark clouds that linger over head, teasing downpour at any moment. The rainy season started a bit early this year bringing rain from the south east coast up through the northwest, giving the entire state a taste of precipitation, large or small each day. In the state of Florida, the stormwater program dictates that a “rain event inspection”, ...
by Jeremy Chang // 2018-07-10
Read MoreSouth Texas dangerous stormwater
South Texas storms generate dangerous amounts of Stormwater What do you get with 17 inches of rain over 4 days? Flooding, road closures, water rescues and a declared State of Emergency in 6 counties. One year after Hurricane Harvey hit south Texas, another tropical storm arrived in late June and dropped over a foot of rain. This prompted the Governor of Texas to declare a State of Emergency and the National Weather Service to issued flash flood warnings and road closures in many coastal ...
2018-07-02
Read MoreAs seen in AZ Business Journal
Gilbert-based environmental consulting firm Earthworks Environmental LLC will expand operations to several northern states this year. Earthworks’ services include storm water pollution prevention, environmental site assessments, dust control and construction safety compliance work primarily for developers, commercial construction and land-holding companies. The expansion was fueled by the company creating storm water and environmental programs for national home builders that did not hav...
2018-06-07
Read MoreAaron Gordon joins Earthworks Environmental as Compliance Manager
Aaron Gordon joins Earthworks Environmental GILBERT, ARIZONA – Earthworks Environmental, LLC has expanded its Arizona operation with the hiring of Aaron Gordon as a compliance manager. Prior to joining Earthworks Environmental, Gordon worked for 10 years in the primary fields of environmental due diligence and contaminated site management for both regional and multi-national environmental consulting firms. Most recently he was the transaction services lead for the Cleveland, Ohi...
2018-05-10
Read MoreExpansion Fever
Earthworks Environmental is excited to announce its biggest expansion ever! Earthworks was created with customer service as our basis and with that core we have continued to grow and protect all of our clients. We are proudly operating in the following locations... Phoenix, AZ Tucson, AZ Austin, TX Tampa, FL Orlando, FL New Jersey Delaware Pennsylvania Indianapolis, IN Chicago, IL Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
2018-04-16
Read MoreHurricane Irma and SWPPP
Hurricane Irma Preparedness On 9/4/2017 the Governor declared that a state of emergency exists throughout the State of Florida, based upon the serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare posed by the Hurricane. (State of Florida Executive Order No. 17-235) Section D.2. Suspension of Statutes and Rules Within the Emergency Area, the requirements and effects of statutes and rules which conflict wit the provisions of this Order are suspended to the extent necessary t...
2017-09-07
Read MoreCadence
Travis Fern’s office is acres of dirt. From the cab of his truck, he watches as a water tanker rumbles by, spraying the ground and suppressing the dust that rises from sprawling, open land. Compliance Manager Travis Fern of Earthworks Environmental looks on as preliminary work takes place at Cadence at Gateway in Mesa. Fern is the compliance manager for Earthworks Environmental, a Gilbert-based company that primarily serves land developers, vertical developers, commercial constructi...
2017-08-01
Read MoreNon-stormwater Discharges
Un-authorized non-stormwater discharges can happen even when your site is correctly implementing all BMP’s. It only takes a few minutes to remind trades of correct procedures which eliminates pollutants from entering stormwater systems. Earthworks can help you and your trades to remain diligent in good housekeeping practices – this not only protects our waters but also ensures compliance for your site.
2017-07-24
Read More***Attention Arizona NOI Permit Holders***
Logging in to apply for a NOI through ADEQ's "Smart NOI" system will no longer exist as of June 1, 2017. Please be aware you WILL NOT BE ABLE to apply for a new NOI via the Smart NOI system OR a paper NOI application via mail. Both systems will be non-existent. Here is what you need to do: 1 - Customers (permit holders) should get their MyDEQ accounts set up now to avoid delays in processing new NOIs as of June 1st. This will eventually include existing NOIs (MSGP) being required to re-...
2017-05-03
Read MoreGilbert’s Earthworks Environmental Expands to Florida; adds two staffers, promotes one in Arizona office
GILBERT, ARIZ. – Earthworks Environmental LLC has expanded its operations to Florida and added two employees at its Arizona office, Principal Cherie Koester announced. Mark Hubbard will run the Orlando/Tampa/Jackson, Fla., office as a Lead Compliance Manager. Hubbard will be responsible for Storm Water Pollution Prevention (SWPP) manual preparation, notice of intent/notice of termination filing, SWPP program management, site inspections, permit compliance assistance, construction general per...
2016-12-06
Read MoreEarthworks Environmental moves to offices at Gilbert’s Heritage District
Gilbert, Az. (July 12, 2016) – After working for almost two years out of Queen Creek, Cherie Koester, Principal of Earthworks Environmental, moved her staff into offices in the highly- sought-after Gilbert Heritage District. Koester, 37, founded the company in September 2014. Earthworks’ services include storm water pollution prevention, dust control and construction safety compliances. The firm primarily serves land developers, vertical developers, commercial construction, and land holdin...
Read MoreStatewide Compliance
Clients ask me how Earthworks is doing, they are genuinely interested in the growth of this company and they ask, "Are you staying busy?" Yes! Here is a map of the sites we are currently assigned dust/swpp management. Earthworks continues to strive for excellence for our clients in the dust and storm water realm!
2016-05-20
Read MoreEarthworks Welcomes Brendan Haugh!
Earthworks Environmental is very proud to announce a huge addition to our team! Brendan Haugh has been a long time colleague of mine as we were Air Quality Inspectors at MCAQD together back in 2008. Brendan has been an overwhelmingly positive addition to Earthworks and he brings a wealth of knowledge with him. Brendan was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts where he attended the prestigious Boston Latin School, followed by the University of Massachusetts. It's no secret that...
2016-05-04
Read MoreHealth Watch
Hello All - ***ADEQ has declared tomorrow (Wednesday 20Apr16) a Health Watch day.*** Please be sure that all trades... 1 - Have a water source on site 2 - Use the water source they have on site 3 - Keep records (method/frequency/amount) of the water used on site 4 - Avoid any and all track out Inspectors will be in the field watching for non-compliance. Violations on Health Watch Days can be more stringent and more expensive.
2016-04-19
Read MoreSubcontractor Registration Requirements
Earthworks addressed this same topic about a year ago but we have heard of a few sites getting into hot water with this recently, so I figured I should share a reminder. I spent a good amount of time this afternoon searching the online thesaurus for lively words to open with. I mulled over petty, trivial, frivolous and negligible...then I realized those words are completely incorrect. These emails are designed to inform my clients and potential clients of common mistakes and potentia...
by Cherie Koester // 2016-04-07
Read MoreAir Quality Violation Fees Collected in 2015
It's Friday. Time to wind down, wrap up your week, and read more mind blowing insights from yours truly. Personally, this is my favorite tid-bit message I've shared so far. *Nearly everyone budgets for SWPPP - however, how many SWPPP violations with monetary fines have you had in the past year? *How much have you budgeted for dust? Did you know... *Air quality violations are publicly posted with your company name, address, location of violation, section of the rule that was in ...
2016-02-12
Read MoreWhat is a HPA day?
HPA (High Pollution Advisory) days within Maricopa County are delcared by ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality). What does this mean for you? *All dust or emission related violations hold a heavier hand (they will be more expensive and have less tolerance) on HPA days. Please remind all trades to be extra diligent during an HPA day. Inspectors will be heavily present in the field and they will be specifically watching for visible dust or unstable surface areas. Du...
2016-02-08
Read MoreRecords Violations
I'm certain many of our clients and their trades continually hear my team and I hammer about records, records, records on construction sites (pertaining to dust control). As annoying as that is...we have a purpose I promise. The snap shot below from Maricopa County Air Quality will explain why. These violation numbers were pulled in June of 2015 for the first half of 2015 alone. As you can see, dust control records (water log) violations are common and easily avoided. What needs to be ...
2016-02-08
Read MoreDust Violations Matrix 101
Air Quality Violations can be costly. However, they can be avoided - Earthworks continues to keep our clients violation free (sorry for the shameless plug). Clients ask me all of the time how much a violation would be if they did this...or that. The answer is not a simple $100.00 or $10,000.00, fines fluctuate due to a number of variables. Air Quality Violations (dust violations fall into this category) are assessed by an enforcement officer and listed below are a few of the items th...
2016-02-08
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