Planning, Expert Witness
Planning appeals, oral hearings, prosecutions for non-compliance with environmental legislation or regulations, or disputes between parties over environmental emissions, etc, are commonplace and the owner or operator of an activity may be required to present or defend a case in a formal hearing
The implications of failing to have your case upheld can often be quite serious. The risk of failure can be significantly reduced when the case is presented properly and professionally, and when the opposing case be fully understood, and properly challenged.
Good quality legal representation is a pre-requisite for presenting a case. It is equally important to have access to good quality technical expertise.
nesa® is experienced in the preparation and presentation of expert environmental testimony in planning or court hearings. We will be pleased to assess your case and to provide technical support and expert witness and testimony if required.
Odour Abatement
The public deserves, and demands, good quality air to breath. Interference with air quality is not acceptable, and in many cases can be an offense punishable by serious, legally binding penalties. The presence of unacceptable odours is very likely to give rise to serious and sometimes emotive reactions and complaints from those affected.
Owners and operators of activities that have potential to give rise to odours must therefore contain and treat potentially odorous air before it can be released to atmosphere.
Typically activities such as rendering of animal by-products, slaughtering of animals or poultry, manufacture or compounding of pharmaceuticals or chemicals, processing of vegetables, intensive rearing of livestock, composting, waste recovery or recycling, treatment of wastewaters or sludges, and may other activities have potential to give rise to offensive odours.
However, by implementing proper controls and employing appropriate technology the risk of odorous emissions arising from these activities can be virtually eliminated. nesa® has vast experience in this field. Containment, and treatment of odours with conventional biological filtration, using peat, heather, wood chip, mussel shell, or other medium can be very effective in many of these cases. The use of activated carbon, ozone or thermal oxidation is also an effective way of treating potentially odorous emissions to air.
Waste Water Treatment
Proper treatment and disposal of used water from an activity is essential to prevent adverse environmental impact and to ensure compliance with specified emission limit values.
Wastewater treatment processes can be relatively simple or can sometimes be quite extensive and complicated, including such treatment technologies as:
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screening (coarse or fine)
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grit removal
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de-toxification
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metal precipitation
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material recovery
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air flotation (dissolved or dispersed)
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balancing (hydraulic or organic)
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pH control
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activated sludge (plug flow, complete mix or SBR)
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nitrification and de-nitrification
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biological filtration
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bio-filtration and activated sludge
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anaerobic processes
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clarification
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phosphorous precipitation
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sand filtration
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chemical precipitation
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managed wetlands
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grass plot irrigation
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sludge stabilisation
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sludge de-watering
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reverse osmosis
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membrane filtration
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carbon filtration
Discharges from individual sites may be required to meet very onerous emission limit values for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), ammonia, nitrate, phosphorous, suspended solids, fats/oil/greases metals, etc. The design and operation of the wastewater treatment plant is therefore critical on most sites where high levels of efficiency in terms of carbonaceous BOD removal, nitrification, de-nitrification, phosphorous removal, etc, are required.
Our expertise and experience in terms of the design and operation of wastewater treatment systems is well recognized.
We pride ourselves in being able to assess existing systems, optimise their performance, and develop cost effective plans for upgrading or extending existing plants where necessary.
We do not confine ourselves to consideration of end-of-pipe technology. We have the capacity and capability to assess process areas and to develop waste reduction programmes, which in many cases can overcome the need for extending a wastewater treatment plant.
General Inquiries
A wide range of general environmental inquiries has been dealt with by nesa® since it commenced operations in 1989. These have included
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Soil sampling & testing in respect of the application of wastes to land.
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Site assessment for septic tank or other on-site treatment systems for single dwellings.
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Design and development of small-scale sewage treatment systems
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Assist with application for registration with Irish Agreement Board
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Assessment of compliance with existing planning permissions
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Assistance in disputes between developers and clients
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Design of percolation systems
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Assessment of drinking water supplies
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Design of wildlife ponds for recreational facilities
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Assess coastal erosion project
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Assess reed bed treatment system
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Review and test grass plot irrigation system for small housing development
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Design irrigation plan for disposal of treated industrial wastewater
