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INTERA

INTERA

Environmental and Water Resource Consulting Firm

  • Services and Industries
        • Services
          • Water Resources and Supply
          • Environmental
            • Air Quality
          • Coastal Engineering
          • Radioactive Waste
        • Specialty Services
          • Climate Resiliency
          • Uncertainty Analysis
          • Emerging Contaminants (PFAS)
          • Digital Transformation
          • Carbon Storage
        • Industries
          • Mining
          • Water Utilities
          • Oil and Gas
          • Legal
          • Power and Energy
          • Government
          • Brownfields
          • Solid Waste
          • Semiconductor
  • Projects
  • Company
    • About INTERA
    • Purpose, Promise, and Values
    • Leadership
    • Careers
    • Locations
    • Media
  • EN
    • ES (Spanish)
    • FR (French)
    • DE (German)

Manufacturing

September 12, 2023

September 12, 2023 by

Challenge: To maintain compliance with EPA’s Oil Pollution Prevention Regulation upon completion of a plant expansion.

Solution: As part of a plant expansion, INTERA prepared a revised Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan in accordance with the requirements of EPA’s Oil Pollution Prevention regulation for oil storage tanks, oil filled manufacturing equipment, electrical transformers, truck loading/unloading stations, and railcar unloading racks. An INTERA licensed professional engineer visited and inspected the facility, including the plant expansion project.  To prepare and certify the revised SPCC Plan, we described facility operations; evaluated the distance to navigable waters and the use of retention ponds, a sluice gate, and a pumping system for secondary containment structures; identified potential spill scenarios with failure type, flow rate, maximum volume released, flow direction, and active and passive containment measures; prepared detailed inspection, testing, and recordkeeping procedures; identified personnel training and spill prevention measures; described tank design, materials of construction, and fail-safe engineering features; described facility transfer and loading/unloading operations; described security measures in-place to prevent releases; and described discharge response and notification procedures.  

Results: The expanded plant operations remain in compliance with the EPA’s Oil Pollution Prevention Regulation.

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April 28, 2023 · (Updated: May 2, 2023)

April 28, 2023 by

Challenge: To ensure compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) permit requirements for industrial stormwater discharges.

Solution: For over 20 years, INTERA has played a key role in helping SACHEM comply with the requirements of TCEQ’s Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial Facilities (MSGP). Our initial efforts included preparing Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) for SACHEM’s facilities in Austin and Cleburne, TX. This involved completing the following tasks at each facility:

  • Inspecting the facility to identify all chemical storage, handling, and transfer areas that may be exposed to stormwater 
  • Evaluating existing stormwater structural controls including containment and diversion structures and conveyance systems
  • Evaluating existing operating, maintenance, inspection, and training procedures
  • Identifying potential non stormwater discharges 
  • Documenting these tasks in a SWPPP compliant with the TPDES MSGP and the industry-specific requirements applicable to the facilities 

Each SWPPP includes exposed material inventories, site maps, best management practices for chemical and stormwater management, visual and analytical monitoring requirements, training and inspection requirements, and recordkeeping requirements.

INTERA conducts annual site compliance evaluations at each facility and prepares the reports and plan revisions required by the MSGP. INTERA updates the SWPPPs at least every five years when the MSGP is renewed.

Results: Both SACHEM facilities have remained in compliance with the MSGP.

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November 21, 2022 · (Updated: November 29, 2022)

November 21, 2022 by

Challenge: To evaluate and improve the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) performance at two semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

Solution: As part of meeting Freescale’s internal EHS requirements, INTERA completed an EHS audit at two of the company’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities Freescale’s EHS Management System included 47 individual EHS programs that needed to be evaluated as part of the audit. Team members with matching expertise were assigned to program areas that included air emissions, risk management planning, source reduction/waste minimization, stormwater/groundwater, waste disposal and recycling, and wastewater management. In addition to program area records, interviews with Freescale’s Program Managers were included in the data gathering process. 

Results: Audit findings were documented and reported in accordance with Freescale’s EHS Management System and confidentiality requirements. To minimize interruptions to productivity, the audits were conducted in a concentrated format over a three- to five-day timeframe at each facility.

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November 17, 2022

November 17, 2022 by

Samsung Austin Semiconductor

Challenge: To obtain an air quality permit needed for facility construction to proceed.

Solution: INTERA prepared a permit application proposing construction authorization of a grassroots wafer fabrication facility. A formal report was submitted to the state documenting air dispersion modeling results in support of the permit application. Prior to submittal of the permit application, we participated in meetings with concerned citizens as well as City of Austin public hearings in support of the project. After the permit application was submitted, INTERA assisted Samsung in resolving a citizen protest to the permit.

Results: Samsung received a permit 60 days after the application was submitted to the state, clearing the way for construction of the company’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States.

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November 16, 2022 · (Updated: November 23, 2022)

November 16, 2022 by

Challenge: To decommission equipment and infrastructure at a semiconductor manufacturing facility in preparation for property divestiture and redevelopment.

Solution: INTERA provided third-party environmental consulting services during decommissioning activities for a portion of a semiconductor manufacturing facility.  Demolition activities included removal of raised flooring, ceiling tiles, process vents and ducting, sheetrock, process water supply piping, lighting, air recirculation and vacuum systems, concrete, wastewater/solvent conveyance systems/piping, and chemical product, waste/wastewater, and petroleum storage tanks.  Site assessment activities were conducted under the direction of an INTERA licensed Professional Engineer.  The site assessment activities evaluated and compared data from soil, water, and groundwater analyses to the Abatement Standard agreed to by the seller and the buyer and thereby determine if the Site met the client’s obligations under the Site Lease and Sale agreements. As part of establishing the Abatement Standard, a site-specific background study for naturally occurring metal concentrations was one of the initial tasks performed. Soil, water, and groundwater samples were collected from under concrete floors and slabs, pipe trench excavations, building crawlspaces, subsurface soils, and a temporary monitoring well, and analyzed for the Site constituents of concern. A formal Decommissioning Report, including a description of general procedures, a detailed summary of decommissioning activities, a QA/QC program description, and conclusions was prepared and certified by our Professional Engineer. The project supported the successful sale and repurposing of the facilities into a data center.

Results: INTERA’s efforts supported the successful sale of the Site and subsequent redevelopment into a data center.

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Austin, TX 78759
+1 (512) 425-2000

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