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Now viewing articles posted in 2018.
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New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund – A new pot of money for drinking water suppliers
December 7th, 2018 by Emily DiFranco
The New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund is a new pot of money offered by NHDES to preserve and protect drinking water in New Hampshire.
This grant and loan program provides money for construction projects to improve drinking water supplies as well as for non-construction projects to conserve land. The 2018 approved projects for construction were recently awarded to 19 communities and include $14 million in grants and $10 million in loans for...
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Infrastructure Asset Management Systems – What are the best options?
November 30th, 2018 by Emily DiFranco
The new NPDES MS4 permit requires municipalities to map and manage their municipal infrastructure for tasks such as catch basin cleaning, outfall sampling, and street sweeping. Though many communities have been successfully completing these tasks for years, this requirement may be more easily managed through the use of technology.
Many different asset management software options exist to streamline this process. Modern asset management software typically includes:
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CEI Accepts 'Best Firms to Work For' Award in Dallas, TX
October 10th, 2018 by Rob Cote
CEI was recently awarded 'Best Firms to Work For' in three separate categories by the Zweig Group, taking 1st place in the Geotechnical Engineering category, 3rd place in Environmental Services, and 10th place in Civil Engineering. CEI is proud to be the only firm in the country to rank in the top 10 in all three categories!
Insights from employees are compiled and given scores to determine the Top Firms. The firms are then recognized for their outstanding workplace atmosphere, teamwork, work/life balance, benefits packages, amenities and culture.
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MS4 Countdown to Notice of Intent
September 13th, 2018 by Nick Cristofori
Only 2 weeks remains to complete the Notice of Intent as required under the NPDES MS4 Permit. Although fairly brief, this document forms the basis of your program with EPA and in part requires identifying responsible departments for each proposed measure.
If you haven’t started yet, there’s still time! We can work with you to make sure you meet the deadline and maintain NPDES permit compliance.
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How is a map projection like an orange peel?
July 31st, 2018 by Josephine Hatton
You may remember your eighth-grade science teacher explaining map projections using the orange-peel analogy: imagine the Earth is an orange. In order to draw a map of the surface of the orange, we have to find a way to flatten the peel onto a flat piece of paper or computer screen. But the orange is a sphere, so the only way to do that is to stretch or cut the peel in some places. Unavoidably, that stretching causes distortion.
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There are lots of ways to do this. The more you cut the peel up into small pieces, the easier it is to flatten them without too much stretching—but you’re left with a mess of little pieces. If this is a map, it won’t be a very convenient one. But if you leave the pieces large, or don’t cut the peel at all, then it will have to stretch a lot to flatten onto the page.
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Massachusetts MS4 General Permit Now in Effect!
July 5th, 2018 by Nick Cristofori
The 2016 Massachusetts Small MS4 General Permit is now in effect as of July 1, 2018 after a 1 year postponement. Similarly, the 2017 New Hampshire Small MS4 General Permit is also in effect as of July 1. Regulated communities and other non-traditional MS4s (Massachusetts, New Hampshire) now have 90 days
Once completed, permittees will need to work towards preparing additional deliverables between now and June 30, 2019 such as a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) Plan and Illicit Discharge, Detection, and Elimination (IDDE) Plan.
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CEI Wins Best Firms to Work For - Geotechnical Engineering
June 25th, 2018 by Rob Cote
We are proud to announce that CEI has once again ranked nationally by the Zweig White Group as a Best Firm to Work For, placing #1 in the Geotechnical Engineering category. Insights from employees are compiled and given scores to determine the Top Firms. The firms are then recognized for their outstanding workplace atmosphere, teamwork, work/life balance, benefits packages, amenities and culture. CEI would like to give a big thank you to our staff, clients and many supporters for making it possible for us to win these prestigious awards.
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Top 15 Uses for GIS
June 18th, 2018 by Josephine Hatton
Wait, what? What is GIS?
GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. It refers to mapping technology that brings together hardware (computers, mobile devices, GPS units) and specialized software to collect, analyze, and model data about the world around us. It has almost unlimited applications in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
- Mapping municipal, state, and federal infrastructure
GIS is an excellent tool for mapping various types of infrastructure at a range of scales, allowing the user to see them all in their relative locations, with all their associated data.
With GIS a town can make a map showing the location, diameter, material, age, and flow direction of all the water conduits under their streets, along with hydrants, valves, pump stations, catch basins, outfalls, and so on.
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PWW Watershed Cleanup
June 14th, 2018 by Rob Cote
For over 20 years, CEI has worked closely with Pennichuck Water Works on water quality and watershed protection initiatives. Projects have ranged from the engineering and construction of best management practices, sediment studies, long-term management planning, and public education. But it’s not all business, this past Saturday CEI joined forces with Pennichuck on a beautiful day for their 1st Annual Watershed Cleanup Event! With CEI serving as a Platinum Sponsor, the group set out early Saturday morning in an effort to
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CEI Presents - Stormwater BMPs
June 6th, 2018 by Rob Cote
As part of a Specialty Conference Series, the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) hosted a Stormwater Specialty Conference & Exhibit: "Enhancing Stormwater Resilience in the Built Environment". At this technical conference, CEI's own Nick Cristofori, P.E. gave an informative presentation on the Design and Construction of Resilient Stormwater BMPs to Address Climate Change and Improve Water Quality.
