As part of our Water Resources Initiative, NTH is sponsoring the Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC)'s 2016 Walk on the Wild Side Annual Fundraiser on July 23, 2016. 

For more than 40 years, the Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC) has provided opportunities for citizens, schools, governments, businesses, and other community groups to get involved and active in ensuring a healthy Clinton River for everyone. Through education, stewardship, and watershed management the CRWC strives to make a difference in our watershed for today and for future generations.

The "Walk for our Watershed" event includes admission into Detroit Zoo to enjoy all of the sites and amenities.  This event is family friendly so you can encourage your friends and relatives to come together and as you help to raise funds and awareness of the importance of good water quality. Proceeds raised through this event will benefit the CRWC programs and services provided to 1.5 million people. The Clinton River watershed covers 760 square miles in 4 counties (Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer and St. Clair) serves 72 communities.  They host annual events to showcase the 80 miles of river along with other areas within the watershed.  Recreation activities include boating, paddling, fishing, hiking, biking and swimming beaches. 

The walk in on Saturday, July 23rd.  Check-in begins at 7:00 AM and the actual walk starts at 8:30.  The tickets will give you access to the zoo and parking for the day but you must arrive before 10:30 am.  Tickets are $10 each which is a savings from the normal zoo admission. You will also get a tee-shirt and some other goodies at check-in, plus early access to the zoo, including the new penguin exhibit!
 
NTH is a sponsor, but also has a fundraising team you can join.  If you want to participate or just donate to the cause, please visit our fundraising page here:  http://www.firstgiving.com/team/32658. 
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NTH recently provided environmental consulting on the manufacturing of a rediscovered natural resource in Michigan: potash. Are you wondering, “What is potash?” So was I.

Potash (primarily potassium chloride, pronounced “Pot-ash”) is an essential nutrient for plants and a nutritional need for humans and animals. As a key component of agricultural fertilizer, potash is said to have the potential to be Michigan’s next billion-dollar industry, comparable to that of oil and gas. With U.S.’s declining domestic potash supply and significant reliance on imports, Michigan is equipped with a unique opportunity to fill a high-demand market in major agricultural Midwestern states, with a product manufactured from pristine Michigan potash deposits.

Working alongside an exceptional team of professionals at Michigan Potash Company, LLC (MPC), NTH’s Air Quality group helped to secure an air permit to install (PTI) on March 8, 2016 for manufacturing of potash in Hersey, Michigan. MPC had come to learn about NTH based on our success in air permitting for combined heat and power (CHP) facilities, such as the Holland Energy Park and Lansing’s REO Town, and MPC contacted NTH directly for our assistance. The potash manufacturing process consists of solution extraction to recover potash from the subsurface by pumping a heated brine solution via subsurface wells, dissolving the product into the brine, and then pumping the solution back out. Depending on hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations in subsurface formations, the brine feed may contain H2S at concentrations constituting “sour” brine. This brine feed is treated for removal of H2S utilizing an air stripper followed by an oxidizer and caustic scrubber. The resulting “sweet” potash-enriched brine is then transferred to the manufacturing facility where potash is dried, cooled, compacted, and sized into a saleable product. The facility uses boilers to provide process steam for drying and evaporation; in the future, MPC is considering a CHP option where they would produce steam for use in the manufacturing process and also create their own electricity to reduce reliance on the electrical grid.

Several air permitting challenges were overcome through the collective effort of NTH’s dynamic Air Quality team. Nearly concurrent with project initiation in March 2015, the MDEQ Air Quality Division finalized a new policy on dispersion modeling, a tool used to quantify the off-site maximum pollutant concentrations for comparison to national air quality standards. With the ink barely dry, we worked through several policy interpretations with MDEQ, ultimately requiring additional dispersion modeling analyses and demonstrations.

In addition to dispersion modeling challenges, the manufacturing project was still very preliminary when we started the air permit application (air permits must be obtained prior to starting construction), engineering was not yet finished, and equipment vendors were not yet selected. With very limited information, NTH worked closely with MPC to manage worst-case expectations of process equipment emissions and control technology performance for utilization in the permit analysis.
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A successful air permit lays the groundwork for productive operation and puts the facility in the best position to achieve environmental compliance. A final and crucial step of an air permitting project is negotiation of air permit conditions. NTH was able to negotiate multiple options to demonstrate compliance, flexible timing on malfunction plan development, and facility restrictions to “opt-out” of additional reporting requirements with minimal added record-keeping burden on the facility. With the air permit now in place, we look forward to watching the potash industry grow in Michigan! 

​Start Location:
Moores Park 
(Shuttle to be provided from Lansing City Market) 
400 Moores River Dr.
Lansing, MI 48910
                
Finish Location:
​Lansing City Market
325 City Market Drive
Lansing, MI 48912

The event will include kayak/canoe and walking cleanup of the Grand River and Lansing River Trail from Moores Park to Lansing City Market in Lansing, MI. At the end of the cleanup, volunteers are welcome to relax and share a community cookout dinner.

Community Cookout to Include:

• Bottled water
• Beverages (juice, pop, etc.)
• Snacks (chips, snack bars, etc.)
• Fruits/vegetables
• Vegetarian main course
• Meats (Burgers, hot-dogs, etc.)
• Condiments & buns

Kayaks and canoes will be provided by River Town Adventures, at the Lansing City Market for the first 40 volunteers.

​Parking/Meeting Location:
Please meet at Lansing City Market and park in the Lansing Center Lot 21 (just south of the market) and you will be transported to the start. If you bring your own water vehicle you can meet at the start location.

Volunteers & Sponsors Needed:
As part of this community event we are also reaching out for volunteers and sponsors to provide support alongside us. Please contact Tyler Dawson (contact info below) if you are interested in providing any supplies or financial support for the event.

​We would also like to encourage everyone to learn more about the great activities and events happening in Lansing. 
To learn more visit www.lansingmi.gov/parks and www.lansing.org/events.

​The Engineering Society of Detroit Engineering SMaRT Michigan is a program for high school students for the advancement of Science, Mathematics, Architecture, and Technology education. This year, an RFP was issued for Architectural and Engineering Services for the design of an energy efficient house located in Detroit; seven (7) schools responded with multiple teams to compete. Teams submit written technical proposals similar to an "RFP" where they describe their project plan and submit their proposal for an energy efficient house based in Midtown Detroit with the theme - The Internet of Things.  

Keith Bryan volunteered to mentor the alternative energy, drafting and presentation modules for multiple teams from Melvindale High School. Students ranged from freshmen to seniors with diversity in language and culture. Keith worked tirelessly over a four week period, meeting students whenever they were available to develop their skillsets.

​The last week, three of Keith’s teams emerged as the ones that would represent Melvindale HS and advance to the semi-finals. The students’ hard work was evident and they did a remarkable job. Not only did they have to write a technical proposal, they had to produce a set of drawings and put together a verbal presentation to a group of judges. In the end, the top slots went to:

1st Place Team, Goon Crew – Melvindale High School
2nd Place Team, Guardians of Energy – Oak Park High School
3rd Place Team,  Team Intelligence – Southfield Regional Academic Center 
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Each member received an $18,000 scholarship to Lawrence Technological University!