Environmental Consultancy

An Environmental Management System (EMS) consists of documented processes and practices that allow an organisation to manage and reduce the environmental impacts of its activities. The international standard that an EMS must meet to gain accreditation is ISO14001. The awarding of ISO14001 accreditation is a valuable marketing tool and is increasingly important to companies exporting to international markets.
Enterprise Ireland have excellent funding available to eligible companies for environmental training in  the development and implementation of environmental management systems and procedures to gain ISO14001 accreditation.
All organisations from heavy manufacturing, food & beverage, pharmaceutical and service industries have an environmental impact to some extent. The first stage of drafting an EMS is to identify the main environmental aspects of the organisation and the environmental impacts of the organisation's activities. Documented systems and controlled procedures can then be put in place to reduce these environmental impacts.
 

KD Environmental Ltd. will complete your applications to the EPA for IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control) and Waste facility licenses. We also complete applications to local authorities for Discharge to Sewer, Discharge to Surfacewaters and Waste Facility Operating Permits. Such applications require analysis of wastewaters, analysis of receiving waters, design and application of emission mitigation measures, proposal of control measures and compliance monitoring for all site emissions.
 
 

KD Environmental Ltd. will, following an environmental accident or polluting incident, visit the location and assess the environmental impact of the incident. We will identify environmental receptors, monitor and quantify the extent of pollution and recommend remedial actions to negate the environmental impact of the incident. An investigation into the cause of the incident should then be performed and required Corrective and Preventative Actions (CAPA) identified and introduced.
 

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process by which the anticipated effects on the environment of a proposed development or project are measured. If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those effects. The document from this process is called an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 
An EIA assesses a development's or project's impact on air quality, water quality, noise levels, traffic, socio-economic impacts, groundwater and land, habitat and wildlife etc… Mitigation measures to limit environmental impacts should be included in the EIA application.
Some projects due to their nature and location will require mandatory EIA before they can commence.
 

Energy efficiency audits and indices, water efficiency studies, waste indices and calculation of a processes carbon footprint can be used to determine how efficient a facility's operation is. This allows for the identification of key areas for change, resulting in economic savings for the company and an improved overall environmental performance. Such studies are a prerequisite to setting environmental targets and objectives and in obtaining product green labels or ISO14001 accreditation. KD Environmental Ltd. is an approved environmental consultancy under Enterprise Ireland's GreenPlus initiative.
 

KD Environmental Ltd. provide for Habitat Classification to meet criteria specified in ‘A Guide to Habitats in Ireland’ published by the National Heritage Council of Ireland, 2000. This is required for commercial planning applications and waste facility permit applications under  local authority County Development Plans.
Ecological monitoring identifying the presence or absence of rare or protected plant species is also required under planning law.
KD Environmental Ltd. can as requested:

• Assess, classify and map habitats present on a site
• Score biodiversity throughout a site
• Identify main flora and fauna species present
• Identify if any protected flora and fauna species are present
• Assess the impact of proposed development on biodiversity and habitats
• Propose mitigation measures to reduce impacts on biodiversity and habitats

Environmental Liabilities Risk Assessments identify & rank a facility's unknown environmental risks and liabilities. Decommissioning and Closure Plans identify the known environmental liabilities a facility will be responsible for following cessation of activities. These studies are a legal requirement for all EPA licensed facilities and adequate funding/insurance should be in place to meet economic costs of remediation work and aftercare in the event of identified risks occurring.
 

A firewater retention risk assessment is required to assess a facility's capacity to retain firewater resulting from abatement of a fire at the facility. Firewater consists of all water and chemicals used to extinguish the fire, contaminated rainwater that may results and the volumes of all chemicals stored at the facility. A facility must have sufficient retention capacity to hold all ‘firewater’ on site and prevent it entering the outside environment.
 
 
 
 
 

Preparation and electronic upload of Annual Environmental Reports and Pollutants Release & Transfer Register to meet EPA and Local Authority license requirements. AERs are required to be submitted by the end of March each year for the preceding year and the EPA requires electronic submission only from 2013 on. Typical AER content includes a summary of emissions to air/water, summary of waste produced, record of environmental incidents and complaints and a review of Environmental Targets and Objectives. KD Environmental Ltd. will work with you on a one to one basis gathering relevant information, calculating mass emissions and providing essential guidance in setting/reviewing environmental targets. From this, we can then perform the completion of the electronic submission to the EPA on behalf of your facility.
 

Tanks, drums and storage containers should be stored within a bunded structure. The bunded structure may be of concrete, metals or plastic and is required to contain leaks and spillages from tanks, drums and containers. KD Environmental Ltd. performs hydrostatic (water tightness) testing of bunds in compliance with BS8007:1987, EPA guidance documents and the Environmental Agency of England and Wales technical reports.
 

Odour management plans are important for waste companies processing organic based wastes such as landfills and composting facilities. It is also an important aspect for food production companies such as metal processing facilities and abattoirs. Such companies may receive regular complaints from neighbours regarding odour resulting in license non-compliance. The key odour management is waste management focusing on waste handling/storage and retention times to limit the generation of noxious odours. Abatement of odours by mechanical means and on site waste treatment can also offer solutions to these issues.
 

A Wastewater Assimilation Capacity (WAC) is a study on a waterbody's capacity to receive a wastewater or effluent discharge without it causing a significant deterioration in the water quality of the receiving water. It is required at planning stage for commercial and private developments if discharging to a surfacewater and the receiving water should suffer no detrimental effects as a result of receiving the discharge. A WAC study involves measuring and quantifying the flow of the discharge and the receiving water. The receiving water and the discharge must also be analysed for key environmental parameters to determine the effluent load on the receiving water. Flow data along with load calculations for key environmental parameters are then used to calculate if the receiving water has the capacity to receive the discharge without suffering deterioration in water quality.
 

Nutrient Management Plans (NMP) are required in the application of organic wastes as a fertiliser to farmland. Essentially an NMP prevents the overloading of nutrients to an area of land that would result in the saturation of the land with nutrients such as Phosphate and Nitrate. If these nutrient levels are too high in soils, Phosphate and Nitrate will leach from the land to nearby surfacewaters during times of rain. The result of this is ‘Eutrophication’ or the excessive growth of algae in waterbodies as nutrient availability that normally limits algae growth is available in high levels from land run-off. NMP determines how much nutrient each area of land can receive from land spreading wastes without posing a risk to waterbodies.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Appropriate Assessment is the examination of potential ecological impacts of plans and projects as required by local authorities and An Bord Pleanála. KD Environmental Ltd. perform Appropriate Assessments of plans and projects in both aquatic and terrestrial environments to meet planning legal requirements and the objectives of Natura 2000. We can assess your plan or project from an initial Screening stage to a full Appropriate Assessment with recommendations for alternative solutions where necessary. KD Environmental Ltd. will provide a full Natura 2000 Impact Statement for your plans or projects.