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Long-Term Maintenance of Passive Treatment Systems: A Jobs Analysis
Rachel Kester, PA Coldwater Habitat Restoration ProgramPA AMR Conference
June 2016
www.tu.org
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Trout Unlimited overview in Pennsylvania
Mission – To conserve, protect, and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds
Abandoned Mine Drainage• AMD Technical Assistance Program• On-the-ground AMD remediation• AMD youth education, outreach, and
policy work• Recovery research and monitoring
Coldwater Habitat• Design and permitting assistance• Instream habitat improvement• Dirt and gravel road improvement• Riparian reforestation• Aquatic organism passage inventory
and training• Culvert replacement• Coldwater habitat youth education,
outreach, and policy work
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West Branch Susquehanna – Economic Benefit Analysis
AMD Restoration:Creates jobs and stimulates the local economy.Increases recreational spending.Increases property values.Makes drinking water supplies cheaper and more plentiful.
http://www.wbsrc.org/economic-benefits.html
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DEP OM&R Workgroup
An Operation, Maintenance & Rehabilitation Workgroup was formed by DEP in 2000 to study and make recommendations for the ongoing OM&R needs of PA’s passive treatment systems The workgroup came out with two reports (2001 and 2003) outlining their recommendations.In 2013, DEP asked TU to reconvene the workgroup with the ultimate goal of calculating what it would cost to fund a trust that would cover the necessary OM&R activities of these existing treatment systems for 20 years.It was determined that a fully funded 20-year trust would range from $39 million up to $47 million
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Statewide OM&R Trust Fund
Of all the PTS statewide, only a fraction meet qualifications for OM&R funding under Title IV AML funding (AMD Set-Aside)This leaves ~250 PTS, built by conservation districts, watershed groups and other conservation organizations with no source of dedicated funding to cover routine OM&R needs.Why is this such a problem?– Low maintenance, NOT “no maintenance”– OM&R funding was often an afterthought– Volunteer turnover– Systems appear to be failing
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Develop schedule of O&M activities over 20-year period
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Break down individual activity costs, intervals
All costs are annualized
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Statewide OM&R Trust Fund
Without dedicated funding we risk losing the environmental and economic gains that have been realized through restoration. But…how do we justify the cost of such a large OM&R trust fund?– Economic benefits (already quantified)– Job growth (more data needed)
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AMD Treatment Jobs Analysis
Spinoff of the OM&R WorkgroupDue to recent emphasis on job creation associated with AML funding (AMLER, RECLAIM, etc.) there became a need to quantify the number of jobs that would be created by long-term OM&R of existing PTS.TU contracted Downstream Strategies to conduct analysis and develop report.Major contributors to the development of this report were Amy Wolfe (TU), Andy McAllister (WPCAMR), and Dr. Robert Hedin (Hedin Environmental).
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AMD Treatment Jobs Analysis
The number of jobs created is determined by:– Calculating the ongoing maintenance costs for all sites.– Then using a regional input-output model (RIMS I & II) to
calculate the number of jobs that will be supported by these activities.
– Finally, some additional calculations yield the number of full-time jobs that will be supported over the life of the OM&R trust fund (20 years).
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Calculating the Cost of Ongoing AMD TreatmentLooked at three categories:
– Routine operation and maintenance• Four times/year• Includes things like site inspection, WQ sampling, flow measurements, debris removal• Completed by technical staff• Includes costs for laboratory analysis, field supplies, & travel
– Professional check-ups• Once every five years (20% of sites each year)• Includes site inspection, channel maintenance, damage repair & water sampling• Conducted by an engineer or environmental scientist• Includes costs for laboratory analysis, field supplies, & travel
– Major system maintenance (rehabilitation)• Once every ten years (10% of sites each year)• Includes engineer’s design plan for updates, construction oversight by a
consultant/project manager, and a construction crew to replace limestone and organic substrate, remove sludge & sediments, and repair and/or modify the system components
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Calculating the Cost of Ongoing AMD Treatment Cost per site per visit Annual cost
Routine O&M and sampling Technical staff $410 $307,500 Lab analysis $190 $190,000 Field supplies N/A $5,000 Travel $150 $150,000 Total, routine O&M and sampling $750 $652,500
Professional check-ups Consultant/Engineer $1,600 $80,000 Lab analysis $730 $36,500 Field supplies N/A $1,000 Travel $150 $7,500 Total, professional check-ups $2,480 $125,000
Major system maintenance Consultant/Engineer $16,000 $400,000 Unskilled labor (2) $6,000 $150,000 Skilled labor (3) $12,000 $300,000 Consultant/Project manager (1) $7,000 $175,000 Equipment $10,350 $11,250 Travel $150 $3,750 Materials $28,500 $960,000 Total, major system maintenance $80,000 $2,000,000
TOTAL $2,777,500
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Calculating Jobs using RIMS IIRegional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II)– A regional economic model supported by the US Department of
Commerce– Provides state specific multipliers for 369 industries that shows how
spending on a project affects employmentType 1 RIMS data includes direct and indirect jobs.– Engineers, technicians, and laborers that perform work are direct
jobs.– Support services like purchasing of supplies, lab analysis, and
equipment rental are considered indirect jobs.Type II RIMS data add induced jobs to the direct & indirect jobs.– Induced jobs are created by spending of workers included in Type I
such as jobs at grocery stores, gas stations, and retails stores.
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Number of direct & indirect annual jobs (Type 1)Position Number of jobs Routine O&M and sampling Technical staff 3.4 Lab analysis 2.1 Field supplies 0.1 Travel 1.8
Professional check-ups Consultant/Engineer 0.6 Lab analysis 0.4 Field supplies 0.0 Travel 0.1
Major system maintenance Consultant/Engineer 3.8 Unskilled laborer 1.1 Skilled laborer 2.3 Consultant/Project manager 1.3 Equipment 0.1 Materials 5.4 Travel 0.0
TOTAL 22.5
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Position Number of jobs Routine O&M and sampling Technical staff 4.8 Lab analysis 3.0 Field supplies 0.1 Travel 2.4
Professional check-ups Consultant/Engineer 0.9 Lab analysis 0.6 Field supplies 0.0 Travel 0.1
Major system maintenance Consultant/Engineer 5.9 Unskilled laborer 1.7 Skilled laborer 3.5 Consultant/Project manager 2.0 Equipment 0.1 Materials 8.5 Travel 0.1
TOTAL 33.7
Number of direct, indirect & induced annual jobs (Type II)
= 34 jobs supported annually over 20 years
(13 of these would be direct full-time jobs)
