About

As the Construction Environmental Manager, Sarros Environmental was brought in mid-project completion to make significant adjustments to construction operations as they related to environmental compliance at all levels, local, state, and federal. My duties as the CEM included SWPPP and Environmental Management Plan development and implementation, environmental training, coordinating E&S crews and engineers to obtain and maintain compliance with VDOT E&S guidelines and VDEQ E&S regulations, spill reporting and coordination, assisting superintendents and foreman with achieving environmental compliance objectives, working with wetland scientists to maintain VMRC and USACE wetland permit compliance, implement roadside (landscape) management plans, and coordinate with the project manager and other primary project engineers on environmental budgets and environmental goals and objectives. Sarros Environmental coordinated with VDOT, VDEQ, QA/QC environmental inspectors and resolved issues as needed to maintain compliance. Sarros Environmental reported all environmental incidents to respective agencies and directed mitigation efforts and cleanup activities. Sarros Environmental also coordinated all waste disposal, environmental sampling, and emergency responses on the project.

As the environmental quality control and compliance officer, Sarros Environmental ensured complete project compliance on all environmental issues on a large construction project along the S. Branch of the Elizabeth River. Primary duties include site monitoring, decision making with site superintendents and project managers, and coordinating / communicating environmental impact issues and progress to the EPA and USACE. Duties also included assisting the site safety officers on safety issues as they related to onsite environmental contaminants.

Sarros Environmental facilitated the delivery of the VDOT transportation program by providing regulatory compliance, environmental engineering analysis, management, and accountability for the Hampton Roads District Hazardous Materials Program. Sarros Environmental planned, organized, managed, and coordinated program activities relating to the proper identification, evaluation, and mitigation of hazardous materials and related issues. Sarros Environmental ensured, and/or provided the necessary tools and assistance to ensure that the VDOT District’s transportation planning, construction, and maintenance programs all complied with applicable state, federal, and hazardous materials/wastes/substances laws and regulations and that liabilities potentially incurred by VDOT were minimized through appropriate engineering feasibility, cost-benefit, and/or risk management analyses and decision making. Most projects included compliance and regular interaction with the DOT and Federal Highway Administration.

Sarros Environmental interpreted highway construction plans and developed sound, cost-effective technical approaches for determining potential impacts of contamination on construction projects or in proposed right-of-way acquisitions. Sarros Environmental evaluated regulations, policies, guidance documents, and technical information reports to develop reasonable, effective resolutions to impacts of hazardous materials on highway construction and maintenance (including facilities) projects. Sarros Environmental effectively coordinated consultant activities, managed multiple technical projects simultaneously, and effectively communicated issues and solutions to upper management teams. Sarros Environmental developed a unique project cost-estimation program in Excel that made the environmental cost-estimation process more organized, transparent, accountable, and more efficient for the project design team.

Sarros Environmental is competent in solid waste and hazardous waste management from experiences as a regulator for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as well as past experiences gained while an environmental consultant and as the VDOT hazardous materials program manager. Waste from transportation operations and facilities as well as waste discovered on right-of-ways required cost-effective and careful management due to the complexities of environmental laws and regulations. Sarros Environmental is very familiar with the new universal waste manifest forms developed recently by the EPA.

Sarros Environmental maintained environmental compliance at all tunnel facilities in Hampton Roads as well as over 75 different transportation operation facilities. This included preparing and managing all environmental permits, storm water sampling and management documents, managing all lead/asbestos issues, and resolving other environmental concerns as they developed in a cost-effective manner. This also included communicating environmental matters with multiple facility managers and key personnel as well as coordinating environmental activities with upper management. Sarros Environmental originated several environmental solutions that saved upper management considerable sums of money while managing the hazardous materials program at VDOT. The unique saltwater disposal solution Sarros Environmental developed alone saved the agency up to $600,000 annually. Sarros Environmental also trimmed thousands of maintenance dollars from annual environmental budgets by finding more cost-effective solutions at the tunnel facilities as well as implementing improvements to the recycling program at facilities throughout VDOT.

Sarros Environmental coordinated asbestos and lead-paint inspections on bridges and tunnels, commercial business, development sites, reviewed asbestos reports for content, and coordinated the abatement of asbestos and lead-paint through abatement contractors. Sarros Environmental managed the disposal of asbestos and lead-paint waste through manifest tracking.

Sarros Environmental has extensive experience in HAZMAT spill response both as a consultant and as a hazardous materials program manager. Sarros Environmental is trained as an emergency responder; however, most of Sarros Environmental's recent experiences as a VDOT hazardous materials program manager focused on the management of spill cleanup operations from multiple aspects. Sarros Environmental managed spill operations by directing emergency response consultants in a manner that protected VDOT’s liability while also complying with all state and federal regulations. Sarros Environmental often coordinated onsite at the spill location with the VSP, forensic examiners, spill remediation consultants, local fire department personnel, DEQ regulators, VDEM personnel, VDOT traffic engineers, and traffic management personnel. As a stakeholder on the regional hazardous incident management committee, Sarros Environmental developed the HAZMAT incident response procedures for a regional planning document that later became nationally recognized as a model for urban planners and major incident management as it relates to traffic operations and agency environmental responses.

In addition to managing construction projects as a consultant, as a hazardous materials program manager, and a small business manager, Sarros Environmental has the unique benefit of also having several years of experience as an environmental regulator at the DEQ. This affords me the ability to relate to all aspects of environmental projects in the planning, construction, and maintenance phases as a consultant, regulator, and both a facility and business manager.

As the environmental consultant for the City of Norfolk owned Battleship Ex-Wisconsin berthed at the Nauticus Maritime Marine Museum facility and owned by the City of Norfolk, Sarros Environmental has conducted annual PCB benchmark air sampling and monitoring events for the City of Norfolk in areas of the Battleship that the EPA and the City of Norfolk want to open for public tours. The sampling program is an annual requirement to document clearance level air quality data for the EPA.

As the environmental consultant for the City of Norfolk Attorney’s Office, Sarros Environmental has maintained a trustworthy and successful business relationship by being the preferred consultant for the purpose of conducting Phase Sarros Environmental Environmental Site Assessments, Phase ISarros Environmental investigations, general environmental consulting, and performing Industrial Hygiene Surveys for the City of Norfolk.

As a subcontractor, Sarros Environmental was the environmental consultant for several properties owned by the City of Norfolk and the City of Virginia Beach as well as State owned community colleges. Sarros Environmental has managed or assisted with performing Hazardous Materials Surveys including Asbestos and Lead inspections on City of Norfolk and Virginia Beach Public Utilities buildings, Tidewater Community College buildings, Paul D Camp Community College buildings, Virginia Institute of Marine Science buildings, and Thomas Nelson Community College buildings.

As the environmental consultant for BMK Americas, LLC, Sarros Environmental coordinated the environmental compliance for a new industrial operation in Virginia and North Carolina owned by a German business group. Consulting efforts focused on the environmental compliance in the businesses application to operate an industry with air pollution potential and Title V air permitting for a proposed and eventually operational facility in Winston-Salem, NC. This effort involved extensive coordination with the client and the state Department of Environmental Quality agencies in both Virginia and North Carolina.