SCS Engineers has announced a five-year contract with the San Bernardino County, Calif., Department of Public Works Solid Waste Management Division. Under the new contract, SCS Field Services, the operations, maintenance and monitoring (OM&M) practice of SCS Engineers, will provide landfill gas systems OM&M, support services and advanced technologies.

While the county’s solid waste management division is managing growth in an environmentally conscientious manner, it is costly. The county has 40 landfill and disposal sites, a portion of those with active landfill gas extraction and treatment systems. These systems collect and control the landfill gas and play a critical role in ensuring the ongoing safety of the environment, provide biogas and help keep greenhouse gases down.

Landfill gas extraction and treatment systems are very complex and individual to each site. They are operated, maintained and monitored in compliance with several regulatory requirements, including the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District regulations. The systems run in compliance with Subpart 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 60, Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations and the California Assembly Bill 32 (control of greenhouse gas at landfills).

SCS has provided technician support, compliance expertise and technology for the past nine years for the county, with zero Notices of Violation, zero lost days of work and zero lost days of operation. SCS has earned a reputation for the implementation and utilization of proven technologies to drive efficiencies and help reduce OM&M costs.

Two new technologies that the county is planning to use are SCS’ Ignition Perspective SCADA software and drone services. These technologies are part of the SCS Remote Monitoring and Control (SCS RMC) system and provide the county with a scalable, customized view of its landfill gas and related compliance systems data that helps reduce OM&M costs.

The county is also taking advantage of SCS’ RMC Federal Aviation Authority Part 107 Certified Drone Pilots equipped with a drone fleet. The drones use advanced technology to monitor methane, conduct infrared surveillance, perform 3D topographic modeling and provide landfill open face stockpile calculations. The sensors and cameras provide high-resolution images with a centimeter level accuracy data that help maintain high environmental quality at a lower cost.

“Our performance-based process and technology with site-specific data provide a high level of certainty,” said Galen Petoyan, SCS Engineers senior vice president, in a statement.

“This assurance allows regulators and the county to make informed decisions now and in the future, benefiting the citizens of San Bernardino,” said Robert M. Legaspi, a vice president and regional manager at SCS Engineers, in a statement.