Environmental Management System

The Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is participating in the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP’s) Biosolids Environmental Management System (EMS) program, which was created to advance environmentally sound and accepted biosolids management practices. MSD has developed an EMS to continually improve the performance of its biosolids management activities and demonstrate this performance to stakeholders.

MSD Achieves EMS Certification
MSD’s Morris Forman Water Quality Treatment Center’s biosolids program is the first in Kentucky to achieve certification by the NBP for its EMS. MSD's achievement recognizes the agency has been independently verified as having an effective biosolids management system for reducing environmental impacts and for continually improving organizational performance. Congratulations on this achievement!

NBP EMS Plaque was awarded to Bud Schardein, MSD Executive Director, by Mac Reed, MFWQTC Maintenance Manager (left) and Alex Novak, MFWQTC Operations Manager (right)

Background of EMS

The NBP EMS is a management framework for integrating environmental considerations into day-to-day operations and decision-making and for improving organizational performance over time. For more information on NBP EMS requirements, click here.

MSD’s EMS supports continual improvement in key areas that will help MSD demonstrate its commitment to operational excellence and environmental protection. These key areas include but are not limited to the following:

1. Quality management practices
2. Public participation
3. Regulatory compliance
4. Environmental performance

Benefits of EMS

For the District, the most significant benefits of the EMS program is that MSD's biosolids program is now more focused. The program has established goals and objectives for maintenance, pretreatment, operations, marketing, and public participation. The focus was always to produce exceptional quality biosolids and encourage beneficial reuse; however, establishing clear goals and objectives has encouraged several improvements in the quality of Louisville Green as well as stronger efforts concerning public participation by core team members and our contracted sales agent. Demand for the product has increased to the point that the demand for Louisville Green is now greater than the supply.

MSD’s EMS Core Team members.

Some of the documents for this program available for review online include the following:

• Biosolids Management Policy (51K, )
• Legal and Other Requirements (14K, )
• Program Goals and Objectives (36K, )
• Internal Audit Results (121K, )
• Biosolids Management Program Performance Reports (50K, )
• Notification to Interested Parties of the 3rd Party EMS Verification Audit (32K, )
• Independent 3rd Party EMS Verification Audit Results (285K, )

For more information on Louisville Green, click here.

For more information on MSD's Morris Forman Water Quality Treatment Center, click here.

For more information on MSD's Environmental Management System (EMS) program, please contact David Coe (502-540-6730).