Site Remediation Planning

Jump to: Remediation Planning Staff | Case Studies

Remediation planning and management are critical in the completion of remedial projects on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with permitting requirements. In addition to the many levels of government regulations that may apply, there are multiple contaminant screening guidelines and cleanup standards to be considered. A property owner or other responsible party must be informed of the appropriate remedial alternatives suited for any chemicals of concern as well as the environmental matrices potentially impacted.

Premier has provided remediation planning for a wide variety of clients. Premier’s personnel are experienced in numerous activities, including:

  • Evaluating the vertical and horizontal extent of contamination at industrial and commercial sites,
  • Directing human health and ecological risk assessments,
  • Preparing and analyzing remedial alternatives, and
  • Managing the implementation of site remediation.

The goal of every remediation project must be to attain the level of cleanup required to either achieve a “no further action” from the appropriate agency or instead to maintain the lowest level of performance and compliance monitoring possible to demonstrate that the remediation is achieving its original goals. Premier has extensive experience planning and managing remediation projects to a successful conclusion.

Remediation Planning Staff

J. Stephen Barnett, Principal

Expertise: site characterization, project management, CERCLA, RCRA, and state programs.

Mr. J. Stephen Barnett is a Principal Hydrogeologist based in Premier’s Portland, Oregon office. Mr. Barnett has 20 years of experience and is a registered professional geologist in 9 western and southeastern states. He has extensive project management experience and has provided technical and litigation support for a broad range of complex CERCLA, RCRA, or state-led sites. Mr. Barnett has planned and managed numerous environmental investigations and remediation activities at wood treating sites, pulp and paper sites, smelter sites, and bulk fuel facilities, as well as smaller solid-waste landfills, sawmills, and UST sites. In support of these projects, he has developed and implemented subsurface soil, bedrock, sediment, surface water, and groundwater characterizations; designed remedial systems for groundwater, surface water, and soil, and applied integrated GIS solutions for project management and presentations.

Norman D. Kennel, Senior Project Manager

Expertise: RCRA, CERCLA, construction management, remedial implementation and design

Mr. Kennel is a Professional Geologist and Senior Project Manager with Premier. He has over 17 years of industrial and environmental consulting experience gained through working in public protection, environmental consulting/remediation and private industry arenas. Mr. Kennel has directed complex assessment and remediation programs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), State Superfund programs in Tennessee, Iowa, New Jersey and Illinois, and under local regulations in numerous States. He has a proven successful track record of managing projects requiring the interaction and consensus building between diverse entities including: responsible parties, governmental regulators, contractors, legal representatives, and community groups to ensure that projects are completed according to applicable requirements, schedules and budgets.

Remediation Planning Case Studies

Developing Alternate Groundwater Remedial Strategies for a Large Operations Industrial Facility

Situation

A large industrial corporation has a property involved in an EPA-led RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA). Concurrently, this property is involved in a State-led Corrective Action Program (CAP) to remediate groundwater beneath the facility that is contaminated with PAHs and chlorophenols as a result of former unlined surface impoundments at the property. The CAP involved a groundwater pump-and-treat (P&T) system that had been in operation since 1986. Premier was retained to provide technical and regulatory assistance in guiding the property and the client through the RFA process. While Premier was not retained to assist with the groundwater CAP, a preliminary review by Premier of the site history and contaminant distributions performed for purpose of the RFA suggested the efficacy of the P&T system was poor. This was reported to the client. Premier was retained to assess the efficacy of the P&T system and to provide results.

Solution

Premier performed assessments on the ability of the P&T system to perform contaminant mass removal and provide hydraulic control. The P&T system was demonstrated to be ineffective and through groundwater modeling it was demonstrated that the stability of the groundwater plume and the ongoing mass removal was being provided primarily by intrinsic biodegradation. Premier subsequently negotiated with the State and EPA to implement Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) as an alternate remedial alternative to the P&T system.

Results

The P&T system was shut down and a MNA corrective action program was implemented. This resulted in a cost savings of approximately $150,000/year indefinitely.

CERCLA Supplemental Site Characterization—California

Situation

A former tire manufacturing facility in California had completed multiple phases of investigations under CERCLA related to environmental impacts associated with historical releases. The manufacturer ceased operations in the 1980s and the property has since been subdivided among multiple owners. The overseeing agency requested additional sampling and analyses at multiple locations on the various parcels to supplement the existing data.

Solution

Premier thoroughly evaluated each agency recommendation for additional sampling and analyses and recommended an alternative approach that met the agency’s concerns while significantly reducing the scope of work. The modified scope of work was presented to the agency in brief memo format for their review and comment. After a couple of rounds of negotiations of various points, the agency and the manufacturer agreed to a mutually acceptable approach to collect the supplemental data.

Results

The modified scope of work resulted in our client saving approximately 25% in implementation costs versus the original agency recommendation.