Site Assessments, Soil Remediation, Groundwater Monitoring, Remedial System O&M, and Stakeholder Engagement

Site Assessments, Soil Remediation, Groundwater Monitoring, Remedial System O&M, and Stakeholder Engagement

Project Highlights:
  • Soil, soil vapor, and groundwater VOC impacts related to dry-cleaning process
  • On-site soil, soil vapor, and groundwater characterization
  • Design, installation, and testing of two independent 250-cubic-foot-per-minute dual phase extraction (DPE) systems
  • Feasibility evaluation of chemical and biological injection to treat groundwater
  • Remedial excavation of “hot spots” to enhance source recovery
  • Installation and monitoring of groundwater monitoring network
  • Completion of large-scale remediation project while allowing property tenant to continue business operations
  • Coordination of project team of attorneys, responsible parties, and consultants

The client, a large property management company, retained EEC Environmental (EEC) to assess, remediate, and manage this project site due to EEC’s well-known expertise in remediating solvent releases at dry-cleaning facilities and in large-scale industrial volatile organic compound (VOC) releases.  As a result of its more than 10-year operation as a dry-cleaning facility, the site was impacted by the chlorinated solvents used in the dry-cleaning process. The initial assessment of soil, soil vapor, and groundwater revealed that soil and groundwater were impacted with chlorinated solvents and were at levels that required remediation. At the client’s request EEC “fast-tracked” the installation of a DPE system to site cleanup.

EEC conducted additional assessment and tested several remedial options: in situ biological and chemical oxidation treatment materials, installation of an enhancement of the existing DPE system through the installation of horizontal extraction wells beneath the retail building. Although in situ treatment reduced contaminants in the source zone during pilot testing, continued DPE was identified as the best remedial solution for the site. Upon evaluating data, EEC determined that an additional source was contributing to the on-site issue. To monitor progress a series at 10 groundwater wells were installed and sampled on a quarterly basis.

EEC proactively investigated the history of land use at the site and determined that a former dry-cleaning tenant formerly occupied another suite at the shopping center. The nearby former dry-cleaning facility was assessed and determined to have significant impacts on soil, soil vapor, and groundwater. To remediate this location aggressively, EEC performed multiple limited-access remedial excavations in the retail suite. Due to the limited accessibility of the site, EEC removed the impacted soil with a bucket auger rig, suitable for limited-access areas, to more than 10 feet below ground surface in the internal space. Each 4-foot-diameter auger boring was backfilled with slurry the same day to maintain the stability of the structure.

Following the excavation, EEC installed a DPE system at the second location to mitigate impacted groundwater and soil that could not be removed due to structural concerns. Both sites in the same shopping center are in operation and maintenance stages.  EEC’s fast response to the urgent issues at these sites made this project a significant success with regard to the protection of human health and path to closure. EEC’s approach significantly reduced environmental impacts without affecting the normal business operations at the shopping center.

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