Investigation of spills and releases involving hazardous wastes and materials requires an advanced knowledge of the contaminants of concern and the results of their impact to the environment. Hazardous waste contamination site assessments are often initiated by discoveries as revealed during Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. P2P Environmental will prepare a project specific site investigation work plan that utilizes the site history and the known contaminants of concern. An appropriate health and safety program is developed, and dialogue is initiated with the regulatory authorities to identify (and potentially reduce) the required sampling and analytical program for soil and groundwater.
An initial hazardous waste contamination site assessment is designed to identify the potential source area(s) of the environmental impact to the soil and groundwater. Soil and groundwater assessment will include the installation of soil test borings groundwater monitoring wells. Soil borings are installed utilizing a variety of drilling technologies, selected based on site specific requirements. Soil samples are collected during the drilling activities at specified locations and depth intervals. Soil samples can be screened in the field using hand held analyzers to identify the optimal soil samples to be selected for laboratory analysis. The laboratory analyses are selected based on the known substances released, and to satisfy regulatory requirements. Field parameters and observations are recorded during the drilling activities and detailed soil boring logs are prepared for inclusion within report documentation.
When environmental contaminants may have reached the groundwater, groundwater monitoring wells are installed within soil borings. Properly constructed groundwater monitoring wells are designed and installed to meet site conditions and the contaminants of concern. Groundwater samples are subsequently collected for laboratory analysis. The locations of groundwater monitoring wells are added to the site plan and vertically surveyed so that the depth to groundwater can be used to calculate the direction of groundwater.
All hazardous waste contamination site assessments are conducted with risk in mind. Environmental contamination must be considered in the context of the threat to nearby potential receptors. Regulatory standards are utilized to determine action levels, and contaminant concentrations are compared with action levels to evaluate the potential for risk to nearby potential receptors including surface water bodies (creeks, streams, lakes) and drinking water supply wells.
Site investigations are conducted to properly define the horizontal and vertical extents of the soil and groundwater contamination. Several phases of site investigation may be required to properly delineate the extents of the contamination, and results are often summarized within interim reporting to the regulatory authority (Compliance Status Reports). Once the environmental site investigation phases of assessment are completed, and if contaminant concentrations exceed the established regulatory thresholds and require site remediation, a hazardous waste site management plan, or remedial action plan, will be prepared.
Remedial action plans are often described as Remediation Investigations, Feasibilities Studies, Corrective Action Plans and/or Phase III Environmental Site Assessment activities. A hazardous waste site management plan is intended to present a comprehensive outlook of the environmental impacts on a property. A thorough description of the environmental conditions are presented along with local and site hydrology, local groundwater conditions, direction of groundwater flow, discussion of site lithology, stratigraphic boring logs, and stratigraphic cross-sections. Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) methodologies are employed. When necessary, computer based groundwater fate and transport modeling can be used to ascertain whether an impacted groundwater contaminant plume may be a risk to nearby potential receptors.
If there is no potential risk to nearby surface waters or drinking water sources, and the contaminant concentrations can be demonstrated to exhibit a stable and/or decreasing trend, no site remediation may be required and a long-term groundwater monitoring program may be the only corrective action required. A Monitoring Only Plan is designed to establish a long-term depiction of how site conditions may change over seasonal groundwater fluctuations and to reinforce that site conditions are stable and no active remediation is required. Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) parameters are measured, recorded, and analyzed to substantiate a proposal that a groundwater contaminant plume is degrading under naturally occurring conditions.
If the site conditions warrant active remediation, a thorough evaluation of the remedial alternatives is important to meet site objectives within established time-frames and monetary budgets. The objectives of corrective action may include remediation/treatment of contaminated backfill material and native soils, remediation of subsurface soils, remediation of groundwater contamination, and remediation and/or mitigation of surface water impacts. The most efficient and cost-effective remedial alternatives will be selected for a property. If a fixed based remediation system is required, we will select and design a remediation system specifically tailored to the site conditions. The hazardous waste site management plan will also include a plan for start-up operations, long-term operational and remedial progress monitoring, schedules for scheduled inspections and preventative maintenance, and a confirmatory sampling plan. A milestone schedule is established to track remedial progress with an eye on the remedial objectives to ensure that conditions for site closure are achieved.
P2P Environmental can perform Brownfields Assessments and usher sites through the Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP). Additionally, P2P Environmental staff have successfully worked to delist sites from the Hazardous Sites Inventory, including the implementation of an environmental covenant that restricts groundwater usage in accordance with the Georgia Uniform Environmental Covenants Act. Additionally, Point to Point Environmental can complete all hazardous waste contamination site assessments in accordance with the requirements of your lending institution or insurance company and will provide all of the necessary documentation to secure funding and reimbursement. Whatever the challenges presented when a property has been impacted by a hazardous material, Point to Point Environmental is committed to achieving site objectives in a cost effective manner. P2P Environmental staff are experienced in regulatory interface and correspondence, and have successfully negotiated the terms of compliance and site closure stipulations with regulatory authorities. If you have questions about the hazardous waste investigation process, please contact Point to Point at 678-565-4435.