Waste Site Program

MCP RESPONSE ACTION

  • GEC filed a Downgradient Property Status (DPS) for a client.  In filing the DPS we demonstrated that though on-site fuel oil contamination existed, a petroleum-based solvent plume emanated from an abutter.  The MassDEP agreed, issuing an order to remediate the dry cleaning solvent from both properties and saving our client thousands.
  • During redevelopment, a client found that a beautiful farmscape hid a leaking underground storage tank.  Contamination from the tank extended below the footprint of a proposed residential building.  GEC assisted the client in completing assessment and remediation during redevelopment thereby completing necessary response actions without delaying the construction process. 
  • A disposal site is located at the edge of a Potentially Productive Aquifer (PPA), which is a potential source of drinking water  therefore conservative groundwater clean-up standards apply.  GEC conducted extensive hydrogeologic assessment demonstrating the site is really outside the PPA, and submitted supporting documentation to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.  Reclassification of the aquifer saved the client significant remediation costs.
  • More than ½ inch product was measured in a monitoring well, due to a mineral oil release.  GEC completed a weight-of-evidence evaluation demonstrating that less than ½ inch of product exists in the aquifer. Other investigations demonstrated that the product was not a continuing source of soil, groundwater or soil vapor contamination.  As a result, a Response Action Outcome was achieved.
  • At an industrial property, groundwater contaminated with 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) migrated towards a stream supplying a drinking water reservoir.  GEC used an AT-123D model to obtain predictions of 1,1,1-TCA levels near the stream.  The results indicated that future levels of 1,1,1-TCA in the groundwater plume, near the stream, would not exceed drinking water standards and groundwater remediation was not necessary.

RISK ASSESSMENT

  • GEC completed an Imminent Hazard Evaluation of a multi-tenant commercial property to determine the risk posed by an abutting dry cleaner whose solvent plume extended onto our client’s site.  GEC isolated contributions of chemicals used on-site from those resulting from the groundwater plume to demonstrate that groundwater contamination significantly affected the indoor air quality. GEC coordinated the design and installation of a sub-slab depressurization system at the dry cleaner facility to prevent harmful vapor intrusion. 
  • A recent release of thousands of gallons of fuel oil lead to the discovery of manufactured gas plant waste beneath a developed urban property.  GEC completed assessment, limited remediation and extensive risk characterization and demonstrated that contamination did not pose a risk to users of the property, one of which was a daycare facility. 
  • Our client’s former woolen mill property was impacted by releases of arsenic, chromium, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides.  GEC used risk characterization to evaluate wide-spread contamination.  The PCBs were also evaluated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act.  GEC used the results to negotiate specific clean-up goals and pinpoint the specific areas of the property requiring remediation.
  • Releases of metals and pesticides at our client’s industrial property impacted the sediment of a brook.  GEC conducted a Stage II Environmental Risk Assessment including macro-invertebrate sediment toxicity tests.  As a result, the area of the brook for which sediment remediation had to be considered was limited to a small stretch near an historic storm water outfall.

LITIGATION SUPPORT

  • GEC provided litigation support to demonstrate that a complex groundwater plume resulted from both an on-site fuel oil release and off-site petroleum-based solvent and chlorinated solvent releases.  GEC’s filing of a Downgradient Property Status, which the MassDEP later audited and concurred with, supported GEC’s opinion and bolstered our client’s position in this litigation.
  • GEC provided expert witness testimony and litigation support services to successfully show that gasoline contamination beneath our client’s former gas station in fact migrated from an abutting gas station property.  GEC assisted in drafting a Settlement Agreement with one defendant and a jury awarded injunction against a second defendant to assure restitution for past and future remediation costs.
  • A car dealership sued our client who was redeveloping a nearby landfill, claiming damages to their cars from the redevelopment dust.  GEC’s evaluation of a dust dispersion model used by the plaintiff’s expert witness revealed errors in the model that discounted their claim.  Ultimately no damages were found and no money was awarded to the plaintiff.

BROWNFIELDS

  • GEC assessed soil and groundwater contamination and completed a Method 3 risk characterization of a closed seaside restaurant to demonstrate that site conditions are consistent with a Permanent Solution.  After filing a Response Action Outcome and successfully negotiating the terms of an Activity and Use Limitation the property changed hands and is currently being redeveloped.
  • GEC assisted our client in converting their vacant machine-shop property into part of a much larger commercial development.  GEC oversaw closure and cleanup of the facility and removal of underground storage tanks on the property.  GEC also prepared facility and contaminated site closure documentation working seamlessly with the master developer and contemporaneous with the construction work.
  • GEC oversaw the remediation of a solid waste landfill in preparation for redevelopment into a residential townhouse community.  GEC negotiated terms with state division of solid waste and waste site cleanup regulators to establish goals.  GEC then oversaw cleanup work and completed necessary risk evaluation to demonstrate complete closure and suitability for redevelopment. 

OIL & HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RELEASE RESPONSE

  • GEC provided Emergency Response oversight services when cement dust spewed over a five-acre parking lot covering hundreds of school buses and their drivers, many of whom were rushed to neighborhood hospitals.  GEC directed a 48-hour non-stop remediation effort involving dozens of emergency response personnel. GEC coordinated emergency efforts with the City of Boston’s Fire, Police, Inspections, School and Health Departments as well as the Massachusetts State Police and Department of Environmental Protection. Quickly earning the confidence of these organizations GEC was given great latitude and flexibility to make time-critical decisions.
  • GEC responded to a catastrophic release of fuel oil from a storage tank adjacent to a wetland.  GEC coordinated the cleanup of the release with the home owner, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and emergency response contractors.  With clean-up done, GEC completed assessment to characterize risk to soil, groundwater and wetland sediments and surface water and to assure completion of required response actions.
  • For the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) GEC provided Licensed Site Professional services for emergency responses related to sudden releases of gasoline lubricating oil, waste oil, and fuel oil across eastern Massachusetts.  On call 24/7/365 GEC’s response team was ready to provide services immediately.  Releases occurred on roadways, public and private properties and ranged in size from small spills to massive clean-ups.  GEC worked with an emergency responder to ensure requirements of the Massachusetts Contingency Plan were met.

SITE REMEDIATION

  • A release of fuel oil at a commercial property resulted in more than ½ inch of product in two monitoring wells.  GEC directed the excavation of 300 yards of contaminated soil and removal of 2,300-gallons of oily groundwater.  An evaluation of subsequent data demonstrated that less than ½ inch of product remained in the subsurface.  A Permanent Solution was achieved.
  • GEC’s client, a manufacturer, accidentally released methylene chloride to groundwater, close to a nearby pond.  GEC initiated in-situ chemical oxidation, which reduced levels of methylene chloride in groundwater by 99.99% compared to pre-treatment levels and to undetectable concentration in surface water. GEC filed a Class A-2 Response Action Outcome with MassDEP, achieving regulatory closure of the Site.
  • Our client, an industrial company, accidentally released solvents into drain lines, which resulted in vapor migration, indoor air contamination and an imminent hazard.  A portion of a building was evacuated. GEC directed the cleaning of the drain lines and the installation of a sub-slab depressurization system, to prevent further vapor intrusion into the building.  These steps allowed the tenant space to be reoccupied.
  • A release of tetrachloroethene (PCE) at our client’s dry-cleaning facility impacted soils and groundwater.  Remedial efforts included soil excavation and in-situ chemical oxidation, which decreased PCE levels in groundwater.  The client wanted no restrictions on future activities and uses of the property, so GEC continued treatment using a destructive dechlorination process that relies on both chemical and biological reduction.