Remediation includes a wide range of issues, varying from simple assessment of properties to determining if there were past discharges to major cleanups. Cleanups can involve the removal of waste materials and remediation of Areas of Concern (AOCs) resulting from prior spills or leaks. Some states have adopted cleanup standards, while others maintain guidelines for soil cleanups. Most states have groundwater quality standards that are used to determine the area for groundwater remediation. The complementary Federal requirements for spill cleanup and soil and groundwater remediation, the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Cleanup Act (CERCLA), require reporting of discharges of hazardous materials and a series of cleanup actions. Cost recovery can be sought by affected property owners against partners causing a discharge, as well as by the State and/or Federal Government.
The complexity of the regulatory system related to remediation as well as the constantly evolving state of the art of cleanup technologies makes remediation a daunting process.
SAI utilizes the company’s 20-plus years of experience in all aspects of State and Federal remediation programs to help clients determine a cost-effective and environmentally sound approach to remediation. SAI’s Senior Managers collectively have decades of experience arranging state remedial programs and, in some cases, pioneering the creation of regulatory processes related to cleanups (see also About).
Techniques used in the investigative process include site history evaluation and mapping, use of field kits for soil sampling, magnetometers and geophysical investigations, test pits, geoprobes, borings, soil gas surveys, temporary wells, permanent wells, and others.
Analysis approaches for data interpretation include customized software for recording all field data, software to evaluate compliance using electronic data checking vs. standards, risk assessment, pollutant transport modeling, geostatistical modeling, and other advanced techniques.
Remedial approaches for soil have included removal and disposal, capping, full containment, in-situ biological treatment, in-situ air sparging, ex-situ bioremediation, risk assessment to establish alternate cleanup criteria, stabilization, and beneficial reuse on- and off-site.
Remedial approaches for groundwater have included pump and treat with carbon, air stripping of volatiles, free product recovery in wells or trenches, natural attenuation, in-situ oxidation, and containment using hydraulic control or barrier walls (vertical membrane, slurry wall, sheet pile).
(Remediation Services Brochure)
The design phase of the remedial process utilizes the skills of SAI’s engineering staff to prepare plans for removal, site restoration, groundwater extraction/treatment systems, in-situ treatment, capping slurry walls, sheet piling, and a wide range of technical design approaches. Soil scientists and geotechnical engineers assist in the design process. Cost estimates and bid documents are also prepared by the engineering staff.
SAI’s scientists and engineers use specialized analytical technologies such as geostatistical modeling, groundwater modeling, and risk assessment to characterize soil and groundwater contamination.
SAI prides itself in its successes in handling remedial projects in the most efficient manner possible. Some of the successes achieved by SAI include: