Monday, April 29, 2013: 8:40 a.m.
Regency West 4 (Hyatt Regency San Antonio)
This presentation details the successful implementation of a dual-phase extraction (DPE) remediation system at an active chemical facility in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Soils and groundwater at the facility were impacted with BTEX and chlorinated solvents caused by approximately 50 years of industrial activity. After groundwater and soils at the site were characterized, we negotiated a consent decree with the Fundação Estadual de Engenharia do Meio Ambiente (FEEMA, now know as Instituto Estadual do Ambiente, INEA), the state environmental agency for Rio de Janeiro. The consent decree contained detailed information about the remedy that would be implemented, the clean-up goals (CUGs), and the remediation schedule. CUGs were calculated based on risk with an understanding of the potential future uses of the site and using site-specific criteria. The risk-based CUGs were approximately 10 to 20 times higher than Brazilian federal standards (CONAMA Resolution 420) which are based on the use of groundwater as source of drinking water – an unrealistic assumption for this site.
Active remediation at the site was completed in 2011 after approximately 3,000 kgs of contaminant mass were removed. Monitoring data continues to show that soil and groundwater concentrations remain below the consent decree-defined CUGs. The project was successful largely for two reasons. By negotiating site-specific risk clean-up levels rather than standard agency default values, we were able to develop goals that were both achievable and risk-protective. Furthermore, by adhering to the cultural norms of meeting routinely in person, both prior to and during remediation, we were able to achieve a level of trust with the regulators that facilitated all remediation-related activities.
| Andrew B. Bittner , Gradient | |
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Andrew B. Bittner is a licensed environmental engineer with over 14 years of experience specializing in the fate and transport of contaminants in porous and fractured media, NAPL transport, groundwater hydrology, groundwater and surface water modeling, remedial investigation and design, and soil vapor intrusion modeling. Bittner has applied these skills to develop cost effective remedial solutions at pharmaceutical facilities, manufacturing plants, and dry cleaning facilities at sites around the world. In particular, Bittner has extensive experience developing risk-based remedial strategies, designing remedial investigations, delineating and characterizing the distribution of environmental pollutants, and overseeing remedial operations in South America. |
| Chinnathambi Esakki Perumal , Gradient | |
| Chinnathambi Esakki Perumal is a Groundwater Hydrologist/Environmental Scientist with over eight years of experience, specializing in groundwater hydrology, contaminant fate and transport in soil and groundwater, vadose zone modeling, groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling, remedial investigation/design, and overseeing remedial operations. Esakki Perumal has successfully applied these skills to provide solutions for small- to large-scale sites, including Superfund sites, for various clients in the United States and in South America. He has also provided litigation support for cost allocation projects and used groundwater models to support environmental forensic analyses and water resources evaluation. | |
