LUST release.

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Estimating the Extent of Soil Contamination During a Redevelopment Excavation

From October 2014 to March 2015, I provided excavation oversight services at a property with substantial environmental concerns. The property in question is located near downtown Seattle and was formerly occupied by the Washington’s first coal gasification plant. The plant operated from 1888 to 1908 and produced coal gas for municipal use. A coal tar like substance with a characteristically high benzene concentration was a byproduct of the coal gasification process and heavily contaminated at or below the surface grade of the plant as shown in previous investigations on the property. Once the plant ceased operation in 1908 the property was left vacant until 1955 when the site was filled in and a service station was built on the property. The main goal of the excavation was not to achieve cleanup on the property, but to properly remove what contaminated soil was encountered during the redevelopment excavation. Areas of concern were identified prior to the commencement of the excavation and an estimation of the extent of contamination on the property was developed. “Hot spots” of contaminated soil associated with the fill placed after 1955 were identified as areas of concern. However, the primary contaminant plume below the property was likely sourced from the coal gasification plant, which operated at an approximate elevation of 20 feet. We planned to constrain the extents of the soil contamination below the property as the redevelopment excavation progressed. As the redevelopment excavation was advanced down to an elevation of approximately 20 feet, soil samples were collected to bound the extents of contamination in the upper portion of the site. The hot spots, known pockets of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAH) located above 20 feet elevation, were excavated as part of the redevelopment excavation. Once a hot spot was excavated, soil samples were collected from the north, south, east, west and bottom sidewalls of the hot spot excavation to check for remaining cPAH. Additionally, four underground storage tanks (USTs) associated with the service station were discovered and subsequently removed. Soil samples were also collected from the resulting UST excavation sidewalls to check for remaining petroleum hydrocarbons. Once the excavation reached its final excavation depth of 20 to 16 feet in elevation, bottom of excavation samples were collected on a 35 foot by 35 foot grid to test for concentrations of contaminants remaining onsite. Once the redevelopment excavation was complete, soils observed from borings drilled for either structural elements, geotechnical wells, or environmental wells were checked for any evidence of contamination using field screening techniques. Evidence of contamination was used to identify areas below the final excavation grade which had been impacted by the operation of the coal gasification plant. Samples collected from the excavation extents of hot spots and USTs show that it was unlikely that any contamination traveled from the post-1955 grade down to the pre-1955 grade. Additionally, the lack of benzene in the bottom of excavation samples suggests that a release from the coal gasification plant occurred below the redevelopment excavation final elevations of 20 to 16 feet. Qualitative data collected from borings for shoring elements and wells indicated that the spatial extent of the subsurface contaminant plume was different than initially estimated. Observations of spoils show that soil contamination extends further to the southwest and not as far to the east and north than originally estimated. Redefining the extent of the soil contamination beneath the property will allow further subsurface investigations to focus on collecting quantitative data in areas that still represent data gaps on the property, and passing over areas that have shown little signs of contamination. This information will help with the formation of a remediation plan should the need to clean up the site arise in the future.

An interactive environmental site assessment audit for Wagner Creek river basin clean up project

The primary purpose of this thesis was to design and create an Interactive Audit to conduct Environmental Site Assessments according to American Society of Testing Material's (ASTM) Phase I Standards at the Wagner Creek study area. ArcPad and ArcIMS are the major software that were used to create the model and ArcGIS Desktop was used for data analysis and to export shapefile symbology to ArcPad. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an effective tool to deploy these purposes. This technology was utilized to carry out data collection, data analysis and to display data interactively on the Internet. Electronic forms, customized for mobile devices were used to survey sites. This is an easy and fast way to collect and modify field data. New data such as land use, recognized environmental conditions, and underground storage tanks can be added into existing datasets. An updated map is then generated and uploaded to the Internet using ArcIMS technology. The field investigator has the option to generate and view the Inspection Form at the end of his survey on site, or print a hardcopy at base. The mobile device also automatically generates preliminary editable Executive Reports for any inspected site.

The Study of Sonar for Imaging of the Solid-Liquid Interface Inside Large Tanks

Retrieval, treatment, and disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is expected to cost between 100 and 300 billion dollars. The risk to workers, public health, and the environment are also a major area of concern for HLW. Visualization of the interface between settled solids and the optically opaque liquid is needed for retrieval of the waste from underground storage tanks. A Profiling sonar selected for this research generates 2-D image of the interface. Multiple experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of sonar in real-time monitoring the interface inside HLW tanks. First set of experiments demonstrated that objects shapes could be identified even when 30% of solids entrained in liquid, thereby mapping the interface. Simulation of sonar system validated these results. Second set of experiments confirmed the sonar’s ability in detecting the solids with density similar to the immersed liquid. Third set of experiments determined the affects of near by objects on image resolution. Final set of experiments proved the functional and chemical capabilities of sonar in caustic solution.

UST news

The Underground Storage Tank program at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control publishes a biannual publication of compliance, technical, and financial information to supply outreach to tank owners, contractors, and the general public.

Starch analysis as a method to discover subsistence strategies in prehistoric Finland and Estonia

Ancient starch analysis is a microbotanical method in which starch granules are extracted from archaeological residues and the botanical source is identified. The method is an important addition to established palaeoethnobotanical research, as it can reveal ancient microremains of starchy staples such as cereal grains and seeds. In addition, starch analysis can detect starch originating from underground storage organs, which are rarely discovered using other methods. Because starch is tolerant of acidic soils, unlike most organic matter, starch analysis can be successful in northern boreal regions. Starch analysis has potential in the study of cultivation, plant domestication, wild plant usage and tool function, as well as in locating activity areas at sites and discovering human impact on the environment. The aim of this study was to experiment with the starch analysis method in Finnish and Estonian archaeology by building a starch reference collection from cultivated and native plant species, by developing sampling, measuring and analysis protocols, by extracting starch residues from archaeological artefacts and soils, and by identifying their origin. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the suitability of the method for the study of subsistence strategies in prehistoric Finland and Estonia. A total of 64 archaeological samples were analysed from four Late Neolithic sites in Finland and Estonia, with radiocarbon dates ranging between 2904 calBC and 1770 calBC. The samples yielded starch granules, which were compared with the starch reference collection and descriptions in the literature. Cereal-type starch was identified from the Finnish Kiukainen culture site and from the Estonian Corded Ware site. The samples from the Finnish Corded Ware site yielded underground storage organ starch, which may be the first evidence of the use of rhizomes as food in Finland. No cereal-type starch was observed. Although the sample sets were limited, the experiment confirmed that starch granules have been preserved well in the archaeological material of Finland and Estonia, and that differences between subsistence patterns, as well as evidence of cultivation and wild plant gathering, can be discovered using starch analysis. By collecting large sample sets and addressing the three most important issues – preventing contamination, collecting adequate references and understanding taphonomic processes – starch analysis can substantially contribute to research on ancient subsistence in Finland and Estonia.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

SUPERB Advisory Committee Annual report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2008 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2009 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2010 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2011 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2013 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.

The SUPERB Advisory Committee 2014 Annual Report

The State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) Act requires the SUPERB Advisory Committee to submit an annual report that addresses the financial status and viability of the SUPERB Account and the SUPERB Financial Responsibility Fund, the number of sites successfully remediated, the number of sites remaining to be remediated, and any statutory or regulatory changes the committee recommends.