Environmental Remediation

IEECI is a licensed environmental remediation firm that conducts analysis, characterization, monitoring, and modeling of subsurface environments with an emphasis on contaminant remediation and water resources. Some of our environmental remediation projects have been highlighted below.

Environmental Remediation Featured Projects:

Mercury–Contaminated Soil Removal Action and In-Situ Stabilization

Environmental Remediation Customer: U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest Division
Location: IR Site 26, Parcel B, Hunters Point Shipyard (HPS), San Francisco, CA

Insight performed this CERCLA time-critical removal action to identify, delineate, and remove mercury-impacted soil from ship dials, scales, gauges, pumps, switches, and paint applied to ship hulls. The purpose of this environmental remediation project was to eliminate or reduce ecological risks to aquatic receptors in San Francisco Bay, since this shipyard disposal site was located next to the bay.

Insight used x-ray fluorescence (XRF) field analysis equipment to rapidly identify the extent of contamination and then excavated contaminated soil. Our use of XRF to make in-field decisions, instead of slower, more costly laboratory analysis, resulted in cost savings of $175,000 to the Government.

For residual mercury in soil situated below the water table, we developed a remedial design that used a cement-based agent to stabilize, solidify, encapsulate, and bind any remaining mercury in the slurry, which created a low permeability zone that would reduce the groundwater flow through the residual soil, and thereby reduce the flux of mercury. Insight completed site restoration as part of this environmental remediation project by placing drain rock and clean soil into the excavation pit, grading the site, and replacing a drainage swale.

Client Satisfaction— Insight completed this environmental remediation project 7 months ahead of schedule; commended by the Lead RPM: “As a new contractor at HPS, I was impressed with Insight’s responsiveness to the Navy’s needs.”

Enhanced In-Situ Bioremediation of DNAPL and Dissolved-Phase Chlorinated Solvent Groundwater Plume
Environmental Remediation Customer:U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest Division Location: IR Site 70, Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach, CA Insight performed in-situ groundwater bioremediation by reductive dechlorination to eliminate potential health threats from chlorinated VOCs, especially TCE and its breakdown products for this environmental remediation project. Insight also installed manifolds, dose pumps, skids, tanks, and wellhead fittings for substrate and bacteria injection, then injected emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) substrate and KB-1® micro-organism bacteria cultures over a 21-month period into groundwater at 215 wells to reduce contaminant concentrations, prevent off-site migration of the plume, and to prevent vertical migration. To prevent biofouling, we optimized a system design to pulse injections of EVO and bacterial culture to distribute them more evenly away from the injection wells. As part of this environmental remediation project, Insight also installed vapor probes, collected soil vapor and groundwater samples from 70 wells, analyzed data for anaerobic biodegradation, and prepared detailed conceptual site model that included a 3D analysis and visualization of both subsurface hydrogeology and the dissolved-phase TCE plume. This is the largest enhanced in-situ bioremediation project in the U.S., involving 215 injection wells, a plume 4,000-feet long by 2,000-feet wide, groundwater impacts from 15 feet to 170 feet deep in five distinct hydrostratigraphic water-bearing zones whose lithology ranged from sands to silts to clays.

Soil and Groundwater Vacuum-Enhanced Pumping Remediation Environmental Remediation Customer:U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest Division Location: IRP Site 7, Naval Air Facility, El Centro, (NAFEC) CA For this environmental remediation project, Insight performed O&M of a vacuum-enhanced pumping (VEP) dual-phase extraction (DPE) soil and groundwater remediation system at a 40-acre CERCLA abandoned fuel farm. The system consisted of 131 extraction wells, a 1,200 scfm blower with a thermo-catalytic oxidizer, and groundwater treatment system using two 1,000-pound granular activated carbon cells.
Remedial design changes, repair and maintenance, system optimization 19-day bail-down test to design the most effective LNAPL recovery rate Obtained NPDES and Air Pollution Control District regulatory agency permits; performed treated water discharge and air quality compliance monitoring After removal of a total of over 400,000 pounds of hydrocarbons, the remediation objective of asymptotic hydrocarbon removal was achieved and Insight obtained regulatory concurrence from the RWQCB/ State EPA for stopping South Well Field remediation Dismantled and moved the VEP system piping and equipment from the SWF and installed it at the North Well Field to remediate a second groundwater plume Additional environmental remediation tasks Insight performed at NAFEC: Long-term monitoring at 70 wells at four IR sites Abandoned 20 monitoring wells Landfill gas field screening for methane, landfill cap maintenance Excavated and disposed 4,000 CY of metals-contaminated soil from Sewage Settling Ponds (IR site 10) Finalized a feasibility study that evaluated several potential remedial alternatives for the Patrol Road Landfill (IR Site 2), prepared the Proposed Plan for the selected remedy, and prepared the Record of Decision

Insight’s environmental remediation work contributed to NAFEC receiving the prestigious Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Environmental Restoration Installation Award in for Fiscal Year 2009. *Client Satisfaction* — “Insight has achieved the highest level of service I have encountered to date on environmental restoration projects at NAFEC.” – Robert Fischer, NAFEC

Bioremediation of Explosives - Contaminated Soil Environmental Remediation Customer:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District Location: Hawthorne Army Depot, NV
Insight’s scope of work for this environmental remediation project was to provide remedial action services that included excavation and on-site bioremediation of explosives-contaminated soil from surface impoundments within the solid waste management unit (SWMU) B-29 area. This area was comprised of a series of unlined ponds used to receive wastewater for demilitarization activities at Building 103-141. Over the years, explosive-ladened washwater was discharged from these buildings to the ponds. The primary contaminant of concern consisted of ammonium picrate (up to 100,000 mg/kg) and lesser amounts of other explosive compounds. Insight’s Team Member, RMA, provided excavation and sampling personnel for this environmental remediation project. The performance goal for this environmental remediation project was to remediate 2,000 cy of soil per month. Insight exceeded this monthly remediation performance goal. Insight successfully remediated 12,000 cy of soil in 3.5 months achieving a production rate of 3,400 cy/month (a 70% increase above the target goal). Due to the success of the project, the customer requested modifications to increase the budget for additional scopes of work.
This environmental remediation project also included: Preparing draft and final project work plans addressing soil excavation, handling and treatment, site restoration, permits, environmental protection plan, security plan, traffic management, materials handling plan, field sampling plan, quality assurance project plan, chemical data quality management plan, health and safety plan, and waste management plan. Innovative remedial design biocomposting mixes requiring soil amendments such as hay, potatoes/potato waste, wood chips, and manure. Mobilization, including site-specific training, setting up a field office trailer, erecting signs and utilities, utility survey, equipment and supplies delivery, and transporting field staff to and from the site. Excavating, transporting, stockpiling, composting, monitoring, sampling, and analyzing soil (both field screening and fixed-based analyses) from the subject ponds. Replacing treated soil in ponds and disposing excess soil at locations specified by USACE. Monitoring and adjustment of bioremediation parameters was critical because soil amendments, temperature, and moisture content had to be accurate for biodegradation to be successful.