Category: Environmental Corner

Advancements in Fingerprinting Contaminants; Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA)

Posted on by Jeff Carnahan

Written by Steve Henshaw, P.G., CEO, EnviroForensics

Keith Gaskill, L.P.G., Chief Geologist, EnviroForensics

As seen in the February 2011 issue of Cleaner & Launderer.

PDF Version

Among the challenges in environmental consulting is determining responsible parties in comingled plumes.  With so much money and liability at stake, confident determination of contaminant sources (fingerprinting) becomes vital to not only our clients’ personal stake, but to the timely cleanup of potentially dangerous contaminant plumes. 

The first and most utilized fingerprinting method is basic compound analysis.  Generally, it is known what hazardous substances were released to the subsurface and what chemical compounds can be associated with that release.  Analysis is completed by comparing compounds detected.  For example, two drycleaners next to each other are located directly upgradient from a residence where one drycleaner has used Stoddard solvents and one has used perchloroethylene (perc) in the drycleaning process.  When laboratory analysis reveals the presence of petroleum compounds (perc contains no petroleum compounds whereas Stoddard solvent does) in groundwater under the residence, it is determined that the Stoddard solvent plant is likely the responsible party.   Continue reading “Advancements in Fingerprinting Contaminants; Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA)”

Ladies, Keep Your Eye On Your Mister

Posted on by Jeff Carnahan

And Other Separator Water Issues

Written by Steve Henshaw, P.G., President & CEO, EnviroForensics
As seen in the November 2010 issue of Cleaner & Launderer

Cleaning and purifying dry cleaning solvents for reuse has been around since the beginning of the dry cleaning industry.  Historically, solvents were considered inexpensive, so the degree to which they were reclaimed was considerably less than it is today.  The rule of thumb used to be a 1 to 5 loss/recovery ratio.  That means that 1 part solvent was lost for every 5 parts recycled.  Today that ratio is much, much lower with some dry cleaners telling me they lose only 1 part of perchlorotheylene (perc) for every 20 parts recycled. 

While the dry cleaning machines, now in what’s considered their 5th and 6th generation, are much better designed and considered safer for the environment, the management of separator water continues to pose environmental concerns.  Separator water is generated during the distillation and solvent recovery process.  Vapors from the distillation process are condensed into a mixture of solvent and water.  The solvent is typically recoverd from the mixture by gravity in the water separator.  The remaining water in the separator has dissolved solvents in it and if the solvent being used is perc, the separator water will more likely than not be considered a hazardous waste. Continue reading “Ladies, Keep Your Eye On Your Mister”

What Drives an Environmental Cleanup?

Posted on by Jeff Carnahan

Written by Stephen Henshaw, P.G., President and CEO, EnviroForensics
As seen in the August 2010 issue of Cleaner & Launderer

PDF Version

I frequently get calls from dry cleaners asking for advice and one of the common questions is, “How much is it going to cost to cleanup my site?” Knowing that my dry cleaner friend is looking for an answer better than “depends” and realizing that it is impossible to give him an accurate cost without knowing a lot more about the site conditions, I find myself walking a bit of a tightrope. Environmental cleanups are driven by several factors, but the primary factor is risk. The risk is whether the chemical release could impact the environmental that supports animal life, as an example, wetlands, creeks, streams, lakes and oceans.

Of course, in stating these primary risk factors, one cannot ignore property damage immediately below the cleaners or at the adjacent properties where contamination has migrated. And last but not least, a regulatory agency can bring a third party claim against a dry cleaner to cleanup contamination to the lowest of levels, but in general the primary factors presented apply.

So, how can one determine whether or not a threat exists or is present to human health and/or the environment? We have to determine if the release has reached either people or the environment. Continue reading “What Drives an Environmental Cleanup?”

State Level Environmental Enforcement During Periods of Economic Downturn

Posted on by Jeff Carnahan

Written By Stephen Henshaw, P.G., President and CEO, EnviroForensics
As seen in the July 2010 issue of Cleaner & Launderer.

PDF Version

The current state of the economy affects so many areas of our lives, but one that isn’t talked about much is how the current hiring freezes imposed by almost every state environmental agency impacts environmental cleanups.  It is safe to say that the state-level regulatory agencies are not hiring new staff to handle environmental cleanups.  While this may initially sound like a good thing in that dry cleaners may feel they have some breathing room from the long arm of the law, I see it a differently.   

In general, the environmental regulations continue to get tougher and the acceptable levels of chemical constituents allowed to remain in soil, vapor and groundwater continue to be lowered.  Because many sites take a long period of time before they are cleaned up to acceptable levels and “closed”, the project managers working for local, state, and federal regulatory agencies continue to get more and more sites that they are responsible for managing.  Their workload continues to increase in volume and the piles of reports and work plans they are to review keep growing. Continue reading “State Level Environmental Enforcement During Periods of Economic Downturn”

Planning For Remediation During Renovation

Posted on by Jeff Carnahan

Written By Stephen Henshaw, P.G., President and CEO, EnviroForensics
As seen in the June 2010 issue of Cleaner & Launderer.

PDF Version

Soil and groundwater investigations and cleanups can take years before site closure is obtained from the regulatory agencies.  Over the course of these activities, it is not unusual for impaired properties and shopping centers to be bought, sold, refinanced and renovated.

If you are the one responsible for the paying for the cleanup, keeping in close contact with the property owners and property managers can save you a lot of headaches and money.  Site investigations and remediations tend to drag on for two primary reasons; 1) Lack of funding necessary to complete the work; and 2) slow turnaround time by the regulatory agencies reviewing investigation reports, feasibility studies and remediation work plans.  Because the process is stretched over years, neighboring tenants come and go and renovations occur.  If you are paying attention, the construction activities associated with new tenants and renovations can be used to reduce your overall cleanup costs. Continue reading “Planning For Remediation During Renovation”