OPTICS Study on Mercury Releases to South River OUR CHALLENGE Elevated concentrations of mercury and methylmercury in water bodies can pose significant health risks to humans and wildlife. In Virginia, the South River is affected by historical mercury releases and...
Florida v. Georgia, Supreme Court No. 142 OUR CHALLENGE Florida and Georgia have been feuding for more than 25 years over water in Apalachicola Bay; Georgia needs water for urban, industrial, and agricultural use and Florida needs freshwater to maintain the health of...
Expert Witness Testimony and Litigation Support for an Active Wood Processing Facility OUR CHALLENGE A plaintiff group had alleged that releases of dioxins, PAHs, and other chemicals had entered the attics and crawl spaces of their homes as dusts from a nearby active...
Residual Ecological Risk Assessment to Support Landfill Feasibility Study OUR CHALLENGE As part of a feasibility study for a former landfill in New Jersey, we were asked to evaluate the ecological protectiveness of a range of remedial options. Our challenge was to...
Decommissioning Oil Platforms—An Ecosystems Services Approach OUR CHALLENGE Decommissioning aging oil platforms at sea requires complex engineering to safely remove structure and equipment. While advanced treatment technologies now mitigate discharges from current...
Blackwell Zinc Site—Groundwater Remediation OUR CHALLENGE A former zinc smelter operating from 1916 to 1974 released zinc and cadmium sulfate solutions to the surficial alluvial aquifer soil and groundwater. The former facility was located immediately adjacent to and...
Alaska LNG Sediment Modeling OUR CHALLENGE Alaska LNG has proposed constructing a pipeline from the North Slope to Cook Inlet that would deliver natural gas for commercialization and in-state distribution. In accordance with the requirements of the National...
Douglas Harbor Dredging: Alaska OUR CHALLENGE In Douglas Harbor, Alaska, a planned harbor renovation required dredging and placement of approximately 30,000 cubic yards of mercury-contaminated sediment in a disposal site at nearby Gastineau Channel. To document...
Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study at San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site: Texas OUR CHALLENGE In 2009, the San Jacinto River Waste Pits RI/FS was initiated to address dioxins and furans associated with wastes from a former paper mill in estuarine...
Former DDT Manufacturing Facility Site Investigation: Oregon OUR CHALLENGE DDT and related chemicals from historical pesticide manufacturing and other sources were found in river sediments at the Portland Harbor Superfund site. Early in the project, little was known...
Source Identification, Chemical Fingerprinting, and Expert Testimony: Washington OUR CHALLENGE When polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found in the Thea Foss Waterway, several parties contributed to the cleanup costs. One party, the Washington State...
Deepwater Horizon—Information Management for NRDA: Louisiana OUR CHALLENGE The Deepwater Horizon accident was unprecedented with regard to the volume and urgency of data to be collected, organized, shared, and evaluated. A broad range of data types including in-water...
Strategic Environmental and Litigation Support Services, Expert Witness Testimony: Rhode Island OUR CHALLENGE The Superfund record of decision called for an extensive and costly cleanup of dioxins, furans, PCBs, pesticides, herbicides, and volatile organic compounds...
Toxicology, Fate and Transport, and Regulatory Guidance, Perfluoroalkyl Chemicals OUR CHALLENGE Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—known as PFAS—have been increasingly found in waterways, water systems, and upland environments, raising concerns about human and...
Stormwater Source Control: Willamette River, Oregon OUR CHALLENGE At the inactive Arkema facility, part of the Portland Harbor Superfund site, DDT from past manufacturing remained in upland soil and was potentially vulnerable to transfer to the river via stormwater. ...
Berry’s Creek Study Area RI/FS: New Jersey OUR CHALLENGE The Berry’s Creek Study Area is a 12-square-mile watershed located in the Hackensack River Meadowlands in New Jersey. Historical industrial and urban development of the study area’s waterways and wetlands...
Sediment Cap Evaluation, Design and Permitting, Mission Bay Ferry Terminal Project: California port of san francisco OUR CHALLENGE Contaminated sediments were discovered during construction of a new ferry terminal for the Port of San Francisco. Elevated concentrations...
Lower Passaic River RI/FS: New Jersey OUR CHALLENGE The Lower Passaic River has a long history of industrialization, leading to elevated levels of dioxin and other contaminants throughout the 17-mile study area. The urban setting presents substantial engineering...
Natural Resource Damage Assessment of PFAS OUR CHALLENGE Our client was faced with a state-led natural resource damage claim for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater, rivers, and lakes. OUR APPROACH We assessed damages using resource equivalency...