Brennan McDonald

Site Investigation, Iron Company, Indiana — Managed site investigation and led the field sampling event. The project involved creating a unique sampling approach that would confirm the presence of heavy metals and PCB contamination in soils stemming from the site’s previous history as a brass foundry. Managed the budget and timeline according to the client’s needs, and produced a final technical report of findings.

Site Investigation, Scrapyard, Michigan — Managed site investigation, creating a soil sampling plan to characterize the extent of heavy metals, PCBs, PAHs, volatile organic compounds, and semivolatile organic compounds onsite from historical use as a automobile scrapyard. Procured drilling and ground penetrating radar services subcontractors for site work, coordinated disposal of hazardous waste, and led the field effort to collect surface and subsurface soil samples.

Food Manufacturing Site Investigation, Wisconsin — Managed investigation, working with the client to produce a sampling plan for the site that would provide data to meet the client’s goals. Led the field event for drum and waste sampling, sediment sampling, and soil sampling. Analyzed data and summarized results in a final report for the client.

Roundhouse Investigation and Removal, Indiana — Managed project from investigation through removal phases. Determined an effective sampling approach based on site history and wrote a corresponding sampling plan for the client. Led several field events to determine the extent of lead, arsenic, and asbestos-containing material onsite. Analyzed data and wrote an excavation plan, which the client used to guide cleanup efforts. Finally, wrote a technical report summarizing all activities that the client distributed to local stakeholders to explain work conducted at the site.

Vulcan-Louisville Fansteel Investigation, Illinois — Directed surface and subsurface soil sampling to determine the extent of lead contamination in residential soils surrounding the old Vulcan-Louisville Fansteel site. This project included significant interaction with local stakeholders and ensuring that they had access to government-provided data and information on sampling activities.

Collateral Channel Investigation, Illinois — Planned and coordinated a field event to address concerns from nearby residents that a channel connected to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) was causing an unpleasant odor. Created an air sampling and monitoring network surrounding the channel to determine if hydrogen sulfide or mercaptan were the source of the odor, and if their presence was attributed to the channel.

Uranium Mine Phase II, New Mexico — Managed and split samples with the responsible party’s contractor every quarter from 2022 through 2025. The goal was to characterize the extent of radiological contamination in the environment surrounding the Pueblo of Laguna. Sample types included soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, porewater, and air, and responsibilities also included QA/QC of field forms and comparison of our results to the responsible party’s results.

Mine Investigation, Illinois — Conducted sediment sampling from an onsite pond, as well as surface and subsurface soil sampling. Screened soil samples using an x-ray fluorescence analyzer for metals, particularly lead and arsenic. Managed contractors working for the responsible party and collected split surface water samples.

Collateral Channel Investigation, Illinois — Wrote a summary report of findings related to the Collateral Channel sampling event. Worked with the client to include relevant information and address comments on the report from stakeholders.

CSSC Asphalt Spill Response, Illinois — Wrote a summary report documenting months’ worth of field activities. Worked with the client and senior technical staff to highlight relevant sample results and field observations. Reviewed and provided comments on similar reports submitted by other contractors for the same project.

PFAS Investigation, Southeastern Ohio — Collected surface water and soil samples to measure the extent of PFAS contamination related production of fluorinated compounds at a facility. Planned surface water sampling locations according to EPA requirements. Conducted and led two sampling events, and summarized results in a report.

Train Derailment Response, Ohio — Collected surface and subsurface soil samples for PFAS analysis to characterize the extent of contamination from aqueous film-forming foams used during the initial response. These samples were collected according to incremental sampling method practices, and required multiple step-outs and re-delineations throughout the project. Results were constantly compared to split samples collected by other contractors and summarized regularly in monthly reports.

Former Landfill Investigation, Michigan — Collected groundwater samples from a former landfill to assess the presence of PFAS from nearby industrial applications. Samples were collected quarterly throughout 2024, and results were summarized in a quarterly report.

Wildfire Response, Los Angeles County, California — Managed 30 teams conducting hazard site assessments after the Eaton Fire. Directed teams evaluating properties that sustained fire damage for potential hazards that could impede debris removal. Was responsible for all teams’ health and safety, troubleshooting issues, and conducting QA/QC of reports and maps created by each team.

CSSC Asphalt Spill Response, Chicago, Illinois — Responded to a release of thousands of barrels of asphalt product into the CSSC. Collected surface water samples and product samples for fingerprinting analysis. Observed wildlife by boat to monitor for impacts from the asphalt product, and performed rapid shoreline cleanup assessment technique (rSCAT) to determine if cleanup efforts had been successful on the shores of the canal.

Mercury Spill Response, Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin — Monitored ambient air for mercury vapor in the affected home to determine presence of elemental mercury and whether mercury removal efforts were successful. Summarized activities and results in a final technical report, which was distributed to concerned stakeholders.

Reading Drums Response, Pennsylvania — Coordinated an industrial air monitoring network comprising DustTraks, AreaRAE Pros, and SPM Flexes to evaluate the presence of contaminants of concern inside the hot zone and surrounding the worksite. Compared results to relevant criteria, including National Ambient Air Quality Standards, OSHA Recommended Exposure Limits and Permissible Exposure Limits, and ACGIH Threshold Limit Values to determine required levels of personal protective equipment and identify whether contaminants of concerns were migrating offsite.

Paper Mill Fire, Menominee, Michigan — Deployed a comprehensive air monitoring and sampling network to evaluate ambient concentrations of contaminants from the fire. Evaluated and tabulated data for EPA, which used the data to make decisions regarding evacuation of surrounding communities. Collected surface water samples from Lake Michigan to be analyzed for PFAS.