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Stephen Bentsen, P.E.

Stephen Bentsen, P.E.
Senior Consultant

Stephen Bentsen, P.E.

Senior Consultant

Mr. Stephen Bentsen is a professional civil/environmental engineer with 18 years of experience specializing in marine/waterfront sediment and uplands remediation, stormwater regulatory compliance and treatment, and construction management. Mr. Bentsen’s experience includes representing industrial clients in negotiations with regulatory agencies, and he coordinates with industrial facilities on compliance strategies to identify liabilities and to develop solutions that integrate facility environmental obligations with business and development goals.  He has prepared numerous RI/FSs, remedial action work plans, design reports, construction plans, and construction completion reports.  H...

Mr. Stephen Bentsen is a professional civil/environmental engineer with 18 years of experience specializing in marine/waterfront sediment and uplands remediation, stormwater regulatory compliance and treatment, and construction management. Mr. Bentsen’s experience includes representing industrial clients in negotiations with regulatory agencies, and he coordinates with industrial facilities on compliance strategies to identify liabilities and to develop solutions that integrate facility environmental obligations with business and development goals.  He has prepared numerous RI/FSs, remedial action work plans, design reports, construction plans, and construction completion reports.  He manages multi-million dollar budgets for internal team members, teaming partners, and contractors, working closely with clients to reduce budget overruns, minimize risk, and ensure permit compliance.  He is skilled in working with waterfront facilities and establishing relationships with facility management and operators.

Mr. Bentsen has worked with both the NPDES Industrial General Permit (ISGP) and Individual Permit, providing services to ensure permit compliance.  He effectively manages multiparty teams to develop and evaluate stormwater treatment alternatives and to select, design, permit, and install the preferred treatment alternative.  He provides litigation support for third-party lawsuits to develop outcomes that align with client operational activities and satisfy environmental obligations.

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Complex Remedial Design in a River Estuary

Case Study

December 15 2023

Property Owner Advocacy During Remedial Design

Case Study

December 15 2023

Uplands and Sediment Remediation

Sediment Remediation at Active Steel Mill, Portland, Oregon Serving as senior engineer for sediment and uplands investigation and remedial design for a 2-mile stretch of an 11-mile, multi-party Superfund site.  Developed and oversaw site investigations to determine nature and extent of chemicals of concern (COCs), including PCBs and dioxins.  Evaluating and determining appropriate remedial actions for the site using sediment transport modeling, sequencing of data collection, careful evaluation of bathymetric changes, upland data characterization, and other data-driven evaluations to identify appropriate COCs and develop an adaptable cleanup action. Potential remedial technologies include dredging, capping, enhanced natural recovery, and monitored natural recovery.  Negotiating with regulatory agencies to address continually evolving regulatory guidance, upstream recontamination potential, and proper sequencing of remedial activities.
Sediment Remediation at Great Lakes Legacy Act Site, Detroit, Michigan Providing engineering and construction design services for an orphan site within the Detroit River Area of Concern under the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The site is contaminated with PCBs, PAHs, and mercury.  Evaluated the potential for ongoing and future contamination sources.  Developed remediation alternatives to address contamination and worked with client and regulatory agencies to identify the selected remedial alternative.  Provided senior engineering services for pre-design investigations and incorporated investigation results into revised remedial alternatives.
Uplands and Sediment Remediation at Active Shipyard, Seattle, Washington Provided engineering and construction design and management services for multiple projects to meet regulatory requirements at a Superfund site and incorporate business objectives.  This included a successful Superfund dredging and restoration project, involving removal of more than 200,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the Puget Sound and Duwamish West Waterway.  Provided key support for the realization of this $20 million project, working with contractors and subcontractors to complete the endeavor successfully under demanding and often changing conditions. Tasks included construction redesign efforts, management of sediment and water quality monitoring programs, communication with regulatory agencies regarding construction progress and planning, and onsite construction oversight. Also co-managed an upland remedial action, including the design and construction management of an onsite floating oil recovery system, and provided day-to-day remedial engineering assistance to the client related to upkeep and maintenance of the existing full-scale floating oil recovery system.
Uplands and Sediment Remediation at Active Shipyard, Fairhaven, Washington Served as project manager, assisting the client with the development of a sitewide RI/FS effort and implementing an interim action at an active shipyard under an agreed order with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The $11.5 million interim action included upland and sediment remedies, removal and reconstruction of overwater structures, and close coordination with regulatory agencies, Native American tribes, and the client. The RI/FS evaluated contamination in the uplands and sediments, identified remedial actions for the sediments, and evaluated sediment disposal options. The remedy was designed for a working shipyard, with planned infrastructure upgrades within the context of integrated intertidal habitat restoration areas in the estuaries of Puget Sound, and Bellingham Bay-wide restoration planning. The project included full characterization of soil, groundwater, and sediment quality; determination of the compliance status of upland soil and groundwater; and evaluation of potential upland-sediment contaminant migration pathways.
Uplands Remediation at a Former Chemical Facility, Tacoma, Washington Provided management and environmental engineering services for the redevelopment of a former chemical facility. As part of this project, identified and selected corrective actions for areas of the site contaminated with pentachlorophenol, associated chlorinated phenols, dioxin/furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, and volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. Also, negotiated the cleanup action plan and consent decree for the selected remedial actions. Provided construction management services for the in situ remedial actions for the facility and oversaw the operation and maintenance of bioremediation treatment cells used to treat contaminated soil. In addition, managed the compliance monitoring at the site to verify that natural attenuation in groundwater is occurring and coordinated sediment and water quality sampling efforts required by easement agreements and NPDES permits. Managed coordination between multiple regulatory agencies and other parties, including Ecology, EPA, the Port of Tacoma, and the Puyallup Tribe.
Uplands Remediation at a Former Landfill, Seattle, Washington Project manager of a team supporting a local developer, the City of Seattle, and King County to conduct an RI/FS and negotiate a corrective action plan with Ecology for an industrial landfill closure and property redevelopment. The property is a 39-acre former municipal solid waste landfill composed of several industrial-zoned and partially redeveloped properties. Several potential contaminants are of concern because of the site’s proximity to, and as a potential source area for, the lower Duwamish River. As the first step to landfill closure and redevelopment, the team conducted additional site characterization and prepared a draft RI/FS report.
Uplands Remediation at a Former Dry Cleaner, Bellevue, Washington Supported local developer implementing a cleanup of a PCE/TCE contaminated property as part of the Voluntary Cleanup Program.  Work included regulatory negotiations, field sampling, site characterization, remedy identification, development of construction documents, and construction management services.  Provided construction management services to implement the cleanup in a dense urban area and prepared construction completion documents.  Provided long-term monitoring and reporting services.

Stormwater Management

Stormwater Compliance at Marine Cargo Terminals, Seattle, Washington Project manager providing NPDES ISGP stormwater compliance services for multiple container terminals, including the preparation of engineering reports, evaluation and selection of appropriate stormwater treatment technologies, preparation of construction documents, and management of stormwater treatment implementation for more than 160 acres. Managed construction activities, including obtaining permits and necessary authorization for work on a Superfund site; ensuring coordination between stakeholders, including Port of Seattle, Northwest Seaport Alliance, the client, and the contractor; and providing construction management services. Throughout the project, worked closely with the tenant to determine potential pollutant sources and provided coordination between client and Ecology to ensure that the corrective actions met Ecology requirements and the requirements of a Puget Soundkeeper Alliance settlement.
Stormwater Compliance at Active Shipyard, Seattle, Washington Provided long-term environmental services to the client, including stormwater-related services. Worked with the client and Ecology to renew a NPDES Individual Permit, including updating monitoring requirements. Served as project manager, conducting an all known, available, and reasonable methods of treatment (AKART) analysis as required by a King County Industrial Waste Discharge Permit to evaluate the discharge of treated stormwater to the sanitary sewer.  Worked with facility management team and operations personnel to identify and evaluate stormwater drainage basins and potential pollutant services and source control best management practices (BMPs).  Managed regulatory negotiations on behalf of the client with EPA, Ecology, King County Industrial Waste Program (KCIW), and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
Stormwater Compliance at Active Shipyard, Seattle, Washington Served as project manager and senior engineer assisting the shipyard with preparing an AKART analysis as required by a KCIW Discharge Permit to allow discharge of stormwater to the sanitary sewer. The AKART analysis includes evaluation of the existing stormwater system, which treats and discharges stormwater to the sanitary sewer, and evaluation of alternative stormwater treatment technologies, which would treat and discharge stormwater to the adjacent surface waters. Also assisted the client with site planning for its shipyard and activities at other facilities that the client either owns or leases.
Stormwater Compliance at Metal Recycling Facility, Seattle, Washington Assisted a metal shredding and recycling facility with NPDES stormwater compliance-related issues in the Duwamish Waterway. Services as a project engineer included understanding and optimizing the effectiveness of an existing stormwater treatment system, and the research, selection, and design of a new stormwater treatment system, in addition to evaluating pretreatment upgrades and BMPs for an expanded facility. Tasks included maintaining knowledge of new stormwater treatment technologies and NPDES regulatory requirements, supporting ongoing NPDES sampling and toxicity testing, providing cost estimates including life-cycle costing, working with vendors and establishing pilot studies, and ensuring compatibility with facility operations. Challenges included meeting extremely conservative water quality standards on a 303(d)-listed waterway, and limited facility space due to operational constraints.

Site Development

Renovation of Base and Research Facilities, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Managed multidisciplinary teams for design of $5 million to $15 million additions and renovations at base and research facilities at multiple locations. Facilitated design charrettes with design teams and multiple user groups to develop solutions to meet current and future needs for facility users and to comply with site- and user-specific security and environmental requirements. Developed design and construction packages from conception to construction that met client needs and codes while staying within budget.
Federal Agency Housing Renovations, New York and Massachusetts Provided inspection, scope development, design, and construction services for renovations of federal housing units. Developed construction design packages from 10% to final for bid documents for client review. Assisted the client throughout the bidding, contracting, and construction process.  Addressed field issues during construction and coordinated solutions that met the client’s needs and minimized budget and schedule impacts.
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