Facility Decommissioning and/or Site Remediation

It is sometimes necessary to decommission all or some of a production facility. Enviro-Stewards staff have found that a two-phased approach can be beneficial in determining and implementing decommissioning measures designed to recover value from assets, abate environmental factors, and decommission the facilities in an efficient, safe, and responsible manner.

Phase 1: Develop Decommissioning Strategy

· Determine the potential value of assets under current market conditions. Determine an appropriate strategy to contact and intrigue potential buyers of the assets;
· Identify and quantify potential liabilities to be addressed during the decommissioning work (such as asbestos containing material (ACM), PCBs, CFCs, light bulbs, mercury and radioactive devices, process chemicals, fuels etc.);
· Prepare a decommissioning strategy report including a proposed plan of approach, schedule, range of value of assets, abatement, dismantling and demolition costs and anticipated net revenue.

Phase 2: Implementation of the Decommissioning Strategy

· Marketing of assets on the internet, in industry journals, direct mailouts, personal contacts etc.
· Preparation of bidding documents, plans and specifications;
· Evaluation of bids and project award (with concurrence of client);
· Supervising the abatement, dismantling and demolition work; and
· Prepare a dismantling and demolition closure report.

Site Remediation

Site remediation is frequently necessary to address soil vapors, surface water, groundwater and/or soil that has been impacted during use of a site. A four-phased approach is often used to characterize the extent of the impacts and then address them.

Phase 1: An initial environmental site assessment (Phase 1 ESA) is typically performed prior to purchase of land that could potentially be impacted. The Phase 1 ESA is designed to economically identify potential problems based on readily available information. These studies typically include:

· Review of aerial photographs, fire insurance maps, and deeds for the target sight and neighboring properties;
· Review of permits and government records
· A visual inspection of the site and discussions with plant personnel
· Preparation of a Phase 1 ESA report

Phase 2: If the Phase 1 study identifies potential environmental liabilities such as suspected asbestos containing material (ACM), PCBs, impacted soil, impacted groundwater, etc., a Phase 2 study is typically initiated to:

· Collect samples (air, water, soil, building materials etc.) to confirm the presence or absence of suspected compounds;
· Collect additional samples to delineate the extent and concentration of suspected compounds, determine the stratigraphy of the region (soil type, groundwater flow etc.), and data necessary to evaluate the treatability of the compounds.
· Prepare a Phase 2 ESA report outlining the scope and severity of the problems to be addressed.

Phase 3: Preparation of a Remdial Action Plan (RAP). A RAP makes use of simulation software, treatability tests, and experience to develop a plan to efficiently address the problems identified in a Phase 2 study. It typically includes:

· Confirmation of the design basis from the Phase 2 study and selection of appropriate cleanup criteria;
· Complete a Risk Assessment if appropriate to identify potential routes of exposure and quantify risk, if any, to any human and/or ecological recipients;
· Select appropriate Air, Water and Soil Treatmentfacilities;
· Prepare a remedial action plan report; and
· Conduct openhouses and meetings with potential stakeholders (including neighbors, environmental agencies, fire department, municipal government etc.) to outline the scope of the problems and the proposed remedial action plan.

Phase 4: Administer the remedial work.

· Preparation of drawings, specifications and bid packages for any Air, Water and Soil Treatment facilities;
· Evaluation of bids and project award (with concurrence of client);
· Administer of the construction and abatement work;
· Collection of confirmatory samples, and
· Prepare a closure report and record of site condition.