Manufactured Gas Plant Closure

PROJECTS \ CASE STUDY

Manufactured Gas Plant Closure

Cameron-Cole staff managed the Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments for an 8- acre parcel located near the downtown area of a city. We discovered through historical records that a coal gasification plant had occupied a 2.5-acre portion of the property. Consequently, we designed and conducted a multiphase site investigation to determine what impact the plant had on the property and adjacent property, as well as the health risks posed by the impacts if any. Total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in the soil were as high as 10,000 ppm. Groundwater was also discovered on the down-gradient edge of the parcel. The final phase of the investigation included groundwater analysis and a human health risk assessment under current conditions (paved parking lot) and future conditions (high-rise building). Using the most advantageous exposure scenarios, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved our findings and agreed with Cameron-Cole’s recommendation that no remedial action was required at the site and regulatory closure was granted with "No Further Action." Through our efforts, we saved our client an estimated $20 million in possible soil removal and disposal costs.