Environmental Projects

Site Investigation and Remediation Program & Closure (RAO)
2 Highway Rest Area Sites Gasoline Releases

INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS, INC. provided full site investigation and site remediation services at 2 large highway rest areas in Massachusetts. Groundwater and soil at both rest areas was heavily contaminated with gasoline (including non-aqueous phase liquid, NAPL) from leaking underground storage tanks (USTs). Conditions at both sites were endangering nearby public water supply wells and wetlands.

IESI developed an integrated investigation and remedial strategy to streamline and coordinate remedial response actions with the ongoing redevelopment of the two rest areas, resulting in significant cost savings to the client. We assessed the subsurface biogeochemistry and determined that subsurface conditions were highly amenable to biological degradation of the hydrocarbon impacts. We subsequently performed a dual extraction and biosparging pilot test in the overburden, and designed and constructed a full-scale site remediation system for site remediation at both rest areas.

The remediation program is being conducted under the provisions of the Massachusetts Contingency Plan as an Immediate Response Action (IRA) at one of the sites and as a Release Abatement Measure (RAM) at the second site. We performed assessment, design, construction and Licensed Site Professional (LSP) services for each rest area.

The remedial system (at the two sites combined) included 8 dual extraction liquid ring pumps, 26 extraction points, 9,000 linear feet of piping manifolds to the recovery systems and 22 biosparging points. The groundwater capture system acted as a dual extraction system. Recovered groundwater was treated using granular activated carbon. Recovered vapors are treated using a catalytic oxidation system. The remediation systems removed over 25,000 pounds (lbs.) of hydrocarbons at the northbound site and over 400,000 lbs. of hydrocarbons from the southbound site. Both sites have been fully remediated and closures were attained within 6 years for the Northbound site (non drinking water standards) and twelve years (only 8 years of active remediation and 4 years of natural attenuation) for the southbound site (drinking water standards).