Symbiont understands our clients’ ultimate goal is to manage and limit their liability in a technically sound and cost-effective manner. The need to comply with environmental regulations often makes it very difficult to achieve this goal. Navigating through the applicable regulations and finding cost-effective and timely solutions requires an experienced, multi-disciplined team. Symbiont offers exactly this type of environmental consulting to our clients. We use our wealth of experience and expertise to provide innovative and quality solutions. Listed below are some of Symbiont’s services specific to Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs).
- Phase I and II ESAs
- Site Characterization
- Site-Specific Risk-Based Cleanup Standards
- Remedial Action Alternatives Evaluation
- Remedial Action Design and Implementation
- Remedial System Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring
- Site Closure
- Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Modeling
Phase I and II ESAs
Symbiont has extensive experience in performing ESAs, which are important tools for buying, selling, and refinancing properties to assess possible hidden liabilities associated with a given site. The Phase I ESA is used to identify potential environmental liabilities at a site based on a site inspection and available historical information of the site and surrounding area. The Phase II ESA is performed to confirm whether environmental liabilities are actually present based on sampling of soil, groundwater, and other media.
Site Characterization
The success of any site characterization effort depends on the planning that is done prior to actual fieldwork. At Symbiont we have used many innovative, accelerated site-characterization techniques such as hydraulic probe sampling, on site gas chromatograph analysis, cone penetrometer testing, and geophysical testing. Rapid sample collection techniques and on-site analytical screening tools are also used to accelerate data collection and reduce costs compared to traditional investigation techniques.
Site-Specific Standards Development
Following site characterization, the next step at a site with soil or groundwater contamination will typically be to determine the cleanup objectives. Symbiont can calculate site-specific cleanup standards that take into account the latest regulatory requirements, potential risks and liability, future site use, and costs. The use of risk-based cleanup standards can result in significant reductions in remediation costs at contaminated sites, and may even completely eliminate the need for remedial action.
Remedial Action Evaluation
When assessing remedial actions for a site, Symbiont stresses innovative solutions. This requires a thorough understanding of the available technologies, applicable regulations, and site conditions while keeping in mind the ultimate goal of economical site closure. Symbiont will consider the full range of potential treatment options as well as innovative technologies (such as surfactant injection, air sparging, active chemical oxidation, on-site soil management in Areas of Contamination and Corrective Action Management Units, and phytoremediation) to determine the most appropriate technical and economic solution for a site.
Remedial Action Design and Implementation
Symbiont has considerable experience and expertise in the design and construction of treatment systems. Our staff have designed in situ and ex-situ remediation systems to treat organic and inorganic contaminants for both soil and groundwater. We have prepared bid documents and specifications and conducted excavation and removal efforts for sites ranging in scope from petroleum contamination to hazardous waste unit closure.
Remedial System Operation, Maintenance, and Monitoring
Symbiont's capabilities include supplying personnel and services for managing and optimizing the operation of remedial systems. Remedial system operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) includes maintaining, adjusting, and calibrating equipment and instrumentation as well as properly handling and monitoring emissions and other waste streams. Only through proper OM&M can the effectiveness of a remedial system be evaluated and maximized. Symbiont also believes the most efficient way to optimize systems is to plan, perform, and document preventive maintenance, thus minimizing unscheduled work, system downtime and the need to respond to emergencies.
Site Closure
The final step in the environmental remediation process is to obtain site closure. Closure means that the agency agrees the site was cleaned up to standards protective of human health and the environment, eliminating a liability for the owner. Symbiont understands that obtaining site closure as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible is the main objective for most clients. Our investigative activities, negotiations with regulators, and remedial approaches are formulated to ultimately achieve site closure at a minimum cost and over a time frame our client and regulators feel is reasonable.
Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Modeling
Symbiont uses analytical and numerical models as tools to assist in evaluating groundwater, soil vapor, air emission, and contaminant fate and transport. As a result of the advances in computer technology and the availability of sophisticated analysis and interface programs, the trend in solutions for problems in groundwater hydraulics and contaminant migration is increasingly towards more quantitative or absolute solutions rather than qualitative or relative estimates. Models form the link between field collection of data and reliable solutions. They are useful for reconnaissance studies prior to field investigations, for evaluation of potential site-specific risks, for interpretative studies following fieldwork, and for predictive studies to evaluate the effect of remediation systems on current conditions.
