TCE Impacted Soil Remediation, Western New York
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
- Demolition and removal of 20 tons of impacted concrete floor
- Excavation and management of 100 tons of hazardous TCE soil and 200 tons of non-hazardous soil
- Management of impacted groundwater
- Restoration of the concrete floor
This site is an active manufacturing facility located in Western New York that required removal of a section of concrete flooring, excavation of contaminated soils, and restoration of the concrete floor after the impacted soil was removed.
Cleaning agents containing trichloroethylene (TCE) were previously used within the building. The TCE impacts that required removal were isolated to an 800-square-foot area in the center of the manufacturing plant under a concrete slab. Severe space restrictions limited availability of equipment, access, and methods that could be utilized. It was necessary for the plant to maintain operations during the remediation project, therefore the remediation could only occur during second shift.
A polyethylene enclosure was erected around the excavation area and a venting system leading to the exterior of the plant was installed to reduce fumes from the equipment. The subsurface soil below the slab required removal to a depth of twelve feet below grade, followed by placement of backfill and concrete restoration.
The remedial activities included the use of a slide rail shoring system, collection and management of groundwater, and segregation and management of hazardous and nonhazardous soils. SES saw-cut the concrete around the perimeter of the impacted area. The concrete was demolished into manageable pieces utilizing a hydraulic breaker on an excavator. The concrete and soils were then loaded into permitted vehicles and transported off-site via non-hazardous and hazardous waste manifests to an approved facility. Groundwater was pumped from the excavation and staged in a 20,000 gallon tank. The water was determined to be non-hazardous waste and was transported off-site.
Clean stone was imported and placed in the excavated area in one-foot lifts and compacted with a remote vibratory plate tamper. Once the backfilling activities were complete, SES restored the concrete slab.
