Emergency & Disaster Response Incident

Introduction

Highlands Environmental Solutions, Inc. (HES) was retained by a major mining and aggregate production company to perform a Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment on a property parcel as part of an acquisition. The property was formerly utilized for industrial purposes, with a historic use as a fertilizer production facility dating to the mid-1800s. Potential contaminant issues included: Fertilizer chemicals (nitrates, nitrites, etc.), ammonia, pesticides, and heavy metals. HES reviewed historical documents to identify areas of potential environmental concern on the property and utilized rapid assessment techniques to thoroughly assess the environmental condition of the property within a short due diligence period.

Overview

HES was able to not only delineate the areas of contaminated media but was able to utilize site development data to develop a remediation strategy to excavate and manage contaminated soil within the proposed areas of construction. Furthermore, HES worked closely with the client’s in-house attorneys to enter the site into the state voluntary remediation program (i.e. state Brownfields program), under a bona fide prospective purchaser agreement. HES’ level of detail with regards to site assessment will allow limited disturbance of contaminated areas during construction, which has resulted in an estimated cost savings of more than $300,000 during construction.