Are all Site Investigations created equal?

That is a question best asked to a number of our clients.  One such client who hired us to do a Peer Review of one of its properties was being told, by its then current consultant, that an estimated $9M groundwater pump and treat system was going to be necessary to address impacted groundwater.  Upon The Dragun Corporation’s review, it was determined that the site investigation had improperly characterized the property.  In short, following implementation of a revised site investigation, the client only spent about 15% of the proposed groundwater pump and treat system budget, never pumped a drop of groundwater, and received an approved remedial action plan from the State regulators.

The site investigation is the backbone of understanding site conditions and defending any remedial action plan, especially one that is proposing no further action.  Preparation of proper and appropriate investigative scopes of work is the result of experience and education.  It is not an “off-the-shelf” product.  Each site investigation is different based on the site and the goals of the project.  Where, how, and why to look somewhere in the subsurface and more importantly, depending upon the goal of the investigation, where not to look are key factors in preparing a scope of work.

Case and point above, we are often asked to peer review projects that are “in progress” with other consultants.  While this may seem easy and straight forward, it is not.  We always look beyond the results of testing and start with the original scope of work for the site investigation.  If there are errors in the site investigation scope, such as inappropriate sampling locations, improper monitor well installation and depths, to name but a couple, the results are also likely flawed.

Further, all too often we are asked to prepare cost estimates for site investigation scopes of work that have been prepared by other consultants.  While we can do this, we prefer not to.  Why, one might ask.  First, the mere fact that someone asks us to perform this task indicates that the requestor considers preparation of the scope of work a commodity.  That is, given the underlying site information and project goal, our scope of work would be the same as that of the original preparer.  As previously discussed, nothing could be further from the truth.   

Prior to The Dragun Corporation’s involvement, the estimated budget to complete the remediation was $9,000,000.  The Dragun Corporation completed the project for $1,350,000!

So, are all site investigations created equal?  No.

Jeffrey A. Bolin, M.S., CHMM, is the Vice President of Technical Operations and the Manager of the Corrective Action and Remediation Group.  Jeff has over 23 years experience in environmental project management and consulting with attorneys, bankers, and industrial clients; he has been with The Dragun Corporation for over 15 years.  Jeff has conducted and overseen hundreds of real estate assessments of industrial manufacturing and processing facilities, commercial real estate, tool and die shops, robotic facilities, fertilizer storage and manufacturing, and fuel storage facilities in several states, Canadian Provinces, and traveled to France to oversee a transaction for an industrial client.

Jeff conducts environmental assessments and assesses facility compliance under the Toxic Substance and Control Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Clean Water Act, and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) emergency planning and notification requirements, and Clean Air Act.  Additionally, he routinely assists clients in complex site closures that involve negotiations with the USEPA and state and local regulatory agencies.

For additional information, contact Jeff Bolin at jbolin@dragun.com.

 Dragun Corporation^© 2007

[Home]