Owner: Shoreline School District
Services Provided
- Emergency Response
- Hazardous Materials and Contaminated Waste Management
- Industrial Hygiene
- Health and Safety Plan
- Worker Exposure Monitoring
- Soil Assessment
EHSI was contacted regarding potentially contaminated debris encountered on the subject property during the course of ongoing earthwork required for the installation of detention pipe and other site grading activities. The project required an urgent response due to construction scheduling already in progress. EHSI deployed staff immediately to collected soil samples from an open excavation, the stockpile from the excavation, and a soil test pit located across the former bus drive to the west of the excavation.
The debris appeared to consist of bottles, bricks, glass vials, drums, and other metallic items. Testing of the soil samples for a wide variety of potential contaminants confirmed concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), petroleum products, and the metals arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury were above the respective Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Method A Soil Cleanup Levels. Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) indicated that the lead and mercury in the stockpile were not leachable and therefore were not classified as a dangerous waste. The results of the initial sampling and testing indicate that a cleanup action is required under MTCA.
EHSI conducted worker health and safety awareness training for construction and excavation crews and prepared a Health and Safety Plan. Removal and disposal of the contaminated soils and debris was conducted concurrent with excavation activities required for the installation of detention pipe and other site grading activities. Excavation activities were conducted in accordance with Department of Labor and Industries Hazardous Waste Operations guidelines (Chapter 296-843 WAC).
EHSI provided on-site consulting services with regard to the excavation, segregation and disposal of the discovered debris and contaminated soil within the planned limits of construction excavation work. A work plan by EHSI was established for the sampling and analysis protocols and rationale for the subject property remediation effort.
The objectives of the site cleanup action were to: 1) to characterize waste being exported to a licensed disposal facility, 2) to evaluate post-excavation soil quality and compare the data to applicable MTCA Cleanup Levels and 3) properly and safely remove and dispose of contaminated soil and debris and document the release of petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and SVOCs to soil for future reporting to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
An EHSI Environmental Professional monitored the excavation of the contaminated soils and performed field screening of the excavated soil for segregation and disposal purposes.