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| Innovative Remediation Strategy - Passive Approach Saved Time and Money Sometimes, letting Mother Nature pitch in on a remediation project can be the most cost-effective strategy for restoring environmental quality. This was shown to be the case at an industrial facility located in South Carolina’s Piedmont region. This site faced complex environmental problems resulting from previous waste disposal practices. Evaluation of groundwater underlying the site revealed a multi-lobe plume of VOCs that extended over 2,000 feet. Subsurface soils held significant concentrations of VOCs, primarily perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). Surface water draining the property showed evidence of vinyl chloride at levels above Federal Drinking Water Standards. The regulatory, technical, financial and health challenges posed by the chlorinated solvents at this site were daunting. Using conventional remediation technologies, such as groundwater pump-and-treat, the client realized that remedy implementation could take 10 to 15 years to complete at a cost in excess of $5 to 7 million. RMT was able to identify remedial options that made better use of the site’s unique conditions and features, and that facilitated natural attenuation of the observed contaminants. RMT had previously observed that vinyl chloride was being discharged to an on-site creek downstream of the facility’s wastewater treatment facility. Recognizing that site microbes were converting PCE/TCE into vinyl chloride through an anaerobic pathway, RMT suggested using an innovative, in situ treatment strategy. This would combine a variety of physical and chemical treatment processes to enhance "natural attenuation" by facilitating both aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation pathways to degrade the chlorinated solvents. This more passive approach to site remediation allowed facility operations to continue during the remediation process and minimized the cost of the overall effort. By integrating source control measures, identifying contaminant transport pathways, removing potential receptors, and implementing active groundwater treatment measures, RMT successfully teamed up with nature to take full advantage of naturally occurring ecological processes. This enabled us to achieve the client’s remedial objectives within a defined budget. Key processes and techniques utilized by RMT during this project included:
Environmental Management Systems - An Integral Part of Business It’s no secret that environmental management systems (EMS) can provide unique benefits for companies. What is becoming clearer every year is that an EMS is most effective when it’s developed strategically, rather than reactively, and implemented as an integrated part of an overall business plan. Environmental Since EMS first became formalized, researchers have studied the effects. Some argued that companies located in areas where regulations were strict would gain a competitive edge over those in areas where regulations were weak. Being forced to innovate in response to environmental regulations would yield advantages, it was argued, a world where creativity and innovation are ever more crucial. Some predicted that advantages would be gained in greater efficiency, less waste, broader social approval, and ultimately, better performance. The predictions proved true when companies found correlation between environmental compliance and financial success as measured by stock performance. Companies save money through improving operations and reducing waste. They also found significant benefits in avoiding penalties, reducing litigation risks, decreasing liability insurance rates, and increasing public good will and shareholder value. Implementation is Key
Such an EMS ought to be an integral part of the business from initial planning through year-end accounting. In many companies where this has been accomplished, the responsibility for environmental management has migrated from the maintenance level upward to the corporate management level. In such organizations, you might now find a V.P. of Environmental Health and Safety, whose position was created only recently, but who has growing responsibilities. As these companies progress, environmental performance will be integrated into everyone’s job requirements. A fully integrated EMS can help serve the purpose of gaining ISO 14001 certification, which is an increasingly important requirement, according to Michael Bacon, National Director of Environmental Management Services at RMT. "One of RMT’s services is assisting companies with the development of environmental management systems," says Bacon. "And, of all the EMS work that RMT will do in the near future, 80 percent will involve ISO 14001." Six Figure Savings chlorofluorocarbons, saving over $150,000 a year. By reducing its waste stream, particularly in packaging, the company saved another $1 million annually. Similarly, a major oil and gas supplier eliminated a phosphate pretreatment plant for wastewater, at an annual savings of $100,000. They saved another $1 million per year by converting from silk-screen labels to vinyl decals. In another case, an oil drilling company made process improvements in order to lessen its environmental impacts. The resulting cost reductions also led to new revenue, when they patented the new process and sold it to other companies. None of these activities would have been identified as high priority under a reactive environmental compliance system. But these types of efforts are easily highlighted when environmental aspects are identified using the strategic goals of the company as a backdrop. The bottom line lesson from these stories . . . which literally does involve the bottom line . . . cannot be overemphasized. Along with all the other tools at your disposal, a strategically integrated EMS can give you a real boost in surpassing both your environmental and financial goals.
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