Remediation – Cleanup or other methods used to remove or contain a toxic spill or hazardous materials from a site. Stabilization – Conversion of the active organic matter in sludge into inert, harmless material.

Helical piles are ideal in areas of limited access, such as areas with low overhead or width restrictions.  Installation is unaffected by weather or high water table.  No vibration during installation means no damage to sensitive structures or instrumentation in the construction zone. The term Helical Piers, Screw Piles and Helical Piles are all used interchangeably.

Biosurfactants are surface-active substances synthesized by living cells. They have the properties of reducing surface tension, stabilizing emulsions, promoting foaming and are generally non-toxic and biodegradable. Biosurfactants enhance the emulsification of hydrocarbons, have the potential to solubilize hydrocarbon contaminants and increase their availability for microbial degradation. The use of chemicals for the treatment of a hydrocarbon polluted site may contaminate the environment with their by-products, whereas biosurfactant treatment may efficiently destroy pollutants, while being biodegradable themselves.

Hazardous materials are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment.
Field Testing is an experiment, research, or trial conducted under actual use conditions, instead of under controlled conditions in a laboratory.

Completely tearing down buildings, razing them to the ground and removing the debris to a landfill or waste treatment facility.

Procedures to control fiber release from asbestos-containing materials in a building or to remove them entirely, including removal, encapsulation, repair, enclosure, encasement, and operations and maintenance programs.

The term heavy metal refers to a group of toxic metals including arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, silver, and zinc. Heavy metals often are present at industrial sites at which operations have included battery recycling and metal plating.

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, is a law that addresses the safe and environmentally responsible management of hazardous waste in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which oversees RCRA compliance, defines waste as hazardous if it meets certain criteria. To qualify as hazardous or RCRA waste, a substance must first be a solid waste. It must then fit the EPA’s definition of a “listed” or “characteristic” waste. Stabilization – Conversion of the active organic matter in sludge into inert, harmless material.

In-Situ – In its original place; unmoved unexcavated; remaining at the site or in the subsurface.

Chlorinated Solvent – An organic solvent containing chlorine atoms (e.g., methylene chloride and 1,1,1-trichloromethane). Uses of chlorinated solvents are aerosol spray containers, in highway paint, and dry cleaning fluids.

Technology that oxidizes contaminants dissolved in ground water, converting them into insoluble compounds.

Soil washing is an innovative treatment technology that uses liquids (usually water, sometimes combined with chemical additives) and a mechanical process to scrub soils, removes hazardous contaminants, and concentrates the contaminants into a smaller volume. The technology is used to treat a wide range of contaminants, such as metals, gasoline, fuel oils, and pesticides. Soil washing is a relatively low-cost alternative for separating waste and minimizing volume as necessary to facilitate subsequent treatment. It is often used in combination with other treatment technologies. The technology can be brought to the site, thereby eliminating the need to transport hazardous wastes.

Soil flushing, large volumes of water, at times supplemented with treatment compounds, are applied to the soil or injected into the groundwater to raise the water table into the zone of contaminated soil. Contaminants are leached into the groundwater, and the extraction fluids are recovered from the underlying aquifer. When possible, the fluids are recycled.

Final placement or destruction of toxic, radioactive, or other wastes; surplus or banned pesticides or other chemicals; polluted soils; and drums containing hazardous materials from removal actions or accidental releases. Disposal may be accomplished through use of approved secure landfills, surface impoundments, land farming, deep-well injection, or incineration.

Unexploded ordnance (or UXOs/UXBs, sometimes acronymized as UO) are explosive weapons (bombs, bullets, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, etc.) that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded. While “UXO” is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) is the current preferred terminology within the remediation community.

USTs – used to store petroleum, are regulated in the United States to prevent release of petroleum and contamination of groundwater, they are used throughout North America at automobile filling stations and many have leaked, allowing petroleum to contaminate the soil and groundwater. Legislation requiring owners to locate, remove, upgrade, or replace underground storage tanks became effective December 24, 1989.

An environmental analysis prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act to determine whether a federal action would significantly affect the environment and thus require a more detailed environmental impact statement.
The process of determining whether contamination is present on a parcel of real property.

• Asbestos Containing Material (ACM ) Inspections, surveys and abatement
• Lead based paint inspection, sampling and abatement
• Indoor Air Quality, CO, CO2 Pollutants, mold, Radon and dust
• Industrial Hygiene Services
  • Certified Industrial Hygienist Consultant
  • Employee Exposure Monitoring
  • Health and Safety Training

Phase I & II Site Assessment Brochure

Who requests a Phase 1?

• Banks
• Insurance Companies
• Real Estate Financing Companies
• Industrial Companies
• Law Firms
• Public Institutions
• Government Agencies

Banks, lenders and financiers etc. want to ensure they do not buy property that could become listed on a state superfund list, or simply require costly remediation in the future.

Landowners want to ensure that any property they acquire is either free of contamination, or that it can be identified to determine the cost of the remediation and that cost can be factored into the selling price.

Property owners who wish to sell a property often have a Phase I conducted before they put the property on the market in order to correct any problems found, thus getting a better price.

What is a Site Assessment?

Phase I Environmental Site Assessments

Basically a site visit and document review of the surrounding area to determine if further investigation is advised from an environmental standpoint.

A typical Phase I includes:

• Inspection of subject property
• Review of pertinent records for evidence of present and historical use of subject and adjacent areas
• Interviews with current owners, occupants and local government officials
• Evaluation of information is gathered and development of a report

Phase I reports are prepared to meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) ASTM Standard E-1527-05. This standard is in accordance with the All Inquiries Rule per EPA 40 CFR 312.

Assessment reports meet the requirements for FDIC and HUD member banks.

Phase II Preliminary Contamination Assessments

• We will do a sample collection and analysis
• Typical samples collected are soil samples, building material samples to determine PCSs, asbestos and/or lead, and groundwater samples
• We will prepare a property condition report
• This report summarizes the sample results based on applicable federal and state regulations that apply.

Phase III Contamination Assessments – Remediation

• Design and implementation of the remediation of the site
• We provide all necessary reports and permits needed to achieve cleanup of the site

What is in a Phase I Report?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Summarizes all potential environmental concerns identified or disclosed to exist on a subject property or adjacent/near properties.

INTRODUCTION – Contains general information on the Purpose, Methodology, and Scope of Services for the Phase I ESA, as well as which parities granted Authorization and Access, a Definition of Subject Property Boundaries, the Warranty, and the Limitations of the Phase I ESA.

SUBJECT PROPERTY DESCRIPTION – Describes the Location, Immediate Boundaries, Dimensions, Function, Zoning, Improvements, Utilities, Topography and Drainage Patterns, Geology, and Soil Characteristics of a subject property.

ADJACENT/NEAR PROPERTIES DESCRIPTION – Describes the land use of properties immediately adjacent to and/or near the subject property to a distance at which potential environmental concerns on those properties will no longer represent a concern to the subject property.

HISTORICAL RESEARCH – Includes the reviews of historical information sources such as topographic maps, aerial photographs, city directories, fire insurance maps, and chain-of-title summaries in an effort to determine all past land uses of a subject property and adjacent properties.

· REGULATORY AGENCIES RESEARCH – Lists the reviewed regulatory agency databases and summarizes the sites which are potential environmental concerns to the subject property.

INTERVIEWS AND OTHER INFORMATION – Presents information on a subject property or adjacent properties disclosed through persons knowledgeable about those properties, as well as other information including radon gas concentrations and wetlands status.

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS – Summarizes the available information on potential environmental concerns identified or disclosed to exist on a subject property or adjacent/near properties.

OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS – Presents the significant environmental concerns associated with a subject property or adjacent/near properties, and recommends what steps should be taken to address those concerns.

APPENDICES – Includes copies of reproducible information sources reviewed during the Phase I ESA, as well as an area vicinity map and a site diagram detailing any potential environmental concerns.

What makes our service unique?

• Great working relationship with EPA
• Approves of ChemTrack’s new technology for “rapid and complete destruction of contaminants” including fuels, solvents, and metals.
• Quick turnaround time on Site Assessments
• We understand time is money
• Flexible payment options.  For example, we can work with you to wait until closing for payment

An in-depth study designed to gather data needed to determine the nature and ex- tent of contamination at a Superfund site; establish site cleanup criteria; identify preliminary alternatives for remedial action; and support technical and cost analyses of alternatives. The remedial investigation is usually done with the feasibility study. Together they are usually referred to as the “RI/FS”.

A Geoprobe is a hydraulically powered direct-push soil probing unit that collects soil core samples.  This system is effective in frozen soil, permafrost and tough clay conditions as well. 

Pigging in the maintenance of pipelines refers to the practice of using pipeline inspection gauges or ‘pigs’ to perform various operations on a pipeline without stopping the flow of the product in the pipeline. These operations include but are not limited to cleaning and inspection of the pipeline.

Small-scale tests of methods and procedures to be used on a larger scale if the pilot study demonstrates that these methods and procedures can work.

An authorization, license, or equivalent control document issued by EPA or an approved state agency to implement the requirements of an environmental regulation; e.g. a permit to operate a wastewater treatment plant or to operate a facility that may generate harmful emissions.

Analysis of the practicability of a proposal; e.g., a description and analysis of potential cleanup alternatives for a site such as one on the National Priorities List. The feasibility study usually recommends selection of a cost-effective alternative. It usually starts as soon as the remedial investigation is underway; together, they are commonly referred to as the “RI/FS”.

ChemTrack was awarded an Emergency response Basic Ordering Agreement (BOAs) with the Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard (USCG)in April of 2012. This award allows us to provide for the containment cleanup and/or to mitigate the harmful effects of oil spills and hazardous substance incidents all over the State of Alaska.