The Site Assessment, Monitoring & Compliance division (Site Assessment) of HP Environmental provides environmental due diligence services starting with Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESAs) and proceeding through Phase II ESAs and on to soil and groundwater remediation work on a site by site basis.
Site Assessment activities include the completion of regulatory compliance audits, subsurface investigations, petroleum storage tank services, Voluntary Cleanup programs, litigation support and expert witness testimony, and design and implementation of soil and groundwater remediation efforts.
Site Assessment staff at HPE have over 40 years of consulting experience and a proven track record with clients and regulatory agencies for developing cost- and time-effective investigations and remediation to solve significant environmental contamination issues. For more information, explore our detailed service descriptions and project summaries below.
Former Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Phase I and II ESAs for a 66-acre parcel to be transferred from U.S. Army to local government under Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Program. Phase II was undertaken to assess the extent and severity of historical contamination including PCBs, pesticides and herbicides, volatile organic compounds and petroleum hydrocarbons. Included assessment of potential environmental costs that may be incurred during the planned redevelopment of the property. HPE continues to support the ongoing redevelopment project with storage tank assessment and removal, stormwater management monitoring, regulatory compliance oversight of government contractors and contaminated soil and groundwater management and remediation.
Former Exxon Station
HPE completed Phase I and II ESAs of a former Exxon gasoline station. The results of the investigations were used to design a contaminated soil removal plan as well as the design and installation of a vapor intrusion membrane system to protect the residential condominium building being constructed at the site.
Petroleum Storage Tank Compliance Audit
HPE provided staff to complete regulatory compliance audits for 172 petroleum storage tanks spread across a client’s portfolio of 72 buildings. The audit was used to assess the regulatory compliance of each individual tank, each building’s SPCC Plan, and to provide the client with a long-term tank management plan to address future budget and planning needs.
Heating Oil Release Assessment and Remediation
HPE has been retained by a regional fuel oil supply company to provide for the assessment and, if necessary, remediation of fuel oil releases that have occurred as a result of spills during deliveries or as a result of tank failures. In each case HPE has assisted the client in negotiations with the local regulatory agency as well as the affected property owner.
Dry Cleaner Voluntary Cleanup Programs
HPE has been taking on retail shopping center properties through the Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program. Work has included completion of comprehensive site assessments, design of groundwater remediation programs, and the injection of chemical reagents to break down the chlorinated solvents documented in shallow groundwater beneath the sites.
Pre-Lease Phase I ESA
HPE completed an ASTM and AAI compliant Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of a retail tenant space in order to allow the completion of a long-term lease between a tenant and the property owner. The Phase I ESA was completed in less than one-week to expedite the process.
Underground Storage Tank Removal
HPE provided for the closure of a 15,000-gallon capacity heating oil UST at a multi-family residential property. The UST was closed as a result of a boiler conversion to allow the site to use natural gas for heat and hot water generation. HPE coordinated all aspects for the project including permitting, regulatory inspections, tank removal, and regulatory reporting.
HPE staff have performed over a thousand Phase I ESA and several hundred Phase II ESAs in full compliance with applicable ASTM standards. Properties assessed under these standards have included single- and multi-family residential use, commercial warehouses, flex use, high-rise office, industrial, and government owned parcels.
HPE’s clients often require regulatory compliance audits for both tenant and corporate properties to assess the regulatory compliance of particular property uses. HPE provides these compliance audits for petroleum storage tank facilities, automotive repair and painting, industrial uses, and dry cleaners, to name a few. The audits include a thorough inspection of the site; interviews with tenants or operators, review of local regulatory agency records, and review of applicable local state and federal regulations.
HPE has taken several properties through the various voluntary cleanup programs in the Washington D.C. area. These voluntary cleanup sites have included both dry cleaners and petroleum impacted sites. In all cases the properties have achieved closure from the applicable regulatory agency.
HPE provides its clients with regularly scheduled assessments of petroleum storage facilities to demonstrate their regulatory compliance. These assessments often include testing and inspections as required by state and local regulations. HPE acts as an agent for the property owner in presentation of testing data and reports to the regulatory agencies as well as during negotiations with the regulators as needed.
HPE contracts for tank removal, replacement, and upgrade services to provide clients with state of the art petroleum storage facilities protective of both the environment and client liabilities.
HPE staff have performed hundreds of soil and groundwater investigations to assess the extent and severity of soil and groundwater contamination resulting from releases of regulated substances to the environment. Based on the results of the investigations remediation is often required to meet regulatory requirements and HPE is equally adept at designing, installing, and operating various soil and groundwater remediation systems to achieve regulatory endpoints and gain No Further Action status for sites.
Field staff can be provided to work hand in hand with site development contractors to delineate clean from contaminated soil during mass excavation of sites. Our staff have thousands of hours working on construction sites alongside excavators directing the proper designation and handling of petroleum impacted soil. The construction sites have ranged from small ¼-acre in-fill developments to the City Center DC site which, at the time, was the largest urban development project in the United States.
HPE can assist in the acquisition of environmental permits related to groundwater remediation, storm water management, industrial wastewater discharge, and underground injection.
HPE staff have provided litigation support and expert witness testimony in cases involving USTs, petroleum contamination, hazardous waste management, disposal, and remediation, as well as TSCA, CERCLA, and RCRA regulations.
