Read on to learn more about EWMI’s remediation approach and how our team prepares for success, handles challenges on the job site and communicates openly with stakeholders during projects.

EWMI’s Remediation Challenge: Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Soil Mixtures

Before the landfill could be expanded, an excavation of hazardous K087 waste and non-hazardous soil was necessary. There was a mixture of soil and hazardous waste, which could be visually delineated from the soil.

Prior to beginning the remediation, the EWMI remediation team pre-characterized the site, gridding out the excavation area and taking over 100 GeoProbe samples, which were sent to disposal facilities for testing and approval.

This preparation allowed the EWMI Remediation team to plan how the site would be delineated and allowed adherence to a strict schedule while avoiding downtime once heavy equipment was mobilized.

EWMI’s Service-Oriented Solution

The samples were approved by an international facility, one of the only facilities in North America that could handle the high volume of hazardous waste. EWMI had already worked with the highly-vetted facility in previous projects, which streamlined the approval process.

EWMI’s Remediation team managed every aspect of the approval and transportation process, managing the import / export permits, customs invoices for material tracking, manifests, paperwork and weight tickets – simplifying the project for the customer while utilizing the best-matched disposal facility for the waste.

The EWMI Remediation team faced a significant challenge as the excavation progressed. The engineer’s figures had estimated that about 7,000 tons of hazardous waste needed to be removed, transported and disposed of. Once the EWMI Remediation team began digging, they discovered that 18,000 tons of hazardous waste needed to be removed from the site, with little flexibility to the schedule, and accepted by the same international facility.

Close, clear communication between the EWMI Remediation team, site owner, design engineer and QA/QC team allowed EWMI to accurately forecast the necessary changes.

The project was successfully completed in 2019, allowing the landfill to expand safely.

The post Overcoming Remediation Obstacles with EWMI appeared first on EWMI.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) sets the standard for Hazardous Materials Teams that provide emergency services to counties within the State. As Carbon County’s Hazmat Team, Rapid Response / EWMI undergo the recertification process once every four years. The PEMA recertification process involves a full scale, level A hazmat exercise.

The exercise is evaluated by representatives of several State agencies including PEMA, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, the PA Department of Health and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. The exercise is also witnessed by the Carbon County EMA Director (CCEMA).

We sat down with Ryan Shelly, RRI’s Response Manager, to learn more about the exercise and the PEMA recertification process.

RRI Hazmat Exercise: Background

In the exercise, a local water authority representative heard a hissing sound coming from a building containing two chlorine cylinders during a routine inspection. The worker, who was positioned upwind and could not smell anything, stopped before entering the building and called 911 to report the possible release of chlorine. “Hopefully this is the way that the worker would respond to this type of situation in the real world,” said Shelly. “After 911 was called, RRI was dispatched to the scene for potential chlorine gas leak.”

RRI Hazmat Team Arrives

Once on the scene, the Hazmat Branch Director met with the Incident Commander (played by a member of CCEMA) and the water authority worker to learn more about the situation. “There is an interview process associated with every hazmat response,” said Shelly. “We need to obtain as much information about the incident as we can. We spoke to the worker to determine the layout of the room, including where and how the cylinders were stored, what other chemicals were present in the room, and any other pertinent information. We then created a map that was presented to the Entry Team to ensure an efficient response to the leak.”

As information on the scene is gathered, roles are assigned to team members. These positions fall into the chain of command structure outlined by the National Incident Management System (NIMS). They include the Hazmat Branch Director, Hazmat Safety Officer, Entry Unit Leader, Decontamination Unit Leader, Medical/Rehab Unit Leader and a Technical Specialist.  Each member of the team played an important role in RRI’s response.

The Technical Specialist worked with the Safety Officer to determine the proper response and decontamination methodology. “Together, the team researched multiple sources and reference material on the chemical to figure out the best possible response,” recalled Shelly. “Their findings, along with site conditions including weather and other factors, enable them to make informed decisions on PPE selection, evacuation and isolation considerations, and decontamination methods. They needed to research a minimum of three sources backing their decisions.”

RRI Hazmat Team Enters

Once the Entry Team was fully briefed of the situation and the Decontamination Unit was ready, the team suited up in fully-encapsulating level A hazmat suits and entered the building. A small label that was hidden on one of the chlorine tanks indicated where the leak was located. This forced the team to search for the leak just as they would in a real incident. Based on the location of the leak, the Team determined the best device from the Chlorine ‘A’ Kit. Once the Team successfully stopped the leak and ventilated the room, the crew performed air monitoring and determined all was clear.  The Team then proceeded to the Contamination Reduction Zone (CRZ) to be decontaminated by staff outfitted in Level B PPE. 

RRI Hazmat Passes the Evaluation

At the end of the exercise, the State Evaluation Team met with RRI Senior Leadership to discuss their assessment. “We were told that we performed at a very high level and that PEMA would be recertifying us for another four years,” said Shelly. “It was great to hear all of the positive feedback from all four State Agencies. It really gives the team a sense of pride. We have a great group of guys and everyone involved deserves praise.”

EWMI and RRI are proud of the teamwork, organization, and preparedness that went into making the recertification a success!

The post RRI Successfully Completes PEMA Recertification appeared first on EWMI.

What was the Situation?

In 2014, the brewery contacted EWMI’s sister company, Rapid Response, Inc. (RRI), to handle an ingredient spill. The brewery was so impressed with RRI’s efficiency and professionalism that they decided to utilize EWMI for future environmental management needs, including regularly scheduled transportation and disposal of waste.

Since then, EWMI has handled monthly drum, universal waste and tote pickup for the brewery. While most of the waste is similarly classified, the client occasionally has one-off waste items such as old equipment that needs to be disposed of. EWMI provides creative and cost-effective solutions for disposing of this waste, allowing the client to handoff the waste and focus on their business.

With an eye on sustainability, EWMI found a beneficial reuse outlet for disposing of the client’s diatomaceous earth and purees from the production of fruit-based beverages – helping to save the company money while avoiding landfills and the time-cost associated with waste reporting. The material goes to a local farm for composting.

As a truly full-service environmental management partner, EWMI provides lab pack, emergency response and industrial services in addition to monthly waste transportation and disposal for the client.

In addition to providing these services, EWMI has also collaborated with the client’s state-certified safety committee in joint meetings, helping to identify potential safety innovations and improvements.

What Benefits did EWMI Provide?

EWMI is not a disposal facility – and that’s a good thing. We can find sustainable, highly-vetted disposal outlets to meet the specific needs of each of our clients. In the case of this East Coast brewer, EWMI provided the following value-added services:

• Strong, diverse disposal options for unique waste streams, saving the client time and money,
• Safe transportation and disposal that’s always on time and on budget, and,
• Full-service environmental management partnership

Are you looking for ways to avoid landfills and promote sustainability in your company? Contact EWMI to see what new disposal outlets we can find for your company.

The post Brewing Positive Change with Beneficial Reuse appeared first on EWMI.

Read on to see how EWMI’s varied service lines helped alleviate tension in a highly complex remediation project.

The Challenge: Highly Complex Remediation

A former dry-cleaning facility in Newport Beach, California, required remediation of soil contaminated with Tetrachloroethylene, a fluid used in the industry. The dry-cleaning facility was located within a bustling, active strip mall, meaning that the soil needed to be remediated while allowing nearby businesses to remain open. 

EWMI created a critical mobilization plan for the project and set to work on the highly complex project.

The Solution: A Full-Service Environmental Management Partner

EWMI’s team worked flexibly to ensure that other businesses in the strip mall would remain unaffected by the remediation project. The first phase of the project was performed in the evening to limit public exposure.

Our Field team arrived on site, broke the concrete floors of the former dry cleaner and removed concrete to eliminate noise and vibration on the site. Once the soil below the floor was exposed, remediation began inside the shopfront.

Using compact mini-excavators and small motorized wheel barrows, EWMI excavated eight feet below the shop floor, loaded the soil and moved the dirt into a skid steel, which transferred the soil in staged roll-offs.

EWMI was highly adaptable during this stage of the project. When contaminant level testing indicated that the team needed to dig deeper, the team worked on holidays and weekends to complete the necessary tasks. In addition, the team had to dig around gas lines and a manifold to ensure that other stores could continue operating throughout the project lifecycle.

The team then performed slot excavation by backfilling the pit incrementally with flowable fill. This precise and complex task was critical for maintaining building integrity. EWMI also assisted the job’s environmental consultant in laying conveyance lines and placing concrete footings in the storefront.

Once the soil below the former dry cleaner was excavated and remediated, and replaced with a new concrete floor, the shopfront was turned over to the new owners – good as new and ready to operate with a new life.

Remediation Across the Nation

EWMI brought countless value-added benefits to this project and provided best-in-class service to the highly complex remediation project. No matter where your project is, no matter what service it requires, EWMI can help your team create the strongest and safest outcome during your next environmental management job.

The post Highly Complex Remediation Meets its Match appeared first on EWMI.

This year, the EWMI team capped an impacted soil site in Delaware. Read on to learn about the expertise and value-added benefits that EWMI brought to the job.

The Challenge: Contaminated Soil

Chemical wood treatment at a former lumber yard had contaminated soils over 46,000 square feet of wooded land. The soil was contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH), arsenic and hexavalent chrome and required quick and safe remediation.

The client chose EWMI for our cost-competitive bid, expertise in the soil remediation industry and ability to complete the job in less than one month.

The Solution: Turnkey Soil Remediation Solutions

Well-versed in the details of soil remediation projects, EWMI came on site and got to work. After clearing and grubbing the wooded area, our demolition team took down a large pole barn in the middle of the site. EWMI handled all these tasks on-time and on-budget before beginning excavation and capping.

After the land was safely cleared, the EWMI team targeted contaminated hotspots, then excavated and relocated over 900 tons of the contaminated soil to the consolidation area to be capped with existing impacted soils.

Once the soil was consolidated, EWMI and a licensed capping contractor covered the land with drainage composite and geosynthetic clay. EWMI then transported over 6,000 tons of clean soil from a neighboring property to provide the required 24-inch cover soil. 

The capped area will be used as green space for future generations.

Soil Remediation with Ease

EWMI was selected for this remediation job for the following reasons:

• Our turnkey services allowed EWMI to self-perform all the tasks on the jobsite (excluding liner installation) simplifying project management for the client.
• EWMI provided a cost-competitive bid that benefitted the client’s bottom line.
• With safety as a core value, the EWMI team worked 1,363 hours without any incident on the jobsite.

EWMI makes any environmental management job easy – whether it’s soil remediation, disposal of metal powders or restoring a wetland, our team takes your complex problems and makes them simple.

The post Simple, Safe Soil Remediation with EWMI appeared first on EWMI.

Read on to learn more about how EWMI can make you money by finding the best beneficial reuse outlets for your waste.

The Challenge: Disposing of Metal Powders

In 2018, a manufacturer needed to dispose of 525 drums of various metal powders, including copper, cobalt and boron. They contacted several disposal facilities and received a quote for incineration totaling $700,000. 

Disposal of metal powders is notoriously difficult — burning at extremely high temperatures, they are expensive to incinerate, and the potential for landfill fires eliminates traditional disposal options. The client needed an environmental management partner that could think outside the box, so they turned to the experts in beneficial reuse — EWMI. 

The Solution: EWMI’s Recycling Recommendation 

The company contacted EWMI to research potential outlets for disposal of metal powders. The EWMI team tapped into our wide network of disposal and beneficial reuse facilities and found a metals recycler that wanted the metal powders — and was willing to pay for them.

After locating the perfect home for the metal powder waste, the EWMI team loaded the metal powder drums into tractor trailers, completed manifest paperwork and transported the waste to the beneficial reuse facility. 

The metals recycler provided EWMI with credit for the materials, which EWMI transferred to the client — making the client money instead of costing them money.

Benefitting the Client, Benefitting the Earth

Many waste disposal facilities bid on this job, but EWMI was selected because we could provide the following benefits:

• Saved client approximately $700,000 by avoiding incineration,
• Saved the client time by avoiding hazardous waste reporting paperwork,
• Mitigated pollution and promoted sustainability by recycling rather than incinerating materials, and,
• Provided the client with money at the end of the job.

EWMI isn’t a disposal facility – we’re a full-service environmental management partner. We can find the perfect match for any client’s waste, no matter how complicated or difficult the disposal may be. If you have a challenging waste stream or disposal project, reach out to the experts in the field, EWMI.

The post Beneficial Reuse Pays with EWMI appeared first on EWMI.

Environmental Waste Minimization, Inc., is well-versed in the complexity of wetland restoration jobs, and will take project management and logistics off your plate – allowing you to relax and take a vacation from your wetland restoration.

Read on to learn more about how EWMI can make your wetland restoration project a breeze.

What was the Situation?

In 2017, a former chemical manufacturing company required remediation efforts including excavation in a creek and flood plains and wetlands restoration. An organic binding pesticide had spread across several acres of the site, migrating off site through a nearby creek.

Prior to beginning the surgical excavation, EWMI cleared about 15 acres of land for large equipment and constructed stabilized across roads to traverse the soft terrain on site. The stream was too large to install a bypass system, so EWMI constructed coffer dams to temporarily divert the water, drying out cells and allowing access the impacted creek bed.

Once the cells were dammed, EWMI removed impacted sediment, performed excavation and backfilled the cells, removed the coffer dams, and moved on to the next area. EWMI performed these tasks within the creek bed, along with the adjacent floodplain and wetland areas, and hauled impacted sediment to impoundment area two miles away.

The team then worked with an engineer to determine the seed mix and required plantings to restore the wetland areas.

What Benefits Did EWMI Provide?

Several environmental management companies bid for the job, but EWMI was selected because we were able to provide the following benefits:

• Safety as a core company value allowed 28,250 manhours of work with zero injuries or incidents,
• A cost-competitive bid that put the client’s needs first, and,
• Comfort with the extremely technical and detailed scope of work involved with the project.

The next time your company is facing a wetland remediation project, do you want it to be complicated, or do you want it to be a breeze? Reach out to EWMI, your full-service environmental management partner. No matter how complex your goals may be, our team will meet them efficiently, safely and at a competitive cost.

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