Banning Residence

THE BANNING RESIDENCE, VA PC#2003-2006N
Description of Role: Primary Environmental Consultant/Contractor
Project Team Leader(s): Andrew Alden, Jeffrey A. Fisher, Jr.
Project Cost: $34,887.00
Time Period of Project Work: October 1999 to July 2003
Client: Ms. Beverly Banning
Regulatory Agency: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
Regional Office(s): West Central

Introduction:

Environmental Engineering, Inc. (EEI) is presenting this project as an example of EEI’s ability to respond to a release from a home heating oil UST and identify, characterize, and close the petroleum complaint in a suburban setting. EEI field staff took significant precautions to prevent damage to the homeowner’s property, which included placement of plywood across the lawn and careful removal and transplant of ornamental shrubbery.
 

Scope of Work:

This petroleum release was discovered in July 2002 during the collection of soil samples in preparation for the in-place closure of a 550-gallon heating oil UST at the Banning residence in Radford, VA. One soil sample contained residual-phase heating oil exceeding the release threshold of 100 ppm. Soil staining and petroleum odors were observed in the tank pit upon excavation. EEI personnel and equipment then proceeded to excavate approximately 9 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil from the tank pit prior to backfilling. In EEI’s Site Characterization Report of December 2002, our receptor survey determined that there were no potable water supplies within a 0.25-mile radius of the release site. Due to high concentrations of residual-phase still present in the tank pit after excavation, EEI recommended an SCRA that was to include the installation of a monitoring well to identify the water table elevation and the horizontal extent of heating oil contamination.
The June 2003 SCRA included results of the monitoring well installation and additional soil samples. One monitoring well was advanced to 35 feet below grade adjacent to the UST pit; however, groundwater was not encountered at this depth. Soil data collected during boring advancement showed no heating oil contamination in the soil at the maximum depth, suggesting that groundwater impact from this release was unlikely. This pollution complaint was then recommended for closure based on the lack of potential receptors and the apparent minimal extent of the release. EEI properly abandoned the monitoring well and submitted a Site Closure letter in July of 2003.
 

Staff and Resource Involvement

Mr. Alden provided engineering oversight and project management assistance throughout this project’s term. Mr. Fisher was responsible for all aspects of project management. Mr. Rob Speiden was responsible for field management of the UST removal and soil excavation. Mr. Josh Sexton was responsible for field management of the monitoring well installation. EEI field technicians collected all field data and operated all equipment and machinery. Equipment owned and operated by EEI, which was used on this project included a Freightliner 8CY dump truck and a DeepRock hollow-stem auger rig. EEI rented a Bobcat excavator to excavate the UST due to the somewhat confined space in which the tank was located.