Papers and Reports

An industrial manufacturer is decommissioning a plant which has been operated on leased property for 60 years. It wants to return the property to the owner with all environmental issues resolved. Decommissioning of this industrial facility required assessment, mitigation and closure for multiple chromate (and one with cadmium) release sites on the property in the context of a rigorous schedule. A continuous closure process that eliminated the iterative steps between assessment and closure was developed to facilitate the decommissioning. It required the innovation of an appropriate plan and the mutual participation of the manufacturer, the property owner, and the lead regulatory agency. The process successfully ushered five sites from site assessment through mitigation to closure in less than a year and supported the decommissioning schedule. The process was aided by the interaction between the release solutions and the soil characteristics to limit the extent of the contamination. The behavior of the contaminants was instrumental in achieving the project goals.