SCS Engineers, a national environmental consulting firm, reports that 90 percent of the remedial investigation and feasibility study has been completed for a 12.6-acre proposed redevelopment site located on Pier B Street in Long Beach, Calif.
The property was once used to treat, store and transfer lumber arriving by ship and rail. A number of substances used to treat the wood were detected at the site, including pentachlorophenol, creosote, chromated zinc chloride, ammoniacal copper arsenate and ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate.
To facilitate a recent real estate transaction and redevelop the property as a combination aggregate off-loading and storage facility and concrete batch plant, the site needed a fast-track investigation and remediation. SCS Engineers was initially hired in 2006 by the previous property owner to conduct due diligence investigations prior to site acquisition. SCS Engineers took the existing data, conducted a screening level health risk assessment, evaluated remedial alternatives and produced a remedial investigation/feasibility study report for the California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control.
The report, in conjunction with a cone penetrometer study and the installation and sampling of groundwater monitoring wells, was used to further define site stratigraphy, detect any non-aqueous phase liquids and map the areal distribution of chemicals of potential concern in groundwater.
The information from these studies was combined with the proposed development plans to prepare an AB 389 Agreement with DTSC. The AB 389 Agreement, otherwise known as the California Land Use and Revitalization Act of 2004, encourages redevelopment of urban brownfields by limiting liability of prospective purchasers for past contamination. This effort has clarified the scope and costs of site remediation and therefore facilitated the recent real estate transaction and proposed development.
Kevin Green served as project director for SCS Engineers, with Ken Lister as the project manager. Other team members providing expertise for the project include Paul Damian for health risk assessment, Lenard Long for remedial design and construction and Jeff Sieg for field investigation.
Source: SCS Engineers
