Gasoline Discovered During

Foundation Blasting

Subfloor Ventilation, Bioventing,

and Free Product Recovery System

Remtech Vapor Collection & Treatment System

Remtech Groundwater Treatment System

Completed Publishing Facility

GASOLINE CLEANUP IN FRACTURED ROCK UNDER BUILDING

Project Owner: Major News Publication Facility

Location: Athens, Georgia

Contract Value: $270,000

Construction on this project was stopped by the State Fire Marshall for four (4) months on $16,000,000 building when gasoline was discovered on site during foundation blasting operations near elevator shafts.Three feet of gasoline was documented in monitoring wells under the foot print of the 70,000 sf building in fractured granite schist bedrock. Remtech prepared and implemented a remedial plan to reinstate building permits.

Initial estimates of gasoline exceeded 250,000 gallons. Remtech demonstrated that gasoline was only located in cracks and not uniformly across the entire site. Pump tests showed that hydraulic connectivity could be established between fractures facilitating gasoline extraction. Free product recovery rates rapidly diminished with increased groundwater pumping volumes.

Remtech mobilized portable treatment equipment consisting of an oil/water separator, twin stripping towers, and diffused air stripper. Recovery wells were installed with rotary percussion drilling equipment and the majority of free product was extracted during a two month period prior to building construction. Free product recovery and biovent wells were installed under the building floor and elevator shafts. A subfloor vapor ventilation system consisting of a network of slotted pipe was installed in gravel beneath a vapor membrane under the entire structure.

Remtech traced the source to an underground storage tank pit that coincidently was located under the contractors construction trailer. Building construction and occupancy permits were issued based on Remtechs engineering report documenting that the source had been located and eliminated, free product recovery systems were inplace, and vapors were controlled to less than 10 percent of the Lower Explosive Limit.

Treatment systems were operated for a period of two years when monitoring demonstrated that free product had been removed. No vapor or odors were observed in the building during the remediation period.

Treatment System Installed Under Building

Subfloor Ventilation System