Project:
Former Solder Manufacturing Facility
Bottom Line: Designed, installed, and operated a 650-scfm SVE system that removed 1,000 lbs. of VOC mass in 18 months to achieve soil closure.
Summary of Project
The 22,000-square-foot facility formerly manufactured solder alloys and fluxes from 1968 to 2002. Facility operations also included the mixing and repackaging of industrial solvents, primarily PCE and alcohols. The facility stored hazardous materials in containers, ASTs, and four USTs. The onsite building included a manufacturing area, offices, warehouse, shipping and receiving room, laboratory, and chemical mixing and storage room. Site investigations indicated the presence of chlorinated solvents and alcohols in soil and groundwater.
- Designed and implemented a post-facility closure phased soil investigation to evaluate releases at potential source areas and assess the vertical and lateral extent of soil impacted by potential chemicals of concern including solvents, metals, and alcohols. The phased investigation program consisted of 29 soil borings, 5 Hydropunches, and 18 vapor monitoring wells and more than 300 soil, soil vapor, and groundwater samples analyzed for VOCs, metals, and alcohols.
- Evaluated technologies for remediation of soil impacted by chlorinated solvents and alcohols including SVE with offgas treatment using granular activated carbon, thermal oxidizer, or a wet scrubber, onsite condensation and regeneration system, and electron-beam destruction technology.
- Prepared a soil remedial action plan and bid documents and specifications for the installation of an SVE system consisting of 13 single and dual-nested vapor extraction wells and a 650-scfm thermal oxidizer with a hydrochloric acid scrubber.
- Prepared, submitted, and received approval for a site-specific permit to construct/operate an SVE system from the SCAQMD.
- Prepared, submitted, and received approval for a special purposes discharge permit from the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) for the discharge of brine water generated by the hydrochloric acid scrubber.
- Evaluated contractor bids for the construction and installation of the SVE system.
- Operated and maintained a thermal oxidizer treating 650-scfm with a hydrochloric acid scrubber and reverse-osmosis deionized water system. Optimized the SVE system to remove 1,000 pounds of VOCs and decreased site-wide soil vapor concentrations from a high of 51,000 µg/l of PCE to less than 60 µg/l in 18 months.
- Prepared and implemented the scope of work for a confirmation soil sampling and vapor intrusion assessment work plan which included a human health risk assessment and resulted in the issuance of a “No Further Action” letter for onsite soil from the Santa Ana RWQCB.
- Developed, prepared, and implemented the scope of work for an offsite vapor intrusion assessment work plan which included the installation of multi-nested soil vapor monitoring wells and the performance of a human health risk assessment evaluation using site-specific soil physical properties data as inputs into the Johnson & Ettinger SCREEN model.