THE OPPORTUNITY

To accommodate the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, the Essex County Department of Public Works sought a firm to design renovations to the circa 1916 Essex County Parks Administration Building. Located across the street from Branch Brook Park, the renovated Essex County Parks Administration Building will provide the county parks department with much-needed updated space while preserving an important historic resource for the city. PS&S was engaged to manage and complete UST removal and site remediation for a historic NYSDEC spill site located at the City of Yonkers Department of Public Works (DPW) Facility.

THE CHALLENGE

The spill was undetermined in size and extent due to its association with USTs for an old service facility which was first recorded as a spill in 1989. Additionally, the site is heavily trafficked due to being the parking area for the city’s garbage trucks, a gas station for city vehicles, and a storage and repair facility for city vehicles. PS&S had to coordinate and work with Yonkers DPW, agencies including Yonkers DPW, NYSDEC, and their subcontractors in order to smoothly facilitate project work.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

At DEC’s direction, PS&S oversaw and documented a site-wide excavation program to locate and remove existing USTs and impacted soil and groundwater from said tanks. PS&S worked alongside DEC-approved contractors to catalogue the removal of approximately 16,775 yd³ of impacted soil, including 3 USTs, and the import of approximately 9,593 cubic yards of clean stone and fill material. PS&S also oversaw and documented the dewatering, treatment, and discharge of 724,544 gallons of impacted groundwater. Water was treated via pumping to frac tanks for sedimentation, followed by pumping through sediment filters and activated carbon filters, before being released to the on-site oil-water separators and on to the city water treatment system. PS&S documented all soil and water sampling performed by a contractor to delineate the limits of contamination and the effectiveness of remediation activities. PS&S completed daily reports of site activities for Client and Agency review.