Piedmont Geologic, an environmental consulting firm, has announced the startup of a new ground water remediation project at a major gasoline pipeline release site in the Ohio River valley. The project represents the culmination of the site assessment and remediation planning/implementation phase of the organization’s work. Site cleanup is projected to be completed in 3 years to 5 years.

The site is the location of an underground fuel pipeline leak that resulted in the accumulation of gasoline in the area water table. Approximately 70,000 gallons of gasoline have been recovered through the initial 12 months of interim site remediation efforts, which were focused mainly on preventing seepage of gasoline into the Ohio River.

The final phase of work is the installation, startup and operation of a ground water remediation system. Using a total of 60 remediation wells, the system will involve a combination of fluid extraction to remove gasoline and contaminated ground water from the water table, and vapor extraction to remove gasoline from soil and the water table. Recovered gasoline will be recycled, and recovered vapors will be destroyed using thermal oxidation technology.

“It was crucial to the site owners and their insurer that we were able to respond very quickly to both assess the scope of the release and design and implement a full-scale ground water remediation system,” says Piedmont Geologic president and principal geologist, Pete Dressel. “Additionally, they were looking for a system designed and installed in a manner that would minimize impact on normal retail operations by property owners and we were happy to provide a solution to meet their needs.”

Established in 1994, Piedmont Geologic is a consulting firm specializing in environmental assessment and site remediation. Its projects have ranged from rapid turn-around environmental site assessments for due diligence real estate assessments to long-term ground water remediation efforts.