Posts Categorized: Blog

Site Conceptual Model of Groundwater

Posted by & filed under Blog, Environmental, Water & Wastewater Facilities Operations.

Site concept model procedure

Broadbent was contracted by a major petroleum and energy company to provide a third party review and preparation of a Site Conceptual Model for a former aerospace facility in the Central Valley of California. Analysis of historical data indicated that former site operations activities had resulted in contaminant impacts to groundwater. Primary contaminants of concern (COCs included volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On the site, groundwater occurs at approximately 40 feet below ground surface (bgs) and flows towards the east. A soil vapor extraction (SVE) system was installed in 1999 and operated through 2000. A groundwater extraction and treatment system (GWETS) was also installed in 1999 and has operated continuously, since then. The objective of the scope of work performed was Read More »

Creating a Culture of Safety Within Broadbent

Posted by & filed under Air Quality, Blog, Civil Engineering, Cultural Resource Management, Emergency Response, Environmental, Planning and Permitting, Stack Testing, Water & Wastewater Facilities Operations, Water Resources.

Broadbent management has been successful in creating a culture of safety in the company. This has been accomplished through the shared learning of experiences in the field and analysis of knowledge gained from our valued clients. A simple example of this safety mindset, is how it has effected the way we park our vehicles. Even when commuting to and from work, using our personal vehicles, employees have embraced the idea of backing vehicles into parking spots. With a vehicle in this position, when leaving a parking spot, the driver is traveling forward. By leaving in the forward direction one is less likely to cause an accident. Drivers have also surveyed the front of the vehicle and scanned the area for Read More »

Project Safety – Working in Remote Locations

Posted by & filed under Air Quality, Blog, Civil Engineering, Cultural Resource Management, Emergency Response, Environmental, Planning and Permitting, Stack Testing, Water & Wastewater Facilities Operations.

Broadbent conducts work throughout the western United States. Environmental projects can include work such as operations and maintenance of remediation systems, in remote parts of Nevada, California, Oregon, and other western states. To ensure the safety of employees, emergency packs are stored in vehicles. Field personnel are trained to utilize the contents of the packs to assist themselves, or others. Vehicle training and defensive driving lessons are provided to field personnel to help prepare drivers for situations such as vehicle malfunction, or facing the ever changing elements of weather. For work at the Leviathan Mine in Alpine County, California, workers under go defensive driver, fatigue management, and mountain driving training programs to prepare them to navigate potentially dangerous, remote mountain Read More »

Case Study: Pump and Treat Remediation

Posted by & filed under Blog, Environmental, Planning and Permitting, Water & Wastewater Facilities Operations.

South Lake Tahoe, CA – Broadbent provided third party review and documentation of historical operation and maintenance activities for an existing on-site groundwater pump and treat remediation system, and provided recommendations for system modifications and future operations. Constituents of concern included PCE, TCE, DCA, and vinyl chloride. Recommendations and actions included: Repairing system components, Testing system operations, And modifying the system to address iron fouling problems. Broadbent was retained to operate the system and monitor associated wells. Through a series of repairs and tests, and minimal system operation time, it was determined that the system was no longer needed, as it was no longer extracting impacted water associated with the landfill. The USDA-Tahoe National Forest (TNF) approved to terminate remediation Read More »

Environmental Experience – Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Impacts

Posted by & filed under Blog, Environmental.

Broadbent managed a project in Sparks, NV, where a diesel fuel release was discovered, emanating from a failed dispenser piping bushing (the facility operates two diesel fuel underground storage tanks (USTs), one 5,000 gallon capacity and one 8,000 gallon capacity). Initial soil sampling assessment activities, conducted via hand sampling at the point of release, found total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) diesel impacts present at 1,700 mg/kg and 16,000 mg/kg. Subsequent soil characterization activities were conducted via installation and sampling of two GeoProbe soil borings, found TPH diesel impacts present at 1,100 mg/kg in one boring at ~10.5 feet below land surface (bls), and 2,500 mg/kg in the second boring at ~15 feet bls. Additional site characterization activities were conducted using drilling Read More »