Bob Chapin, P.G. Client Service Manager Weston Solutions, Inc. 7 August 2013

Transcription

1 Bob Chapin, P.G. Client Service Manager Weston Solutions, Inc. 7 August 2013 an employee owned company

2 Speaker Bob Chapin, P.G. B.S. Geology, University of Oregon (1975) M.A. Hydrogeology, University of Texas (1981) (512) Austin Former Assistant Director Texas State Superfund 25+ years of consulting experience in brownfield site assessments and closures, industrial waste sites, riskbased remediation, hydrogeologic studies, and technical litigation support.

3 Weston Solutions, Inc. Major environmental and redevelopment firm Founded in 1955 by Roy F. Weston Services to industry & federal, state, and local government: Environmental consulting & engineering design Real estate redevelopment / strategy Turnkey environmental remediation Facilities and infrastructure construction and renovation

4 Presentation Site History Development Vision Challenges What Made It Work

5 Site History Former chemical R&D plant ( ) Products made in drum quantities (Soaps, Foams, Glues) Chemicals used were low toxicity Environmental Concerns Buried waste drums and small containers Contaminated soil Miscellaneous tanks, pipes, and unknowns Groundwater previously closed under industrial land use

6 Development Vision Trammell Crow Company (TCC) purchased from Huntsman Chemical Company One of last large tracts within Austin city limits available for redevelopment. TCC envisioned Austin s first Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Commuter rail Circulator bus services Multi use commercial/residential development including multi and single family housing in city core.

7 Vision

8 Challenges Schedule Time = Money aggressive schedule to demolish site structures and resolve environmental issues to meet new construction schedule. Technical Site access limitations pre closing increased business risk Buried waste uncertain location and volume Discovered previously unknown groundwater issue midproject Regulatory Submitting plans and reports to TCEQ in typical sequence would have negatively impacted schedule.

9 Pilot Plant Demolition

10 Non Intrusive Investigation No intrusive work allowed pre purchase Records review Interviews with operators and former employees Geophysical survey >>> Groundwater sampling

11 Buried Waste Removal

12 What Made it Work Texas Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) MOU between TCEQ and EPA provided enforcement protection TRRP Regulations Prescriptive cleanup procedures supported self paced assessment, remediation and closure. Eliminated guesswork and iterative review/response cycle between parties. Creative Liability Management WESTON s Environmental Liability Transfer Agreement Removed buyer and seller from the direct environmental liability chain and legally transferred liability to WESTON, WESTON mitigated their risks through expert planning, project execution, and negotiation with regulators.

13 What Made it Work Experienced Developer and Trusted Consultant TCC recognized and understood brownfield challenges going in WESTON had extensive experience with TRRP based closures Trusting working relationships with TCEQ and COA personnel Communication between TCEQ, COA, TCC and WESTON was a priority to promptly resolve issues and maintain schedule. Government Flexibility and Commitment TCEQ and City of Austin recognized value of brownfields redevelopment to community and supported process/approvals TCEQ supported concurrent site characterization and site remediation. TCEQ assigned senior level reviewer and prioritized the Crestview Station reports for state review.

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15 Midtown Commons at Crestview Station

16 Bob Chapin, P.G. Client Service Manager Weston Solutions, Inc. 7 August 2013 an employee owned company