Industrial Facilities Phase I & Phase II

Pinnacle Engineering was hired to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA). The Phase I ESA revealed that the facility had been used in the past as a foundry, foundry sand was present on the property, and a vapor degreaser had been removed from the property many years earlier.

The client retained Pinnacle to conduct a Phase II ESA to assess the magnitude and extent of Trichloroethylene (TCE)contamination to oversee the excavation of contaminated soils inside and outside the building, and to coordinate and seek approval of these activities with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

Pinnacle worked closely with the MPCA Project Manager to expedite MPCA review of the investigation work plan and of data obtained from each phase of the investigation. The project included the excavation of soil inside the building in the area where the vapor degreaser had been located, and a push probe investigation to collect groundwater samples from various depths across the Site. Groundwater monitoring wells were then installed in target areas at various depths to obtain groundwater data from shallow and deep horizons, and an exterior trench investigation was completed to determine whether a buried source of TCE existed.

Pinnacle demonstrated that the facility’s HVAC system provided sufficient air changes so that potential soil vapors entering the building posed a minimal risk to building occupants. Pinnacle also demonstrated that no potential, off-site receptors were at risk. As a result of the investigation and remediation, and Pinnacle’s close interaction with the MPCA, liability assurances were issued in a timely manner and the property transfer was completed.