What We Do Does Make a Difference!
June 4th, 2018
It has long been the goal of state and local stakeholders to cleanup the former lead acid battery manufacturing operation site in Fairfield, CT.
The sprawling 6-acre factory complex began life in the early 20th century as an aluminum foundry and was retrofitted for the manufacture of lead acid automotive and marine buoy batteries after WWII.
In the early 1980’s, the plant was decommissioned and a Consent Order issued. A significant number of site decontamination, investigation and targeted remediation efforts were undertaken in close coordination with state and local government agencies. These efforts culminated in the preparation of a Remedial Action Plan in 2003. Implementation resulted in complete plant demolition, removal of several thousand feet of buried factory piping and excavation and offsite disposal of more than 50,000 tons of impacted soil, brick and concrete.
The project posed a number of unique challenges. Not that the least of which was, lead effluent from the upland factory complex was impacting the adjacent Mill River, a tidally influenced waterway. The tidal flux resulted in lead deposition both downstream and upstream of the former factory complex covering a total linear distance of nearly one mile. A long series of ecological risk work was necessary to determine a scientifically prudent cleanup criteria. Once the cleanup criteria were set, the spatial distribution of lead impacted river sediments were mapped and a sediment remedial action report was prepared. The sediment remediation project, which involved hydraulic cutterhead dredging and geotextile dewatering of nearly 30,000 cubic yards of impacted sediment was completed 2017.
Several members of HRP’s Fairfield County Office played a significant role in this project with over 30 years of combined experience on the project. HRP is the lead consultant for the RP currently addressing groundwater compliance and final demonstration of compliance with the Order.
The HRP team joined state/local agencies, local community groups, the Responsible Party and other members of the diverse team of geologists, engineers and scientists in toasting a successful project late in 2017 and we look forward to seeing how we can move your environment forward!
Richard R. Chandler, LEP, CPG Senior Project Manager at HRP Associates, Inc.
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