 Bhate
was selected for this contract as the “best value”
contractor on Southern Division’s Environmental Multiple
Award Contract (EMAC-Florida). The Scope of Work for this
Interim Remedial Action has two distinctive parts. The first
is the installation and maintenance of a non-RCRA landfill
cover for two areas encompassing approximately 3 acres. The
second is the design, installation, and maintenance of a seven
zone biosparging system which addresses saturated zone volatile
organic compound contamination. Bhate prepared a comprehensive
Work Plan which included a RAP, FSP, SSHP, QCP, QAPP, SWPPP,
and USACE/Navy tailored guide specifications. Landfill cover
activities included the procurement of all required permits;
clearing and grubbing of vegetation; installation of best
management practices and erosion control measures; mitigation
of Species of Special Concern; testing, placement, and grading
of backfill and topsoil; seeding; and maintenance of the landfill
cover prior to acceptance by the Navy. After contract award
and during the delineation efforts of the landfill, several
burrows indicative of gopher tortoises were observed. Since
the gopher tortoise is a Species of Special Concern, Bhate
delineated these areas, acquired a permit to relocate the
tortoises, and relocated the tortoises in accordance with
USDA guidelines. Bhate delineated the boundaries of two former
landfill cells using GPS surveys and aerial photography. The
landfill covers were constructed over a three month period
and Bhate is currently maintaining the covers. A Remedial
Action Completion Report for this phase of the project has
been submitted to the Navy for approval. Once approved, this
portion of the project will be complete and the Navy will
assume responsibility of the landfill cover maintenance. The
entire project is being completed in an area of active businesses
and residences and requires traffic control, dust monitoring,
and decontamination.
 The
second part of the Interim Remedial Action addresses groundwater
contaminated with benzene and chlorinated solvents through
biosparging. The final remediation system will consist of
seven independent zones of injection wells addressing contamination
occurring at multiple aquifer depths. In order to validate
biosparging effectiveness, a pilot test was performed in one
of the seven zones. Twelve injection wells were providing
a combination of nutrients to microbes existing in a predominantly
anaerobic environment. Bhate monitored a network of groundwater
wells within the treatment zone to gauge the effectiveness
of the biosparging effort. The pilot test is now complete
and optimal operational characteristics are being established.
At this point, the Bhate and the Navy are preparing to submit
study findings to the FDEP. Once approved, Bhate will install
the remaining injection points and monitoring well network
within the remaining six zones and begin remediating the entire
contaminant plume. Bhate expects to attain regulatory driven
cleanup levels by April of 2006.
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