In March, CRETE moved into the Westland Building located on 100 South King Street. Our new office is in Pioneer Square close to the train station, the stadiums, and great coffee.
The Westland Building was constructed in 1907,restored in 1978, and was first used as a warehouse. Stop by and check out the original wooden columns, the exposed brick, and the garden.
Our new address:
100 South King Street, Suite 240
Seattle, WA 98104
Ms. Stevens has more than 10 years of experience in environmental consulting. Her primary focus is environmental site assessments, remediation design, and project management at soil, groundwater, sediment, and vapor sites. She has experience with investigation, designing and implementing remediation systems, and long term site monitoring. She is a registered PE in WA State.
Geoff Saunders, Environmental Engineer, has joined CRETE as Field Manager. Mr. Saunders has more than 9 years of experience as in environmental consulting. His primary focus is in civil and environmental engineering. Mr. Saunders provides engineering support in remedial design and contract document preparation and is the lead Field/Resident Engineer managing for site investigations and onsite environmental construction activities. He is a registered PE in WA State.
A train derailment near Pendleton, Oregon resulted in the release of 10,000 gallons of toluene in a farmer’s field within a few hundred feet of the Umatilla River. CRETE principals responded to the spill as part of an organized spill response program.
Due to salvage and mainline restoration activities, initial cleanup activities included interceptor trenches and limited pumping to prevent discharges to the river. Shortly thereafter, air sparging systems were installed in the open trenches to encourage soil and groundwater treatment. After initial response efforts, the air sparging groundwater treatment system was converted to a well point system to address impacts downgradient of the excavated source area.
The Umatilla River is designated as a “wild and scenic river” and fish populations were being reestablished by a joint effort of farmers (reducing irrigation water extraction), the Umatilla Indian Tribe, and various state agencies. In the two weeks leading up to the spill, about 2,000,000 smolt had been released to the river. Recognizing these issues, an aquatic biologist was flown to the site, where they coordinated daily meetings with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Umatilla Indian Tribe, the EPA and other interested parties, and allowed these parties limited access to the site.
The site was cleaned up within 8 months and delisted within 2 years. Costs were reduced by avoiding claims and fines, limiting long-term operations and monitoring of remediation systems, and by managing the excavated source area soil “on site.” Total costs savings were in excess of $3 million.
CRETE principals subcontracted to a civil engineering firm to perform a Phase I environmental site assessment associated with the design of a significant utility and right-of-way enhancement project. The project was for a 2-mile stretch of a commercial business district with stormwater outfall to a salmon-bearing stream. The purpose of the assessment was to determine and map all known and suspected soil and groundwater impacts along the project. Based on the assessment, the following modifications were made to the utility design plan:
CRETE principals developed specifications in accordance with Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) format related to environmental aspects of the project including soil segregation and stockpiling, construction stormwater and groundwater management, and soil and water treatment or disposal. After award of the construction contract, CRETE principals continued to work on the project to assist with:
CRETE principals performed cleanup and restoration of an urban park and prepared an RI/FS for the lake sediment. The 25-acre public park was created in the mid-1970s and retained many of the former industrial structures.
The upland remedy included tar removal, soil capping, an air sparging system along portions of the shoreline to remove benzene from shallow groundwater that discharges to the lake, and upland and shoreline habitat restoration. The selected remedy allowed continued use of the park without significant disruption. Design of the remedy was negotiated with numerous stakeholders included Seattle Design Commission and Historic Landmarks Board. Features such as a Corten steel equipment enclosure were used to maintain the historical aesthetic, and the cap design maintained the land sculpture topography of the park. MTCA remediation levels for PAHs and benzene were negotiated such that the air sparging system met performance criteria in 2 years.
CRETE principals analyzed the range of cleanup approaches for sediment. Probabilistic cost modeling provided a likely range of cleanup costs which were used in insurance cost recovery negotiations.
CRETE was involved in preparation of a draft RI/FS for the cleanup and restoration of subaqueous sediment and the adjacent shoreline. Historical MGP, shipyard, and other industrial operations impacted the sediment with PAHs, metals, and other contaminants. CRETE principals helped develop soft-sediment capping solutions that are resistant to frequent boat wake erosion and offer habitat value. Cap design included fate and transport modeling of PAHs through sediment to determine cap thickness and in situ strength testing to determine a suitable method for placing cap materials on very soft sediment because traditional laboratory strength tests did not provide accurate in situ sediment strength data. Capping challenges also include consideration of sub-aqueous slope stability under both static and seismic conditions.
