Risk assessment at contaminated sites in Sweden currently follows a methodology that includes the use of guideline values, which are not valid for a number of sites. As an alternative to the use of guideline values, the use of a detailed site-specific approach requires an understanding of the bioavailability in soil and sediment.
Kærgård Plantage is one of the most widely publicized contaminated sites in Denmark, and is often referred to as a "mega-site" because of the scale of the potential liabilities and breadth of wastes disposed at this shoreline location.
High levels of the chlorinated solvents tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) occur in groundwater beneath a manufacturing facility in southern Sweden. Regulatory authorities have required groundwater remediation, but Swedish environmental consultants have little direct experience with certain in situ remediation technologies.
This manufacturing facility in Lomazzo, Italy was originally developed in the 1930s as a factory for manufacturing shoe-making tools, and was enlarged over the next several years. Beginning in the 1960s, operations at the facility consisted primarily of production of thermostats, gas valves, sensors, and timers for a number of applications. Manufacturing activities included shearing and molding of metal coils. Processes at the facility involved the use of cooling/cutting oils and perchloroethylene (PCE) as a degreaser. Manufacturing operations at the facility have since been terminated.
Groundwater beneath the Høfde 42 Harboøre Tange site is contaminated with some of the highest concentrations of organophosphorus pesticide wastes found anywhere in the world. From 1957 to 1962, pesticides and pesticide manufacturing wastes from a neighboring agrichemical plant were discharged to sand dunes at this site, which is located on the shore of the North Sea on the western coast of Denmark. Today, an estimated 267 tons of pesticides and pesticide manufacturing wastes remain at the site, primarily consisting of the highly toxic chemicals parathion, methyl parathion, and malathion. Largely immiscible in water, much of the pesticide contamination at the site is present as a dense, nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL). The site groundwater is highly acidic (pH of 3 to 4), and the groundwater toxicity is further increased by the presence of an estimated 60 Kg of mercury that is co-mingled with the pesticide wastes.
Like other industrialized nations, groundwater supplies beneath many industrial sites in Sweden are contaminated with chlorinated solvents. Compared to countries in North America and other parts of Europe, however, chlorinated solvent impacts in Sweden have not attracted much attention until recently. In 2005, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvardsverket) recognized the need for national guidance on chlorinated solvent remediation. To meet this need, they commissioned a project for the development of a Technical Manual for Screening and Selecting Technologies for Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents in Soil and Groundwater and selected an international team of experts, consisting of SWECO VIAK (Sweden), Geosyntec Consultants (USA and Canada), and COWI A/S (Denmark) to write the Manual.
This site was originally developed in the mid-1800s for the production of linseed oil. In the 1900s, manufacturing operations included leather tanning and the production of belts and hoses. Contaminants at the property include chlorinated solvents and mineral oil in soil and groundwater, and metals (chrome and zinc) in shallow soils. Geosyntec's client acquired the facility in the 1960s and sold it in the 1990s. The current owner is assessing options for remediation associated with soil and groundwater contamination. Geosyntec is assisting our client with identifying appropriate response actions and cost allocations for contamination that may have occurred during the period that the client owned and operated the facility.
Geosyntec was retained to provide technical support on the design and implementation of an enhanced in situ bioremediation (EISB) biobarrier for the treatment of chlorinated ethenes in soil and groundwater beneath an active manufacturing facility. The goal of the project was for Geosyntec to develop implementation plans and design details so that equipment and materials could be procured locally.
Geosyntec was retained to review treatment alternative for brominated pesticide compounds found to exist in soil and groundwater beneath a former manufacturing facility in France. Geosyntec conducted a literature review of public and internal data and evaluated the expected fate of the brominated compounds from soil to groundwater and also to vapor pathways. After evaluating the potential for fate and transport Geosyntec developed a technology treatment screening matrix. The matrix included sustainability in the evaluation criteria.
Results of an enhanced in situ reductive dechlorination (ERD) pilot test performed at the site by another consultant in 2006 indicated that ERD will be an effective remedy for the chlorinated solvent source areas. Geosyntec was retained to negotiate regulatory approval for, and to design, implement, and construct, a full-scale ERD system at the site.
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