When site conditions such as soft and compressible soils, steep slopes, or seismic activity appear to limit site uses, Geosyntec's geotechnical engineering professionals create foundations and other geostructural solutions that optimize site development potential.
A significant component of Geosyntec's landfill engineering practice is the management of landfill gas and compliance with air quality standards. Our expertise with landfill gas is built upon a legacy of being a recognized leader helping our clients achieve safe, secure containment of regulated wastes since our founding in 1983. Geosyntec has extensive experience in preparing landfill gas collection and control system (GCCS) design master plans for compliance with New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for several facilities. We work with facility owners and operators to optimize the construction of landfill GCCS through phased development as cells are constructed and closed. Through proper sequencing, evaluation of future system needs and capacity, and sufficient initial system construction, we take advantage of the installed infrastructure and keep landfill gas flowing as a fuel source. Phased landfill gas management plans benefit our clients by optimizing the value of the capital investment in the gas collection system, minimizing the need to abandon parts of the system as subsequent lifts of waste are placed, and providing reliable gas flows that can generate a steady revenue stream from direct use, power generation, or conversion. We are also assisting our clients in the development of landfill gas-to-energy (GTE) projects, either through self-development or contracts through third parties. Once installed, Geosyntec has the hands-on, practical experience to assist our clients with the operation and maintenance of their GCCS. Whether it is routine monitoring, tuning and optimization, repairs, or expansions to these systems, Geosyntec can provide the personnel and services to keep a GCCS operating in optimum conditions. Our field services personnel are familiar with the current practices of landfill operations and have the capabilities to service flares, blowers, compressors, and self-perform repairs on the in-field components such as HDPE piping, valves, wellheads, sumps, and pumps. Geosyntec is a trusted consultant for compliance issues having successfully obtained permits for landfill gas flares and GTE facilities, including in severe non-attainment areas. Our professionals develop strategies that allow our clients to manage their air emission portfolios and plan future projects to be compliant with air regulations. We have excellent technical relationships with state and federal regulators throughout the country and are recognized in the industry for our technical leadership. Geosyntec is a dynamic and influential member of the international community of solid waste industry practitioners focused on furthering the science and technology of sound landfill gas management. We are a long-standing member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) with the objective to work in the public interest to promote and develop sustainable and professional waste management practices worldwide. Within the United States, Geosyntec is heavily involved at local and national levels with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), providing speakers to conferences and serving on national committees for the Landfill Management and Landfill Gas Technical Divisions. As a partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), a voluntary assistance and partnership program, Geosyntec works to promote the use of landfill gas as a renewable, green energy source.
Geosyntec provides nationally recognized expertise and specialized geotechnical and geological engineering (geoengineering) services to evaluate and improve the design and construction engineering properties of soil and rock foundations. Our geoengineering specialists form one of the leading practices in the world. They are recognized for their ability to develop practical guidance, and efficient designs conducive to aggressive construction schedules commonly imposed by project economics. Our geoengineering practice focuses on difficult and challenging sites where the development of dependable, cost-effective foundations, and other geostructural solutions are critical to the success of the project. Our practitioners accomplish this by establishing a thorough understanding of the project site, developing a technical framework for the project, and incorporating the critical, non-engineering drivers such as schedule and project economics into the early stages of our planning. Our geoengineering professionals have responded to the challenges of increasingly unfavorable site conditions by developing and applying sophisticated approaches to investigate and characterize sites; analyzing foundation behavior; altering the engineering characteristics of the soil and rock at a specific site through soil and rock improvement; and environmentally remediating sites. We implement these approaches so foundations and other subsurface structures can be constructed safely, adequately support the built environment, and withstand potential geohazards. Our geotechnical practitioners are fully familiar and experienced with the practical application of these tools. For example, when a client needed to develop a critical structure near Wilmington Harbor in Delaware, the client turned to Geosyntec to geotechnically engineer a practical, cost-effective solution. Our team developed an innovative foundation design and construction methodology for very soft and compressible foundation materials that included wick drains, embankment pre-loading, and mechanically stabilized earthen walls. Our design saved the client nearly $100 million when compared to more traditional approaches proposed by others. Our geoengineering practitioners distinguish themselves by rapid development of an appropriate understanding of the geologic and environmental history of a site, and using this knowledge to screen potential ground improvement and foundation technologies (wick drains, deep soil mixing, deep dynamic compaction, vibro-replacement, and surcharging) to identify the more dependable and cost-effective approaches. These screening-level studies become a basis for gathering optimized geotechnical information based on carefully considered analyses tempered with practical, hands-on experience sufficient to not only characterize the site, but also design dependable foundations. These attributes have been particularly beneficial to our petroleum and chemical industry clients who are currently undertaking large-scale capital projects in undeveloped areas. For example, Geosyntec is working with oil and gas interests on foundation design, offshore reclamation, and underwater slope stability issues related to the development of a liquefied natural gas trans-shipment facility on the coast of southwestern Africa. Our senior practitioners have authored technical design and construction manuals for the Federal Highway Administration focusing on foundation support systems, earth retaining systems, and earthquake engineering. Geosyntec provides lead, geotechnical training instructors for the National Highway Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). We also provide training to state departments of transportation, contractors, and consultants for state-of-the-practice design applications. Our staff members are active contributors and developers of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design Specifications for bridge substructures including foundations and retaining wall systems. Several of our practitioners have received ASCE's highest awards for advancing the state of the practice in geoengineering.
Geosyntec has played a leading role in the development of state-of-the-art liquefaction and seismic analyses for more than 20 years and has pioneered designing economical structures that safely resist the loads caused by earthquakes. Geosyntec is recognized nationally and internationally for our capability to analyze the liquefaction potential of dam embankments and their foundations, as well as to assess the impact of liquefaction on bridges, buildings, and other structures. Geosyntec has performed liquefaction evaluations for hundreds of projects, including assessment of the consequences of liquefaction and development of solutions to mitigate concerns. These solutions have included ground improvement designs followed by testing during construction to verify that design objectives were met.
To accommodate for a new, heavier shiploader, the existing Pier G wharf in Port of Long Beach, California had to be upgraded to increase speed and capacity The design called for a moment resisting space frame to be constructed within the existing wharf footprint, yet independent of the existing structure.
The Port of Los Angeles sought a field test of vacuum-assisted preconsolidation of hydraulic fill to assess the feasibility of this technology as an alternative or supplement to conventional surcharge techniques for ground improvement of future hydraulic fill sites at the Port.
The 190-acre Operating Industries, Inc. (OII) Superfund Site is an inactive landfill site, about 10 miles east of Los Angeles, that for 30 years until 1984 received solid waste, and for a limited period, also accepted hazardous liquids. Parts of the landfill have steep slopes and waste up to 320 feet deep. The Site was placed on the National Priorities, or Superfund, List in 1986, and the U.S. EPA has referred to OII as "one of the most contaminated sites in the country." The entire Site is in an area of high seismic exposure and is immediately adjacent to residential neighborhoods, a commercial shopping complex, and the heavily-used Pomona Freeway. More than 20,000 people live within three miles of the Site. The U.S. EPA, under multiple Consent Decrees, required the PRP Group to implement a prescriptive full RCRA cap for the landfill and a traditional pump and treat system for hydraulic control and remediation of the groundwater. The cost estimate for this remedial method was $330 million. The PRPs then began looking for a more cost-effective alternative to the capping and groundwater treatment system. Any alternative method had to not only be more cost-effective, but it also had to be fully protective of human health and the environment.
The Bolsa Chica site is approximately 1,100 acres of degraded coastal wetland that has been affected by oil field activities for 80 years. After years of controversial development proposals, the site was purchased and set aside for restoration as an off set for construction activities in Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors. The California Coastal Conservancy and other agencies have oversight of the planning and design of the restoration at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.
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