Environmental Construction

Landfill Construction, Repair, and Closure

While most people see landfills as nothing more than places where waste is discarded, the fact is that these are very complex engineered locations.

Landfill construction normally takes many months, and consists of a variety of stages that must be meticulously planned – sometimes over the course of several years – to meet environmental standards.

Specifically, landfill cell construction consists of excavation and soil removal, liner installation, leachate pipe installation, methane gas collection system installation, monitoring well construction, along with other supporting infrastructure.

Over time, landfill repair is inevitable. One of the most common landfill repairs is to leachate pumping systems or pumping stations, a critical component that keeps built up water in landfills from reaching the municipal water supply. Other repairs to address stormwater management and soil erosion are routinely necessary.

Finally, at the end of a landfill’s serviceable lifetime, it’s not uncommon for closure to occur so that the land can be redeveloped for other purposes. According to regulations, landfill closures must include the installation of a cover system that keeps solid waste below the ground surface, minimizes erosion and infiltration, and allows for vegetation growth.

At TEC, we’re able to plan and coordinate all aspects of landfill construction, repair, and closure from start to finish.

Remediation System Installation and O&M (GW & Soil)

Petroleum and other chemical contaminants from leaking UST/AST systems that directly impact groundwater and soil can have adverse effects on the landscape, the subsurface environment, and human health.

At TEC, we have designed hundreds of soil and groundwater remediation systems of all sizes to assist clients in cleaning up (remediating) petroleum and solvent spills/releases in accordance with regulatory requirements. The technology for these treatment systems is constantly evolving, and can involve a chemical application, a biological application, a physical application, or some combination of the three.  The majority of properties requiring remediation involve some version of treatment in place (in-situ) or source removal, followed by treatment off-site (ex-situ).

PCB Contaminated Soil/Concrete Remediation

PCBs are no longer commercially produced in the U.S., but were once widely used in older electrical equipment (transformers, capacitors), in window caulking and in fluorescent light fixtures (ballasts). PCB usage in transformers was beneficial due to their electrical insulating properties and chemical stability. Caulking materials incorporated PCBs as plasticizers in the 1950’s and 1960’s and are increasingly being detected during facility surveys in window glazing. PCBs were also used in capacitors within fluorescent light ballasts prior to 1979, and must be managed and disposed properly.

When transformer leaks occur, PCBs can contaminate the concrete pads supporting the transformer and often the soil beneath. These soils must be remediated to avoid long-term and potentially wide-ranging impact, and the contaminated concrete must also be properly disposed.

The professional team at TEC has extensive experience at Federal facilities managing and remediating PCB-impacted property and facilities.

Facility Demolition/Renovation and Asbestos Abatement

Facility demolition isn’t as easy as just razing or demolishing an existing structure. There are environmental hazards that exist in certain structures, and these hazards must be properly managed in order to ensure the safety of the environment and nearby occupants.

Asbestos abatement, lead abatement and removing other hazardous materials are crucial steps that need to be addressed prior to demolition. Just as important as coordinating site-specific health & safety plans, are acquiring the regulatory permits and placing appropriate agency notifications.

From proper facility demolition to site reconstruction, TEC can be your partner every step of the way to ensure a smooth, streamlined and successful project outcome.

Stormwater Management

Rain and snowmelt runoff serves an important purpose in helping to replenish the water supply and fill streams and lakes. However, when this stormwater runoff contains pollutants, the discharge into surface water bodies and the groundwater can have a detrimental effect.

Some common pollutants that runoff with water into storm drains include:

• Grease
• Oil
• Pesticides/herbicides
• Pet waste
• Plastic
• Construction debris

TEC can maintain the right systems that detain stormwater and help prevent pollutants from migrating off-site via strategies including gray infrastructure, storm sewers, piped drainage, culverts and more.