Subsequent to being identified as a Potential Responsible party (PRP) in a Southern California Superfund Site Regional Groundwater Plume, Genesis was contacted to assist with characterizing and removing the environmental liability associated with the onsite release of heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) related to over six decades of onsite metal plating activities. With significant regulatory pressure and pending lawsuits from other PRPs, the client was looking at liability exposure in the millions of dollars, which would define the end of a legacy business started by the client’s grandfather.
Genesis was brought in by the client in an effort reduce his liability by identifying alternative funding sources, which is exactly what we did. After identifying millions of dollars from multiple sources of funding, nearly $4 million has been paid out (to date) for project related costs including the client’s legal costs associated with related lawsuits, the costs for the environmental investigations needed to delineated the extent of the onsite release, and regulatory costs associated with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) oversight of the project. Meanwhile, our client has not paid any out-of-pocket project related costs.
Once the Genesis identified funding sources (that included historical insurance assets) were put into place, Genesis’ investigation determined that the environmental impacts extend down over 80 feet below the surface and into the underlying onsite and offsite groundwater. The environmental investigations have included the installation of over 100 soil vapor probes in 30 locations, a groundwater monitoring well network of 20 wells, and an extraction well network associated with an Soil Vapor Extraction (“SVE”) pilot test that was recently conducted. Site characterization activities identified chlorinated VOCs in Site soil, soil vapor, and underling groundwater. In addition, heavy metal (i.e., Chrome VI) impacts have been identified in both the underlying soil and groundwater.
As part of the Remediation Action Plan (RAP), Genesis designed and implemented a successful pilot study using SVE technology. The final remedy will include several technologies (SVE, In-Situ Chemical Reduction, source area soil removal) to ensure the impacted onsite and offsite soil and groundwater is remediated and State Site Closure is granted.
