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The Standard
February 2010 - Page 2

Phoenix Award Received At Brownfields 2009
Since the inception of the US National Brownfields Conference in 1996, Environmental Standards has been attending and presenting at the conference, which is held every 12 to 18 months in a different US city. The conference is dedicated to brownfields cleanup, redevelopment, and the many issues associated with land revitalization. Brownfields 2009 was held November 16-18, 2009, in New Orleans.

As in years past, Environmental Standards Principal Geoscientist Gerry Kirkpatrick, P.G., was asked to participate on an expert panel. He joined environmental attorney Brian Clark of Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney; Colleen Kokas of New Jersey DEP; Charles Gallub of the Bellmawr Waterfront Development; and George Vallone of The Hoboken Brownstone Company in a discussion of the term “environmental sustainability” – what the term means in practice to a brownfields redevelopment project. The session entitled “Principles and Perspectives on Sustainable Redevelopment” was attended by developers, municipal leaders, US EPA Brownfields grantees, and environmental consultants.

Brownfields 2009 differed in one respect. Environmental Standards had the privilege of joining the Lancaster County Planning Commission (LCPC), the Inner City Group, High Companies, and Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT) in accepting the 2008 Phoenix Award for Community Impact. Roberto Clemente Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the award-winning project.

Phoenix Award presented at Brownfields 2009

The Phoenix Awards were created in 1997 to recognize individuals and groups that used innovative solutions to remediate environmentally impacted sites while encouraging economic development and creating community assets. The projects that are awarded this honor are meant to be showcased as models for other communities around the world.
Roberto Clemente Park is a vital community hub featuring a park and playground. Located on a former industrial site, which once hosted an umbrella handle manufacturer and dry cleaner, Roberto Clemente Park is a shining example of how the US EPA’s Brownfields grant program can touch a community in a meaningful way. This project was not merely about removing environmental impacts from the site - it was also about providing the neighborhood a recreational space in which to congregate.

Industrial Site Reuse Program Grant Award
During the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) Annual Brownfields Conference held in Harrisburg in September 2009, the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD Corp.) was the award recipient of an Industrial Site Reuse Program (ISRP) grant - surpassing two other well-qualified applicants. The program, entitled “Extreme Makeover III – Redeveloping PA” provided an opportunity for the three candidates to present their projects for consideration under the Commonwealth’s ISRP; ABCD Corp. made the best project presentation and pitch for this publicly funded grant.

This grant winning project is a partnership of ABCD Corp. and a private developer, 700 Chestnut Avenue, LLC, within the Altoona-Blair County area. The project site consists of 15 separate parcels, including the subject parcel located at 700 Chestnut Avenue. Based upon the Phase I and II assessments, constituents that exceeded the PA DEP Statewide Health Standards in soil and groundwater were identified. Based on this information, Environmental Standards developed, submitted, and gained PA DEP approval of a comprehensive work plan for the assessment of the 700 Chestnut Avenue property, which is part of a $75-million redevelopment effort in the City of Altoona, Blair County.

Winning the award provided ABCD Corp. with a grant in the amount of $46,000 to assist in the completion of the assessment activities presented in Environmental Standards’ work plan to determine the nature, extent, and the risks involved with the redevelopment effort. Environmental Standards began field investigation activities in early February and anticipates submitting a report of findings by late spring or early summer 2010.

Geoscientists Support Horizontal Drilling Project
Several geological formations in northern and western Pennsylvania, including the Marcellus Shale and Oriskany Sandstone, have been receiving considerable media attention. It has long been known that these formations contain vast reserves of natural gas; however, extraction and utilization of the natural gas was considered cost-prohibitive until recent advancements in horizontal drilling technologies. Natural gas in these formations typically exists between 5,000 - 8,000 feet below ground surface (bgs) - both vertical drilling and horizontal drilling are required to effectively access the gas reservoirs. As drilling and extraction of natural gas in these previously untapped formations increase, so does the concern of local residents about what impacts the drilling may have on their potable water wells.

To protect groundwater quality, Pennsylvania law requires drillers to case and grout gas production wells through fresh water aquifers before advancing drilling tools into the deeper natural gas-containing formations. The casing protects groundwater from pollutants inside the well and also prevents surface water from entering the well and impacting groundwater. Despite these precautions, impacts to groundwater quality and/or flow sometimes result from natural gas drilling. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) is responsible for reviewing and issuing drilling permits, inspecting drilling operations, and responding to complaints about water-quality problems.

Environmental Standards was recently associated with a project in western Pennsylvania that involved the conversion of a natural gas production field located in the Oriskany Sandstone Formation into a natural gas storage facility. The project consisted of the installation of approximately 20 natural gas injection wells to depths greater than 5,000 feet bgs. Our client took the local residents’ concerns very seriously – concerns that changes observed in water quality (primarily increased turbidity and effervescence) could be related to the drilling activities. Environmental Standards was contracted to conduct pre-drilling and post-drilling water-quality monitoring at residential wells located near drilling operations. The monitoring data will allow a comparison of water quality before and after drilling and may also help to determine whether or not the impacts are, in fact, related to the drilling or to some other factor.

Corrosive Chinese Drywall
What is the “fuss” about Chinese drywall? It appears that during the construction boom following damages from Hurricane Katrina and production of new homes, there was a shortage of drywall in the United States and drywall was imported – some from China. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that Chinese dry wall was used in the construction of 60,000 homes and that some, but not all, drywall imported from China was contaminated.

What contaminant was in Chinese drywall? The CPSC performed a study of 51 homes (41 homes with corrosion and 10 control homes) between July 27 and September 30, 2009, to identify the contaminant. The CPSC study found that hydrogen sulfide was detected below irritant levels in the homes with corrosion but not in the control homes. In addition, below irritant levels of formaldehyde were identified in all 51 homes. The long-term effects of below irritant levels of hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde have not been determined. The source of the hydrogen sulfide in the drywall is suspected to naturally occur in the gypsum used to produce the drywall and not the process itself.

The corrosion has been documented to impact exposed copper wiring, plumbing, and other exposed metals and has been reported to be severe enough in some cases to cause HVAC system failures. As far as can be determined, no fires have been attributed to the corrosion of wiring. It appears that temperature, humidity, and air exchange rates are determinative factors in the corrosion; accordingly, buildings in hot moist climates are at highest risk.

The Florida Department of Health (FL DOH), which has been one of the leading agencies in the investigation of corrosive dry wall, has put together a map (link to full size map) detailing the reported corrosive drywall complaints. The CPSC has been the lead agency in the investigation of the homes with complaints regarding corrosive drywall.

Reports of Drywall "Cases"

According to the United States District Court Eastern District of Louisiana website, “The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation assigned this multidistrict proceeding to Judge Eldon E. Fallon of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to coordinate discovery and other pretrial matters in the pending cases.” More than 50 cases have been determined to be associated with the corrosive drywall.

Many different techniques for the remediation of the corrosive drywall are available. Before implementing remediation, you should consult with an indoor air professional to ensure that the remediation technique is appropriate for your situation.

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