When a major utility company in the Northeast needed help with an environmental clean-up, they called upon H2M to investigate and coordinate remedial efforts. A 51,000-gallon dielectric cable fluid release had taken place in Nassau County, NY. Two source areas were discovered where dielectric fluid had been released, with one release located within 1,000 feet of a public water supply well under construction.
H2M began with an environmental site investigation to characterize the extent of soil and groundwater impacts. The fate and transport study addressed potential migration of dielectric fluid below the surface. The study included an evaluation of contaminant properties, investigation of the local hydrogeological setting and calculation of the rate of migration.
Following an aquifer pump and rising-head slug tests, aquifer characteristics such a transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity were evaluated. A groundwater pump and treat system was designed and constructed in record time. The quick response of the H2M team prevented the di-electric fluid from contaminating the new well. Operated by H2M for over five years, the treatment system has contained the release.
