US Ecology receives appreciation award for outstanding performance

DSM, a global nutritional products company, presented US Ecology with an appreciation award to thank our team for our dedication to safety and unrelenting guidance that helped make a heavy metals remediation project we were hired to support by Hoffmann-La Roche AG at DSM's facility in Belvidere, NJ an unprecedented success.

The goal of this phased project was to remediate all areas of concern containing RCRA and non-RCRA contaminated soil. The US Ecology team of professionals self-performed selective tree clearing and grubbing on over two acres of fragile bordering vegetated woodland. Extensive new construction and existing access road stabilization were required to facilitate haul trucks' safe conveyance, where a new access road required the innovative use and layout of Durabase™ modular panels to form a stable access road for the haul trucks and a platform for loading contaminated soil.

Progressing through a surgical, grid-by-grid sequence within the impacted flood zone, US Ecology excavated 8,200 tons of RCRA metal-impacted soil, amended the soil for excessive moisture content and transported it off site for secure disposal. Heavy equipment outfitted with Trimble GPS system technology was also used to ensure excavation and backfill tasks adhered to the strict line and grade limits. This approach minimized the need for subcontractor survey support, saving the customer $75,000. To maximize sustainability and protection of trees bordering the vegetated upland areas, US Ecology performed vacuum excavation around the existing root systems.

"ERM and Roche were extremely pleased with the professionalism, commitment to quality, and adherence to strict health and safety programs that were in place for this remediation. Several times during the project, both Roche and the property owner, DSM Nutritional Products, personally expressed to me how pleased they were with the work performance by the US Ecology team".

Robert Dixon- Environmental Resource Management Inc. (ERM)

During the fourth phase, we performed scarification and removal of over 1,200 square feet of PCB impacted concrete slabs with depths of up to 1.25 inches within five active electrical substations. Our crew implemented various measures of excavation support systems, including sloping and aluminum shoring boxes to predetermine excavation limits. The excavation was advanced using mechanical and non-mechanical methods to prevent damage to the live underground utilities and grounding systems to avoid facility interruptions, which was paramount to the overall objective.

800 tons of PCB impacted soil, and 500 tons of non-hazardous soil were surgically and systematically removed from the substations. Contaminated soil was transported via trucks and rail to approved disposal facilities, including US Ecology Michigan. Restoration efforts included the re-installation of a security fence, pavement repairs, new concrete sidewalks, topsoil application, seeding and planting.

The final phase comprised transformer remediation at eight independent satellite stations of an active railroad, requiring rail removal and restoration at each location. Our team upheld a critical schedule to accommodate operations and avoid plant delays due to railroad servicing the facility for finished product transportation off-site and material deliveries to the site. Both mechanical and non-mechanical excavation techniques were used to remove over 950 tons of PCB impacted soil and over 800 tons of non-hazardous soils, followed by transportation and secure disposal.