U.S. Superfund Cleanup Project

Fluor managed the cleanup of a major hazardous waste site at the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. This site, known as the Sangamo/Crab Orchard Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Operable Unit, was listed as No. 450 on the National Priorities Superfund List.

Fluor had an expanded scope on the remediation phase of the project, from initially providing vendor selection for a thermal treatment incinerator to additional engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and construction management services for the remediation. This included development of numerous work plans required for the control and execution of the entire remediation project and management of wastewater, solid waste, air monitoring and site remediation.

Client's Challenge

Fluor's private client is a Principal Responsible Party (PRP) at this Superfund site along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which represents the Department of the Interior as the refuge manager.

The wildlife refuge, owned by the U.S. Government, was used primarily for agricultural purposes until the early 1940s when World War II ushered in the development of several manufacturing industries.

After the war, various industries moved onto the site to occupy buildings previously used during wartime.

One of these companies manufactured transformers and other electrical components. As a result, compounds containing PCBs were mishandled and dumped in several areas.

Fluor's Solution

The site was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Incineration was chosen as the cleanup remedy for PCB contaminated soils, while solidification/fixation was chosen for soils with leachable lead and cadmium contaminants. A transportable thermal treatment unit was erected, and the PCB contaminated soils and lake sediments were excavated and then incinerated prior to backfilling. A Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D landfill was built to receive stabilized soils and ash, which remain contaminated with leachable lead and cadmium.

Additional work included the EPC of a 100-gallons-per-minute wastewater treatment plant, which consists of two 1.5-million-gallon steel tanks to hold contaminated water, a treatment unit designed for chemical and physical treatment as well as sand and carbon filtration and two 400,000 gallon holding tanks.

Other work included construction management of a 322' x 195' RCRA Subtitle D Landfill constructed with a bentonite clay impermeable liner.

Fluor also provided services for construction of roads and security fences, demolition of a PCB-contaminated building, decontamination of a PCB, lead and asbestos contaminated building, removal of underground storage tanks and excavation of contaminated soil at numerous sites. Fluor designed, installed, maintained and operated air monitoring stations at seven locations around the perimeter of the refuge. Fluor was also responsible for obtaining all the air and water permits required for the construction and operation of the remediation.

Conclusion

In April 1996, the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge site celebrated its one year anniversary without a lost time incident. Fluor's excellent project management execution was rewarded with a share of several million dollars savings achieved by the EPC and regulatory quality performance on the hazardous remediation.