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CONSTRUCTION & REMEDIATION

Chemical & Pigment Company
Facility Decontamination and Decommissioning

Project Background
In July 2001, Engineering/Remediation Resources Group, Inc. (ERRG) was awarded a three-year master service agreement (MSA) contract by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The contract is designed to assist the DTSC in meeting its commitment of reducing the risk of released hazardous substances/materials to public health and to the environment in an effective and expeditious manner. Under this contract ERRG is tasked with implementation of remedial actions necessary to prevent, mitigate, or eliminate the release of uncontrolled hazardous substances/materials at sites in California.

To date, ERRG has been issued 17 task orders. Many of the projects have involved implementation of closure plans prepared by the State of California including this project that involved investigation, decontamination and demolition services at the abandoned Chemical and Pigment Company (CPC) facility located in Bay Point, Contra Costa County, California.

The CPC facility, situated on approximately 12 acres, was formerly used to produce zinc-based chemicals for a variety of uses, including fertilizer, soil amendments, and electrogalvanizing. The facility consisted of eight buildings, three warehouses, a boiler room, an office, two processing areas, a bunker, 41 above ground storage tanks, various process equipment, mixing equipment, and granulators.

ERRG initially mobilized to the property to conduct a site evaluation and collection of samples from the storm water runoff. Analytical results of the runoff indicated elevated levels of lead and zinc. As a result, ERRG constructed a storm water collection and treatment system comprised of a sediment filter, a liquid granular activated carbon vessel and two ion exchange vessels. ERRG collected, treated and discharged approximately 700,000 gallons of storm water under a special permit to the Delta Diablo Sanitation District's system during the course of the project.

In March 2003, ERRG mobilized to the site to start emergency stabilization work. All piping and process equipment with known or suspected contents were flushed to remove free liquids and solids before removal. Afterwards the piping and process equipment was manually removed and cleaned by pressure washing in an equipment decontamination area. Equipment samples were collected and analyzed to verify that appropriate levels of decontamination had been achieved.

ERRG also cleaned and dismantled 41 above ground steel and fiberglass tanks ranging in size from several hundred gallons to 20,000 gallons. The work was completed under our permitted confined-space permit program as appropriate.

The buildings and large process equipment structures were demolished under a permit issued by the Contra Costa County Building Department. A hazardous materials survey was completed on each structure for lead-based paint, asbestos containing material (ACM), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury- containing.

All equipment, piping, building structures and construction debris were sized and placed in appropriated containers and transported for scrap recycling or to approved hazardous and non-hazardous disposal facilities.

After completing the decontamination and demolition phase of the project, ERRG characterized the contaminated soil from a former 1.4 million gallon surface impoundment. The contaminated soil from the impoundment was classified as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste subject to applicable Land Disposal Restrictions (LDRs) requirements. ERRG conducted a treatability study to formulate a stabilization recipe for the material in order to meet the treatment standards prior to disposal. The soil load out, transportation, stabilization and disposal activities for approximately 22,000 tons of contaminated soil was completed by ERRG from January 2004 to March 2004.