Environmental consulting fundamentals : investigation and remediation

399 Pages·2012·8.506 MB·English

by  Benjamin Alter

K13158_cover.fhmx 5/15/12 9:27 AM Page 1
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Alter
Environmental Consulting Fundamentals
Investigation and Remediation
“In one very readable volume, Ben Alter has managed to write both an excellent primer
for students and aspiring environmental consultants as well as a handy reference guide E
n
for even the most experienced consultants and environmental managers.”
v
—Howard N. Apsan, Ph.D.
i
University Director of Environmental, Health, Safety and Risk Management r
o
The City University of New York, USA
n
m
“The book is a solid overview of the type of work and projects that environmental consultants
e
should expect to engage in if they are employed by an environmental consulting office.” n
—Carrie Anne Vinch t
Ryder Truck Rental, Inc. a
Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA l

C
o
“It touches on exactly what an environmental consultant would need to know when
n
walking into a job. It is a great blend of theory and practical information—something hard s
to find in most texts. ... It provides guidelines that can be easily taught to students or u
followed by professionals.” lt
—Monica Tischler i
n
Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois, USA
g

F
Written by an environmental consultant with more than 20 years of experience, and based u
on a course he taught for 10 years, Environmental Consulting Fundamentals: Investigation n
d
and Remediation introduces the basic building blocks of environmental consulting.
a
Coverage ranges from an overview of regulations and the science underlying environmental
m
processes to a discussion of environmental problems such as asbestos and lead-based
paint. Rather than formulas and equations, the author emphasizes the thought processes e
n
that go into designing an environmental study, interpreting the data, and selecting the
t
next step—be it further investigation or remediation. Numerous photographs, illustrations, a
and examples help make the theoretical concepts more concrete. This is a valuable l
s
reference for practicing environmental consultants as well as for readers interested in a
career in this dynamic, multidisciplinary field.
K13158
6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW
Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
711 Third Avenue Benjamin Alter
an informa business New York, NY 10017
www.crcpress.com 2 Park Square, Milton Park www.crcpress.com
Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN, UK

Environmental
Consulting
Fundamentals
Investigation and
Remediation

Environmental
Consulting
Fundamentals
Investigation and
Remediation
Benjamin Alter
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20120501
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-6891-1 (eBook - PDF)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has
not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit-
ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC,
a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
In memory of my father,
who passed away during the preparation of this book.
He was more than a father—he was a father-and-a-half.

Contents
Preface...................................................................................................................xvii
Acknowledgments...............................................................................................xix
The.Author............................................................................................................xxi
Section I Environmental Consulting: A Perspective
1. What Is Environmental Consulting?...........................................................3
1.1. The.Environment.and.Environmental.Hazards................................3
1.2. What.Is.Environmental.Consulting?...................................................5
1.2.1. Environmental.Consulting.Services......................................6
1.2.2. The.Consultant.as.Contractor.................................................7
1.2.3. Types.of.Clients.........................................................................9
1.3. Credentials.and.Certifications.of.Environmental.Consultants.......9
2. Framework of Environmental Regulations..............................................13
2.1. The.“Nature”.of.Environmental.Regulations..................................13
2.1.1. Prehistory.of.Environmental.Regulations..........................13
2.1.2. Establishment.of.the.USEPA.and.OSHA.............................14
2.2. Major.Federal.Environmental.Laws..................................................15
2.2.1. Clean.Air.Act...........................................................................15
2.2.2. Clean.Water.Act......................................................................17
2.2.3. Endangered.Species.Act........................................................18
2.2.4. Safe.Drinking.Water.Act........................................................18
2.2.5. Toxic.Substances.Control.Act................................................18
2.2.6. Resource.Conservation.and.Recovery.Act..........................19
2.2.6.1. Definition.of.Hazardous.Waste.............................19
2.2.6.2. “Cradle-to-Grave”.Concept.of.Hazardous.
Waste.Management.................................................21
2.2.6.3. Nonhazardous.Waste.Management.....................22
2.2.6.4. RCRA.and.the.Environmental.Consultant..........22
2.2.7. Comprehensive.Environmental.Response,.
Compensation,.and.Liability.Act..........................................24
2.2.7.1. Origins.of.Superfund..............................................24
2.2.7.2. Liability.under.Superfund.....................................25
2.2.7.3. Petroleum.Exclusion...............................................25
2.2.7.4. National.Priorities.List...........................................25
2.2.7.5. National.Contingency.Plan....................................26
2.2.7.6. SARA.of.1986............................................................27
2.2.7.7. Brownfields.Act.of.2003..........................................28
vii
viii Contents
2.2.7.8. Environmental.Consulting.under.CERCLA.......28
2.2.8. Energy.Policy.Act.of.2005......................................................28
2.3. Legal.Framework.of.Environmental.Regulations...........................29
2.3.1. Legal.Framework.of.Federal.Environmental.
Regulations..............................................................................29
2.3.2. Legal.Framework.of.State.Environmental.Regulations....30
References........................................................................................................30
Section II Site Investigations and Remediations
3. Chemicals of Concern and Their Properties............................................33
3.1. Introduction..........................................................................................33
3.2. Categorizing.the.Chemicals...............................................................33
3.3. The.Target.Compound.List/Target.Analyte.List............................34
3.3.1. Inorganic.Analytes.................................................................34
3.3.2. Organic.Compounds..............................................................35
3.3.2.1. Volatile.Organic.Compounds................................36
3.3.2.2. Semivolatile.Organic.Compounds........................41
3.3.2.3. Pesticides.and.Polychlorinated.Biphenyls.
(PCBs).....................................................................45
3.4. Other.Chemicals.of.Interest................................................................47
3.4.1. Petroleum.and.Petroleum-Related.Compounds................47
3.4.1.1. Chemical.Composition.of.Petroleum...................48
3.4.1.2. Gasoline....................................................................49
3.4.1.3. Nonvolatile.Fuels.....................................................49
3.4.1.4. Engineered.Oils.......................................................50
3.4.2. Dioxin.......................................................................................50
3.4.3. Drinking.Water.Contaminants.............................................50
3.4.4. Synthetic.Organic.Contaminants.........................................54
References........................................................................................................54
4. Fate and Transport in the Subsurface........................................................57
4.1. Surface.Transport.of.Chemicals.........................................................57
4.2. Geology.of.the.Subsurface..................................................................58
4.2.1. Bedrock.and.Soils...................................................................58
4.2.2. Porosity.and.Permeability.....................................................60
4.3. Chemical.Fate.and.Transport.in.the.Subsurface.............................61
4.3.1. Physical.State.of.Chemicals...................................................61
4.3.2. The.Hydrogeologic.Cycle.......................................................63
4.3.3. Vadose.Zone............................................................................64
4.3.4. Saturated.Zone........................................................................65
4.3.4.1. Hydraulic.Gradient.................................................65
4.3.4.2. Groundwater.Flow..................................................66