Renewable Energy Production on Contaminated Sites

As part of the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative, the EPA and US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, hazardous waste, and former landfill or mining sites. EPA is investing about a million dollars for the project that pairs EPA's expertise on contaminated sites with the renewable energy expertise of NREL. Wind, solar, biopower, or geothermal production on use-restricted property makes a lot of sense, and should be considered in evaluating long-term use of contaminated property. For more information, visit EPA's Repowering website.

Cox-Colvin Presented on Soil-Gas Prospecting at AIPG Meeting

I presented a talk in September 2011 at the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) National Meeting in Bloomingdale, Illinois titled "The Use of Innovative Soil-Gas Sampling Methods to Locate VOC Sources". The presentation, which discussed how Cox-Colvin used the Vapor Pin to collect soil gas from beneath the floor of a large industrial facility to locate sources of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination, was very well received. The use of the Vapor Pin, combined with collecting soil gas into disposable, evacuated glass vials, allowed us to collect approximately 240 samples over the entire building footprint in one week, using only hand-held equipment.

As we've seen at other sites, VOC contamination at this site was not located beneath former degreasing operations or storage tanks. Instead, using aerial photos and historic maps to reconstruct the building's history, we found that the contamination was located where loading docks and back doors used to be prior to building expansion. Before the Clean Water Act in 1977, it was accepted practice to dump used solvents on the ground - commonly through the nearest door. By now it's unlikely that any present employees remember dumping of waste, or would be comfortable discussing it if they did. But by sampling subslab soil gas in a grid over the entire building, and tying the analytical results to the building expansion history, we located an unsuspected source of VOCs and determined that it probably resulted from spillage or dumping prior to 1952. Better yet, the sample points were installed, sampled, and plugged each day at minimal cost and without interrupting plant operations. And when we're done locating sources, the soil-gas data will be useful for assessing vapor intrusion.

EPA to Study Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources

EPA recently published its plans to conduct a comprehensive national study on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. The study will evaluate the impacts associated with the entire hydraulic fracturing water life cycle. The results, which will be available in 2014, have the potential to significantly impact the perception and regulation of hydraulic fracturing.
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Vapor Pin Video

FINALLY! Sub-slab vapor sampling equipment that installs in minutes, eliminates the need for grout or other adhesives, and is easily retrieved for reuse.

See for yourself just how easy it is to install, use, and retrieve Cox-Colvin's patented Vapor Pin sub-slab vapor sampling device!

For more information on the Vapor Pin, click here.

Cox-Colvin Announces Commercial Release of the Vapor Pin™ - An Innovative Sub-slab Soil Gas Sampling Device

Cox-Colvin proudly announces the commercial release of the Vapor Pin, a patented, reusable sub-slab soil-gas sampling device that eliminates many of the frustrations associated with traditional sub-slab vapor sampling methods. Because of its ease and speed of installation, sample collection, extraction, and reuse, we believe the Vapor Pin will become the new standard for sub-slab soil gas sampling.
Click here for Vapor Pin Press Release.
Click here for more information on the Vapor Pin.

Cox-Colvin to present posters at RemTEC Summit 2011

Two Cox-Colvin & Associates Principal Scientists are heading to Chicago this week to present posters at the RemTEC Summit 2011 on May 17 - 19. George Colvin, Vice President of Cox-Colvin, will present a poster titled "Benefits of Incorporating GSR Concepts into an Inherently Less Green and Sustainable Alternative: Case Study on a HVDPE System". Craig Cox, President of Cox-Colvin, will present a poster titled "Methods for Dissecting Large Commingled VOC Plumes".

C0x-Colvin also will be exhibiting at RemTEC Summit 2011. Visit us at Booth 59 and check out the Vapor PinTM - Cox-Colvin's new innovative sub-slab vapor sampling device!

Additional Labs VAP-Certified for Cis-DCE in Air

In August of last year our newsletter discussed the fact that only one lab was certified to analyze cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) in air under Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP). Cis-DCE is a breakdown product of tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE),which are present at more than half of all RCRA sites, and is a ubiquitous constituent of concern in vapor-intrusion investigations. Unfortunately, cis-DCE has long been an orphan in the regulations, since it is a breakdown product and rarely or never a manufactured product. Many of us are familiar with the phrase “Appendix IX-plus-CIS” when discussing groundwater under RCRA. Until recently, only one lab was certified to analyze cis-DCE in air under Ohio’s VAP, and it used EPA Method 8260, which was designed for groundwater, not air.

TestAmerica’s Knoxville lab and Pace’s Indianapolis lab are now certified for cis-DCE in air under the Ohio VAP. Both use EPA Method TO-15, which is specifically designed for air and gives more accurate results. The availability of two new labs will allow far more flexibility for air sampling, and will prove to be especially helpful when dealing with vapor intrusion issues.