Shelly Ditch Removal Action

On behalf of Raybestos Products Company (Raybestos), GEI completed a major removal action at the Shelly Ditch (the “Ditch”) located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The removal action was required pursuant to a Unilateral Administrative Order issued by EPA, requiring the removal and proper disposal of soils containing elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and lead in the Shelly Ditch from the Raybestos facility to Whitlock Avenue, a length of county drainage ditch extending in excess of 3,000 feet.

GEI collaborated with the contractor, to design the remedial actions for Reach II and Reach III of Shelly Ditch. Preliminary designs had been prepared by another consultant who had worked on Reach I. GEI and the contractor were retained as a team by the owner to control project costs. This collaboration resulted in a change to the design of the ditch lining that allowed the contractor to access the ditch directly without crossing adjacent residential properties, which both saved significant costs and improved community relations.

GEI was responsible for all engineering oversight and design modifications, collection of confirmatory and disposal characterization samples, and ensuring that contractor activities were conducted in accordance with the work plan. GEI also provided continuous air monitoring for PCB, lead and particulates during all remedial activities that could produce dust and/or airborne pollutants.

To address disposal of soils containing PCB, approval of a risk-based disposal alternative was requested from and granted by the USEPA. This alternative allowed the measurement of PCB concentrations of soils in stockpiles and disposal of soils based on PCB concentrations in stockpiled soils. Raybestos was able to recognize tremendous cost savings by use of this disposal alternative as compared to traditional in-situ disposal characterization sample collection.

GEI performed a great deal of the confirmation sampling on-site using a portable PCB analyzer. GEI’s use of this analyzer was instrumental in keeping the project duration to a minimum. The typical construction delays were avoided on a number of occasions because results of confirmation sampling were often available within hours of sample collection.

In total, 33,909 tons of impacted soil, debris, and stumps were excavated, characterized, and disposed. Of this, 5,824 tons were disposed as Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)-regulated or hazardous material. 28,084 tons were disposed as non-hazardous special waste. Total project costs exceeded $21,000,000.