April 10, 2010 - EarthFax Provides Engineering Services to Close a Hazardous Waste Landfill at a Rocket Motor Manufacturing Facility

EarthFax Engineering, Inc. ("EarthFax") recently completed a project to investigate, remediate as necessary, and close a former drum burial site at a rocket-motor manufacturing facility in northern Utah.  Excavation of approximately 15,000 cubic yards of waste and debris at the site took place in 1985 and 1986 as an interim corrective action prior to official approval of a RCRA Facility Investigation plan.  However, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality determined that further work was needed at the site to demonstrate that closure was warranted.  Two goals of this project were to achieve regulatory closure of the site as a hazardous waste landfill and seek a closure that met residential screening standards for the contaminants of concern.

EarthFax performed a soil gas survey on a 50-foot grid spacing to identify areas of maximum contamination.  Following the soil gas survey, several shallow, medium, and deep boreholes were advanced at the site and soil samples were collected and analyzed to further identify the nature and distribution of residual contamination.  Of the 721 individual laboratory analyses conducted on samples collected from the site, only one analytical result exceeded EPA screening levels.  After negotiating with state regulatory agencies, closure of the site was granted in 2007 with deed restrictions that only allowed industrial land development to occur in the future.  However, following a subsequent change in screening levels, EarthFax assisted the client in petitioning the State for approval to remove the deed restriction and allow for residential land use in the future.  As a result of the petition, the client was granted a change in status in 2010.

EarthFax Engineering, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm that was founded in 1982, with offices in Midvale, Utah. The firm provides services in the areas of civil engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, geology, land reclamation, and environmental planning. Additional information regarding EarthFax can be found at www.earthfax.com.