PFAS soil management plan

Challenge

After a malfunction of a fire suppression system at a major airline air cargo facility in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, the State of Alaska required a submittal of soil management plan (SMP) detailing how PFAS-impacted soil (generated during hardstand upgrades) would be handled.

The initial estimate for soil disposal based on the anticipated volume of excess soil made the project uneconomic.

The client wanted SLR to develop an SMP that would achieve regulatory approval and reduce the over cost for soil management.

Solution

This major airline is one of our long-standing clients and we have successfully supported their environmental and property development groups over the years.

We developed and negotiated the SMP with the State, completed preconstruction drilling to delineate potential PFAS impacts, oversaw soil segregation and stockpiling, collected samples for waste characterization, prepared reports recommending disposal and treatment, and contracted vendor for soil transport, thermal treatment and disposal.

Rather than requiring large volumes of soil to be treated for disposal, the regulators accepted our approach to stockpiling and testing which significantly reduced the volume of soil needing treatment.

The client was very satisfied as we significantly reduced the soil disposal fee, making the project economically viable.

Impact

The regulator approved creating smaller stockpiles for testing. This required more sampling than might have been required if the soil had been placed in larger piles but in the end, it significantly reduced the volume of soil needing treatment.

The actual cost for disposal was reduced by nearly 70%.

The new hardstands have allowed the airline to improve the efficiency of their air cargo facility in Anchorage, including the ability to accommodate larger aircraft and ultimately more cargo.