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REMEDY OPTIMIZATION AND COST CONTROL AT THE ACME SOLVENTS SITE

Every consent decree mandated deadline was met or exceeded and the project is on time and on budget. This paper illustrates how establishing a true team approach with the regulatory agencies can lower RD/RA costs. The Acme Solvents PRPs realized savings of approximately $1.7 million during LTTS when NES identified a lower cost alternative LTTS technology and assisted the group in negotiating contract terms that placed the risk for the success of the technology on the contractor. Material containing unexpectedly high concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds was uncovered.

Treatment of these concentrated materials by LTTS would reduce production and increase residual volumes requiring solidification/stabilization and thereby a significant cost increase. NES petitioned the EPA to modify the ROD permitting the concentrated material to be treated off-site by incineration. Hydrogeologic conditions encountered during installation of the ground water extraction system would have resulted in significant increases in costs if installed as originally designed.

NES identified an alternative system with the design engineer and obtained approval from EPA Region V for design modifications which met the intent of the ROD and maintained project cost within the established budget. The ROD proposed a bedrock vapor extraction system that was shown to not be required, saving the PRPs over $1.5 to $2 million.

Key words: contaminated soils, team approach, solidification, stabilization