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NewFields is an environmental, engineering, and construction management consulting firm. We provide access to a global network of recognized experts and professionals who work together to resolve our clients’ complex business needs.
LSRP PROGRAM PROGRESS REPORT
New Jersey enacted the Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) in May 2009, creating a class of licensed professionals known as Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRP). The LSRPs are authorized to manage, remediate and close contaminated sites with limited oversight from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
The SRRA key objective was to increase the pace of environmental projects, mitigate the threat of contamination to public health and the environment and to return underutilized properties to productive use. The SRRA program is a major success; between 2012 and 2017, the LSRP program remediated and closed more than 6,500 cases and private parties initiated the investigation of over 18,500 sites.
There are strict qualifications for the LSRP license. Each LSRP must have 10 years of experience with at least 1,000 hours per year over the past five years on active projects in New Jersey. Additionally, individuals must pass a skills test including technical, administrative and regulatory topics. Ultimately, each LSRP can close a portion of a site or the entire site by issuing a Response Action Outcome (RAO) document.
NewFields’ New Jersey office has three LSRPs: Bob Meehan, Dave Puchalski and Mike Percelay collectively responsible for dozens of projects. The New Jersey experts continue to gain experience with the SRRA program including documentation of professional judgement to reach case closure. Contact the New Jersey team with questions regarding the SRRA program to discuss a regulator’s perspective or to understand the SRRA documentation requirements.
MANAGING DREDGED MATERIAL IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
NewFields personnel in Edmonds, WA, provide support to the Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP), a multi-agency partnership that manages and regulates dredged material in Washington State. NewFields recently conducted environmental monitoring of the Commencement Bay dredged material disposal site, the most heavily used open-water disposal site in Puget Sound. Over the last 30 years, over 8.6 million cubic yards of dredged material has been taken to the site. In support of the DMMP’s plan to update the monitoring program for the next 30 years, NewFields presented a retrospective of lessons learned at the Commencement Bay site during the 2018 Sediment Management Annual Review Meeting hosted by the USACE Seattle District. READ MORE
Sediment Profile Imaging Services – For physical monitoring of Puget Sound dredged material disposal sites, the DMMP uses Sediment Profile Imaging (SPI), a rapid sediment imaging tool used to map the boundary of the dredged material deposits and assess impacts to the benthic habitat. SPI provides a cross-sectional image of the sediment/water interface and near-surface sediment (15 by 20 cm area) (https://www.newfields.com/sediment-profile-imaging/). In additional to disposal site monitoring, NewFields scientists have over 20 years of experience using SPI in support of sediment and benthic habitat evaluations for site baseline and impact assessments, monitoring for exploratory drilling, wood debris and fish waste impact evaluations, and effluent discharge monitoring. For additional information regarding NewFields SPI services please contact John Nakayama, [email protected].
SUCCESS! NEWFIELDS ATLANTA DE-LISTS SITE
A team from NewFields Atlanta, led by Kathi Wurzel and Lindsay Wallace, recently had a site de-listed from the Georgia Hazardous Site Inventory. The property owner, a purchaser who was not responsible for the contamination, hired NewFields to guide them through the Voluntary Remediation Program. Using 3-D modeling, NewFields demonstrated that no additional sampling was needed. Using historical research on building materials used in the early 1900s, risk assessment, engineering, and institutional controls, NewFields successfully delisted the site in just over a year.
A GROWING INDUSTRY
The NewFields Mining Design & Construction Management team has been expanding their staff resources to accommodate the growing mining industry. During the last quarter, NewFields has added several graduate engineers for office support; three in Reno, NV (Elle Grunenwald, Jacob Carter, and Drew Myers), two in Denver, CO (Angel Villar, and Harrison Pauley), and one in Elko, NV (Marcus Erdmann). The NewFields Hermosillo, Mexico office has also added two experienced engineers (Diego Gil Almada, and Gustavo Morales). In addition to the growth of office based staff, NewFields has expanded their resource pool to approximately 40 fully utilized contractors to support the Project and Construction Management (CM) Group, and the Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) service lines. The team is also in the process of establishing business entities in Ghana and Columbia to expand our ability to provide in-country field services.