Title: Accessing Difficult Geology for Characterization and Injection Using the GeoTAP Method

Presented By:

The NYSCPG is excited to offer our Fourth Quarterly Geo Insights webinar with the opportunity to earn 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH). Check out the Events Page on our website for future webinars in this series.

Member Registration: $20
Non-Member Registration:$30

This presentation will highlight an innovative in-situ remediation technique that has been used within the region and nationally to access challenging geologies such as weathered bedrock, gravel, glacial till, and fill material where direct push technology (DPT) alone cannot be used due to shallow refusal.  DPT is a staple of our work in the in-situ remediation field and provides rapid rod advancement for sampling or remediation purposes. However, even with larger and more powerful DPT rigs on the market, there are sites within the region where DPT cannot reach the terminating unconsolidated depth(s) of the contamination. Since injection wells cannot be used for all remedial amendments, in particular slurries, an alternative approach was developed that combines traditional drilling and DPT techniques. First, a traditional drilling unit (e.g. rotosonic or hollow stem auger) advances through the DPT refusal zone to the desired total depth. Secondly, the borehole is backfilled with hydrated bentonite and allowed to be cured 24-48 hours. Lastly, DPT is used to advance through the borehole and high energy injection techniques are used to emplace the reagent into the formation. As noted above, this technique has been successfully used on multiple sites within the region (NJ, NY and PA) to advance through weathered bedrock, gravel, glacial till, and fill material to treat both chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons, including NAPL. Several of these projects will be highlighted in the presentation with background, design, and implementation information provided as well as post-injection groundwater results.

Attendees must keep cameras on, microphones muted, and answer all questions throughout presentation in order to receive credit. Please contact us at support@nyscpg.com if you have questions or concerns.

Speakers:

Bill Brab, PG, is a Senior Remediation Geologist for AST Environmental, Inc. in Midway, Kentucky with over 23 years of experience in environmental geology and site remediation. Bill is an expert in fractured bedrock characterization and is a recognized authority in Kentucky and Tennessee for his investigation and remediation of karst geology. He moved from environmental consulting to AST in 2011 and quickly assisted in distinguishing AST as the leading in-situ remediation technology company in the marketplace- a unique injection approach involving high resolution sampling, detailed conceptual site models, intricate and combined-remedy designs, and injection techniques.

Previously, Bill worked for a local Environmental Consulting firm in Lexington, Kentucky performing Underground Storage Tank (UST) compliance services- soil and groundwater assessment, evaluation of corrective action technologies, bulk soil and UST removals, in-situ remedial injections, and remedial systems operation and maintenance. He has provided technical oversight and on-site supervision of emergency response, free product recovery, initial abatement, and Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments, plus QA/QC for regulatory compliance and representation of clients and programs encompassing private industry, local, state, and federal agencies in several states.

Bill graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Geological and Earth Sciences and holds Professional Geologist licenses in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama a Certified Professional Geologist. He currently oversees and mentors four junior geologists for advancing career development at AST, he is a Kentucky Governor appointed Executive Board Member for the Kentucky Board of Registration for Professional Geologists and serves as the Treasurer for the Kentucky Section of The American Institute of Professional Geologists.

Derek Pizarro is a Senior Product Manager for AST Environmental, Inc. in Freehold, NJ. Derek has 21 years of experience in environmental applications, specifically bedrock contaminant characterization; contaminant transport studies; heavy metals remediation; permeable reactive barrier (PRB) design; and reagent bench-scale testing and design for environmental sites and industrial and utilities clients. He has participated in the testing and selection of contaminant remedies for multiple CERCLA sites, projects under the Pennsylvania Act 2 land recycling program, and hundreds of privately funded cleanups.

Previously, Derek served as General Manager and Environmental Products Director for a chemical manufacturer in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, developing chemistries for treatment of inorganic contaminants, sediment applications, and injectates for use in PRBs. He is responsible for creating a novel product used in the remediation of dredged sediments impacted with late-transition and post-transition heavy metals, making them directly suitable for non-hazardous landfilling or onsite disposal.

Derek received a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Environmental Geosciences and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Lafayette College in 2004. As an undergraduate, he was published twice regarding the utilization of new environmental characterization and mapping technologies in conjunction with structural geology investigations. His career started with a bedrock field services company before moving to an ENR Top 100 Environmental Design Firm. Derek is a technical board member for EnviroClass, EnviroWorkshops, and EnviroSummit. Formerly, he served on the American Foundry Society (AFS)- Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) committee (2011-2018) and launched Focused Remediation Seminars as a founding board member (2015-2018).