New O-Field is a 20-acre site formerly used for chemical munitions and hazardous waste disposal (e.g., metals, solvents, and dioxins) from the 1950s through the 1970s. In 2009, EA entered into a performance-based contract to complete CERCLA response actions at this site. Based on a value engineering study conducted by EA, an alternate remedy was developed consisting of a multi-component (i.e., holistic) sustainable remedial solution that relied primarily on in situ remedies to establish conditions that degrade or immobilize contaminants of concern in groundwater and be protective of surface water (aquatic receptors), while representing a lower life cycle cost than the original remedy by $4 million. The revised remedy included a permeable soil cover over buried waste (to flush contaminants into the passive treatment zone and hydrolyze potential chemical agents), bio-beneficial sediment cover and wetland buffer over the bottom of the pond, in situ groundwater bio-enhancement, and development of an Exit Strategy. This successful design-build-operate project offered EA and other stakeholders the highest degree of flexibility to innovate and optimize with opportunity to incorporate sustainability, beneficial materials reuse, and lower life cycle cost elements into every phase of the project. The sustainable green remedial solution eliminated exposures, reduced risk of release, gradually reduced chemical volume and toxicity, maintained habitat, used naturally regenerating systems to minimize long-term maintenance and operations, maximized use of onsite materials, and minimized disposal costs.
