Approximately 650,000 metric tonnes of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminated soil and liquid petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil was remediated via ex-situ methods from several former tank farm sites at 5 Wing Goose Bay. Defence Construction Canada (DCC) managed the projects as part of the Department of National Defence’s (DND) Goose Bay Remediation Project (GBRP). Nordlys Environmental, LP (Nordlys) was contracted by DCC to execute five of the GBRP’s soil remediation projects, which spanned over seven years, from 2013 to 2019. Tender and construction phase support was provided by Wood PLC (formally Amec). Techniques used for remediation was primarily ex-situ bioremediation, with contingency applications, such as ex-situ chemical oxidation, also being utilized both as a batch process and a continuous method via a process plant. This multi-year program at a remote northern location was successfully completed on schedule, with most of the impacted soil treated and re-instated at the sites.

The project execution process generated important lessons learned from both contractor’s and owner’s perspectives that can be valuable for future projects, especially at Northern locations. These include technical items associated with upfront characterization/delineation, communication protocols, soil handling and management, cold weather bioremediation, 24-hour plant operations in a Northern setting, performance monitoring/validation and recalcitrant soil disposition.

Lessons were also learned from logistical challenges related to the project’s remote Northern location, such as site access, resource management, supply reliability and lack of niche technical expertise. These challenges were exacerbated through competition from other large-scale projects taking place at the same time locally for the same local talent pool and resources.

Lessons learned, insights gained, and experience and familiarity with the local setting helped to improve and optimize the work and approaches used in each of the subsequent projects as the program progressed. As lessons learned were applied with each new project, measurable benefits were realized, such as reduced scope and cost growth, faster treatment timelines and efficiency, and overall smoother execution of the work.

The successful implementation of this program hinged on absorbing and applying these lessons learned. This was possible through a collaborative effort between DND, DCC, Nordlys, and Wood PLC, with a combined vision of successful completion of the projects that benefited all parties.

Shouvik Gangopadhyay, Deputy Program Manager, Nordlys Environmental, LP
Shouvik Gangopadhyay is a Deputy Program Manager with Nordlys Environmental, LP. His primary focus has been managing ECC’s Canadian environmental portfolio through joint ventures such as Nordlys Environmental, LP and ECC/QM LP. Prior to his current role, he served as the Senior Project Manager of the Solidification/Stabilization of Contaminated Sediments at the Sydney Tar Ponds project. He also has extensive experience managing United States Department of Defense projects at various military facilities and has also been involved with work outside North America in Kuwait and the in the Former Soviet Union. Prior to his 26 years of working in environmental remediation Shouvik obtained a Master of Science from Duke University and a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology.

3-D printing is a novel tool for communicating environmental data and this demonstration presentation will introduce the technology to conference attendees, show case studies where these have been used, and allow hands-on interaction with five to ten different 3-D printed models representing a variety of potential applications. 3-D printing is a powerful tool for creating physical models of 3-D structures that exist solely in digital form and has applications in many steps of the federal contaminated sites process. While the use of 3-D modeling software to visualize environmental data is becoming increasingly common, digital 3-D models can only be viewed on a computer screen using specialized software or as 2-dimensional figures. 3-D printing is a unique and innovative way to leverage these digital 3-D models for the creation of physical scale models. These physical scale models are very useful for communicating complex ideas to stakeholders, regulators and for community engagement.

The printing process starts with a digital 3-D mesh file. The 3-D mesh file is then "sliced" using specialized software which then generates a tool path for each layer. A 3-D printer then uses this input file to deposit a sub-millimeter bead of melted plastic onto a glass plate to build the shape layer by layer. The resulting models can capture the attention of the intended audience and communicate complex, 3-dimensional environmental data unlike any other visualization tool. Applications for 3-D printing for environmental projects include: geologic block models; landfill scale models; models generated from high resolution site characterization datasets; and, complex 3-D conceptual site models coupling geology and contaminants.

These models can be used to communicate with stakeholders, regulators, and community members. They can provide design efficiencies for stakeholders and project team members and help governments streamline and enhance the public involvement process on large, complex environmental remediation projects. Public engagement is key to the success of government infrastructure projects and 3-D printed models allow the sharing of understandable but technically complex design information. Having a physical representation of your project that can be viewed from all angles, handled, dismantled to show inner or lower layers, facilitates visualization of the project and conveys complex details in a universally effective way. Stakeholder and community engagement and participation can be greatly increased by using these models.

Suzanne O’Hara, Senior Hydrogeologist, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
Suzanne O’Hara is a contaminant hydrogeologist with over 20 years of experience focusing on investigation and remediation of groundwater and soil using innovative and more conventional technologies. She has directed, managed, or provided technical support for multiple projects ranging from overall strategy development, site investigation, remedial design, costing, implementation, and conceptual site model development. Her technical expertise involves contaminant fate and transport in fractured porous media and use of innovative in-situ remediation technologies for complex sites, including use of three-dimensional data visualization tools for mapping contaminants in the subsurface.