Site remediation projects deal with a wide spectrum of environmental data, including data collected during site assessment, execution of remediation activities, and monitoring implementation. With this in mind, an appropriate data management strategy is required as a key feature of well-grounded decision making for remediation practitioners. The Saskatchewan Research Council’s (SRC) Integrated Data Management System (IDMS) was developed to address all data management aspects including data collection, quality control, data transfer, storage, visualization, processing, analysis, and real-time reporting. The IDMS is a combination of enterprise and desktop level data management and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools assembled to assist and ensure decision making in relation to required mitigation measures and assessment of site remediation success. The IDMS is also directly connected to SRC Environmental Analytical’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) so sample data can be directly input into the database to enhance the quality control and avoid human transcription errors.

The IDMS has been developed and successfully implemented for the Project CLEANS (Clean-up of Abandoned Northern Mines) to support assessment and reclamation of 37 uranium mine sites in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The IDMS has effectively facilitated integrated decision-making for CLEANS project managers and transparency amongst stakeholders.

Ian Wilson, Remediation Manager at the Saskatchewan Research Council
Ian Wilson is the Remediation Manager at the Saskatchewan Research Council, where he leads a team tasked with the assessment and remediation of 37 former Cold War legacy uranium mine and mill sites. Ian has an MBA from London School of Business and Finance, a post graduate certificate from Cornell University, and a B.Sc. from Royal Roads University. Ian has more than 18 years of environmental remediation experience and has successfully managed more than 100 assessment, remediation and site decommissioning projects around the world. His areas of expertise include remediation design, remediation project management, cost estimation, structural demolition, mine closure, stakeholder engagement, and waste management.

Establishing and maintaining a functional Geographic Information System (GIS) is crucial (at times, central) to the operation of an organization, potentially creating multiples of added value for the organization. The health of a GIS is often undermined by challenges in data quality and up-to-date-ness, which often require the allocation of considerable resources. Errors, incompleteness, lack of consistency and precision are some of the issues undermining GIS’s outputs. Various studies indicate that managing and improving spatial data quality (SDQ) can be an expensive task that if not properly addressed can lead to even more expensive repercussions for example in terms of litigation.

One of the main components of any GIS is a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) that, among other functions, manages the data and their complex relationships in GIS. GIS data can include both spatial data (data with locational information) and non-spatial data. Through their RDBMS, GISs are therefore capable of managing additional organizational data including technical and operational data.

The possession of a healthy GIS is only the “first step” and significant added value can be achieved by tools – at times custom-designed – that could considerably improve organizational operations such as decision making. Decision Support Tools, or DSTs provide invaluable assistance to various users and stakeholders in making informed decisions on contaminated sites management in an efficient manner.

The Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) has developed best practices and tools to establish and support a healthy GIS. ESG has recently developed the Guideline Comparison and Exceedance Detection (GCED) tool, a DST that uses GIS and its RDBMS to identify exceedances in contaminant concertation as per provincial and federal guidelines. GCED further analyzes the data against a pre-defined dataset of contaminant of potential concern (COPC) to further ‘flag’ COPCs for a specific medium (matrix) and area (zone). GCED not only reduces error from user’s operation, by being automated it enables quick updating and interactive adjustments in guidelines and parameters helping decision makers to obtain additional insights through its graphical user interface (GUI).

Amin Zargar, GIS Researcher, Environmental Sciences Group, Royal Military College of Canada
Amin Zargar, PhD, P.Eng., has background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hydro-environmental engineering. He joined Environmental Sciences Group (ESG) in June 2019. His past work/research include developing machine-learning-based algorithms for GIS classification applications and modeling climate change effects on hydrological extremes in BC. He endeavors to apply machine learning and smart algorithms in improving efficiency and depth of knowledge in hydro-environmental analysis.

Arcadis Canada Inc. was involved in the installation of high voltage infrastructure in a southern Ontario project for a private client. The scope of work included the directional boring under an active manufacturing facility, exterior trenching and installation of manholes and connecting conduits into a main substation. All materials excavated through the boring and trench excavation were considered impacted and were tracked using the TraceNet solution from the private facility to the receiving facilities.

TraceNet is an innovative application that allows stakeholders involved in the management of materials to have a real-time electronic traceability between the project site and the receiving sites (i.e., treatment facilities, landfills). With the creation of electronic transactions by the field technician, all stakeholders involved in a project can be connected and follow in real-time the transactions and the movement of trucks. The application also allows the integration of the project’s data, for an effective integrated project management.

TraceNet is designed with the latest information technologies such as: the Internet of Things (IoT); GPS tracking in real-time; geolocalisation and geofencing; and, use of mobile devices to offer the industry a powerful and effective application.

Well implemented in Quebec, this project was an opportunity to introduce TraceNet for the first time in Ontario. The following objectives were pursued:

Introduce a new technological tool into a real environment project in Ontario;
Integrate the electronic traceability of materials into operations and observe the behaviour of the various stakeholders (project manager, field technician, truck drivers, receiving sites, owner);
Verify the functionality and efficiency of the features of the application; and,
Validate the effectiveness of the application for the proper disposal of the contaminated soils according to customer expectations.

For this project, vacuum-type trucks were added to TraceNet as the hydro-excavation technique was used to extract the contaminated soils. In addition, Ontario soil standards have been added in the platform to meet the regulatory requirements of the MECP. The system was user friendly and easy to use on site allowing for quick interface with the drivers. As the drivers were not required to make large amount of inputs and the information was mostly controlled by the supervisory staff on site the system was largely accepted by the truckers. Eleven electronic manifests were created on the platform by the field technician and for which it was possible to track the trucks to their final destination.

The pilot project produced positive results as we were able to watch the transport in real-time, monitor multiple waste streams, and provide daily material monitoring to the owner. This ability enabled flawless source to destination traceability and in turn gave Arcadis and Client the confidence that materials were being managed appropriately.

Martin Beaudoin, Arcadis Canada Inc.
Martin Beaudoin has over 19 years of project management experience and has specific expertise in-situ and ex-situ site remediation, environmental assessments, air quality assessments, and compliance monitoring. Martin is a principal engineer and project manager responsible for the evaluation and management of site remediation projects with complex environmental conditions. He is currently responsible for project budgets, regulatory interaction and subcontractor management on several multi-million-dollar projects. He has supervised the design, installation and operation of soil and groundwater treatment systems for several sites within the municipal, federal and private sectors. Martin has experience evaluating remediation options, conducting feasibility studies including laboratory and pilot testing, and conducting supervision of fieldwork for site investigations, treatment system installations and systems operation and maintenance. Martin is managing client accounts in the environmental industry and as part of his responsibilities, he is developing the remediation capabilities within Arcadis by leveraging new technologies.

When an environmental emergency arises, such as an oil spill on land or water or a train derailment releasing hazardous materials or dangerous goods, quick action response is critical to successful management of the incident, and mitigation of impacts to human health and the environment. Information management is a key component of this achievement. Through project profiles, GHD will breakdown the data management services provided to several clients during environmental emergencies, including federally regulated entities. These project examples will demonstrate how innovative technologies are used to manage data quickly and effectively, resulting in accurate and defensible data, efficient data interpretation, and clear communication of results; all of which allow for quick and successful decision making. The case studies will profile GHD FIRST, their dedicated team of environmental, industrial hygiene, and emergency management professionals, which provides emergency environmental response and preparedness services. These services include real-time data collection, management, interpretation, and dissemination to stakeholders involved. Use of data-driven visualization models, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and geo-referenced GIS databases, will be presented and how they provide effective management of environmental emergencies. Other tools used for successful data management including overlay 3D models (plumes), camera tracking technology of 3-D models with UAV aerial footage will also be reviewed.

Michelle Uyeda, Senior Environmental Professional Engineer, GHD
Michelle Uyeda is a BC Contaminated Sites Approved Professional with over 25 years' technical expertise on contaminated sites, waste management, and environmental projects, 20 years of which have been in British Columbia. She is a Senior Environmental Professional Engineer with GHD in the Vancouver office and completed a Masters in Hydrogeology at Université Laval. She has a solid understanding of BC Regulatory environment and provides senior technical and regulatory review of environmental projects, including site assessments, remedial planning and design and hydrogeological assessments. Michelle has worked with a wide range of clients, including federally regulated clients, provincial and municipal governments and private commercial and industrial clients, both in urban settings and remote areas of BC.