US Ecology : performs asbestos abatement on 118,000 square foot former manufacturing facility in Vermont

April 18, 2022

US Ecology is strategically located in the Northeast to service customers with turnkey solutions for asbestos, lead, PCBs and other hazardous materials. As part of a Brownfield Cleanup program, the City of St. Albans, VT contracted US Ecology to perform asbestos abatement, PCB remediation and demolition at a former manufacturing facility in St Albans, VT.

Upon assessment and development of a safe workplan, our team of professionals installed 2,300 linear feet of temporary chain link fence and erosion controls surrounding the project site. Mobilization activities included the installation of a vehicle decontamination pad along with the isolation and capping of site water and sewer utilities. We also air gapped and de-energized electrical services.

To allow access to restricted areas, we cleared and performed grubbing for select areas of the site. Following Vermont Department of Health asbestos regulations and procedures, US Ecology's certified asbestos technicians completed removal of friable asbestos materials prior to structure demolition. Approximately 11 tons of friable asbestos waste was removed from various structure locations and disposed of at our permitted disposal facility in Rochester, NH.

The building was prepared for demolition by performing a thorough cleaning of all floors and floor drains to remove potential contaminated sediment, soil and sludge. Our teams then added dust control measures including sealing any penetrations or holes to prevent transfer of dust control liquids.

Demolition of industrial structures like this generate a sizable amount of waste and debris for waste management. US Ecology always chooses the optimal technologies to manage waste in the safest, most compliant and most sustainable manner. Whenever possible, US Ecology applies methods that re-use and recycle materials. Our team segregated 165 tons of scrap metal and loaded it into trucks to be transported to a nearby recycling facility. 175 tons of PCB contaminated concrete with concentrations of <50 parts per million (PPM) within the facility was excavated and transported for disposal as hazardous waste.

Followed by the transportation and disposal of almost 270 tons of PCB contaminated soil and non-hazardous building demolition debris. Concurrently, additional US Ecology crews performed the consolidation, profiling, packaging, transportation and safe disposal of various universal waste found throughout the facility.

At the conclusion of the project, a permanent 1,200-linear foot chain link fence was installed around a section of the remaining concrete slab that had low-level PCB contamination. From the 1920's through the 1970s, PCBs were used in the manufacturing of electrical transformers and other electrical equipment until the commercial production of PCBs ended in 1977 because of health effects associated with exposure. The slab was covered with polyethylene sheeting, sealed and then weighted with rounded river stone. This area will be addressed in a future remediation project.

Our large environmental services portfolio enabled us to self-perform not only the asbestos abatement but also demolition and remediation, creating a turnkey service offering for the customer that reduced costs and ensured convenience, compliance and reduced risk of using one trusted partner with 70 years of experience for all phases of the project.

US Ecology is an industry leader offering innovative single-source solutions for all your environmental service needs. Our technicians are extensively trained and certified to perform abatement, removal, recycling and disposal of a variety of hazardous substances and building materials including friable and non-friable asbestos, lead-based paint and coatings, regulated gypsum products, mold and products containing PCBs, heavy metals and guano. To learn more about our industrial services, contact us at [phone] or visit us online at https://www.usecology.com/page/asbestos-abatement-page