clean impact
REMEDIATION AND ENERGY ISSUE TACKLING SUPERFUND SITES Taplin tackles the second phase of a major legacy contamination project associated with Kalamazoo’s historic papermill days
DECOMMISSIONING ENDEAVORS
Multiple sites, dozens of storage tanks and supply lines and an impressive compliment from the Department of Interior
ABANDONED WELLS AND OIL SPILLS
Emergency oil spill response for EGLE and capping a leaking abandoned well
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES | REMEDIATION | ABATEMENT UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE | ENERGY
FALL/WINTER 2023
ELK TR CKS
CHEMICAL COMPANY IMPACTED SOIL REMEDIATION SUPERFUND SITE WITH LEGACY CONTAMINATION IN WYOMING, MI
The purpose of this project was to remediate impacted soil from the former operation of a chemical company located in west Michigan. The 5-acre site was a bulk chemical transfer and repackaging plant from 1952 to 1991. Prior to 1963, the company discharged its wastewater into the ground. Chemical spillage and leaks from underground storage tanks also contributed to soil and groundwater contamination. The soil and groundwater are contaminated with metals
and several organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), ethylbenzene, toluene, benzene, and xylene. In 1981, residential wells near the site were found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 1983, the site was declared a superfund. Residents of the city of Wyoming are connected to the public water supply system providing Lake Michigan water, so there are no immediate health threats associated with this site. However, soil contamination exists outside 2
the fenced property boundary, and groundwater contamination continues to move. A city-owned park, which has a lake used for recreational activities, is located downgradient. The project highlights included: • Demolishing abandoned buildings and sheds on the project site. • Excavation, transportation and disposal of nearly 69,000 tons of impacted soil. • Conducted regular odor (VOC) control measures to prevent fugitive odors on adjacent
residential properties. • Utilized temporary excavation support around the perimeter allowing vertical excavation walls to a depth up to 20 feet below ground level. • Backfilled excavation with approximately 52,000 cubic yards of clean sand backfill. • Placed and mixed 750 tons of Bio-Absorbent Media (BAM) in the bottom two feet of the excavation to absorb and remediate remnant VOC’s from the underlying groundwater. • Removed multiple unanticipated obstructions to work including purge and monitoring wells and abandoned underground storage tanks. Of particular importance was preventing disruption to the adjacent school and residential properties near the site. Once all excavation was complete and backfilled with sand, a layer of topsoil was placed and graded to provide appropriate coverage for hydroseeding. Despite multiple delays at the beginning of the project while waiting for the local utility disconnects, the project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
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KALAMAZOO DISTRICT ORPHAN WELL PROJECT
FACILITY DECOMMISSIONING AND SITE RESTORATION The Kalamazoo District Facility Decommissioning and Restoration Project was a State of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) endeavor that took place at (6) locations in Oceana and Newaygo Counties, Michigan. The main purpose of the project was to drain, clean and remove oil storage tanks, flow lines, vessels, containments, concrete pads, and other equipment that have been on these locations for many years, as most of these tank battery locations were part of abandoned wells. The project began in April 2023 and concluded in August 2023. The (6) site locations were scattered around Oceana and Newaygo Counties in various areas, mostly rural, agricultural areas. This project was part of federal funding provided by the Department of Interior. During the course of the project, representatives from the Department of Interior visited the sites and were very pleased with the quality of work that Taplin was executing.
When crews arrived on each site, they would remove any fluids left in the tanks and take that material for disposal, clean the tanks and vessels, clean and remove the flow lines and transport all salvageable materials to the salvage yard, which included steel flow lines, tanks, and vessels. For at least (3) of the locations, Taplin was required to solidify the material removed from the tanks, prior to disposal. Once the tanks etc. were removed, any impacted soil would be excavated and transported for disposal. Finally, the locations would be restored and seeded in a way that most would have no idea that a tank battery was ever there. The Taplin crew was made up of a Superintendent, (2) operators and (1) laborer. Roll-off drivers and a fill in tanker driver were used intermittently. An excavator with a thumb attachment, skid steer, mini-excavator, tractor, low boy and stainless steel tanker were on-site for all operations to complete the work.
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PLAINWELL DAM SPILLWAY REMOVAL AND CHANNEL RESTORATION Taplin was contracted to perform the removal of a former hydroelectric dam spillway and remediation of PCB contaminated sediment with shoreline restoration along the Kalamazoo River. In 1903, the Consumers Energy Corporation (CEC) constructed Plainwell No. 1 Dam on the Kalamazoo River in Gun Plain and Otsego Townships, MI to generate hydroelectric power. In 1966, CEC ceased hydroelectric generation, and in 1976 gifted the dam and impoundment area to the state of Michigan.
In the 1980s, the state of Michigan lowered a portion of the dam, beginning the drawdown of the impoundment. In 1990, a portion of the Kalamazoo River was declared a superfund site because of PCB contamination caused by various paper mill and other factories historically located along the river. In 2007/2008, the dam and powerhouse were removed by Taplin (then known as Terra), and a 190-foot wide channel was constructed and sediment contaminated above actionable 6
levels was removed. The current project focus is to remove the remaining concrete spillway, reduce water velocities to minimize erosion, improve fish habitat, and stabilize banks on site. These project goals will be achieved by removing the existing concrete spillway, widening the Kalamazoo River and reestablishing floodplain benches, constructing wood habitat structures and channel bar features, and restoring the site with seeding and plantings. Taplin will provide excavation
REMOVAL OF FORMER HYDROELECTRIC DAM SPILLWAY AND REMEDIATION OF PCB CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT WITH SHORELINE RESTORATION.
of all sediment materials down to the target elevations shown on the plans as well as all sediment stabilization/dewatering, staging, transportation, and disposal of contaminated in-situ materials. Temporary coffer dams and turbidity curtains will be installed to facilitate construction of stabilized bank structures and the creation of new floodplain areas in 4 different wetlands along the Kalamazoo River totaling nearly 7 acres. GPS technology will be used extensively in operations. The project is expected to be completed in early 2024.
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SAFETY SPOTLIGHT:
HARDHAT STICKERS FOR SAFETY Since 2021 Taplin has utilized a Safety Award program in the form of a hardhat sticker denoting recognition of excellence. Employees who earn stickers are eligible for year-end prizes. The Taplin safety award program recognizes and rewards employees who consistently use safety best practices that help reduce losses and prevent injuries. The purpose of the program is to acknowledge safe habits and to promote quality work and adherance to Taplin’s safety protocols.
UPCOMING CONFERENCES: WHERE TO FIND US EXHIBITING AND TRAINING See you there!
WWETT 2024 Conference January 24-26 Indianapolis, IN Wastewater Administrators Conference January 25-26 Frankenmuth, MI Joint Expo & Operator Days February 6-7th Lansing, MI Michigan Assoc. of County Drain Commissioners Conf. February 14-16 Kalamazoo, MI
Updating JSA’s, stop work instances that prevent a potential loss, and quality LPO’s written by field staff all earn recognition. Since its inception, Taplin has awarded nearly 200 stickers to employees for various safe acts and habits preventing loss and injury.
2024
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Michigan Manufacturers Association Operations Conference March 14 @ The Lansing Center WEF Collection Systems and Stormwater Conference Join us! April 9-12 Hartford, CT Michigan HAZMAT Responder Conference April 15-17 Grand Rapids, MI AWMA West Michigan Annual Spring Conference World of Coal Ash Conference May 13-16 Grand Rapids, MI 8
NEW KALAMAZOO SHOP FACILITIES
THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR EVERY JOB:
Work is well underway for our brand new shop and maintenance facility in Kalamazoo! The 41,000 sq ft facility is scheduled to be up and running by early 2024 and will house our equipment maintenance garage, fabrication shop, wash bays, parts warehouse, storage bays and more.
new tech and taplin equipment ready to serve you CUES SFX Platform MSI Multisensor Inspection Float Tool for Sewer Inspection
The DUC Cues Sidescan Camera system offers a wide-angle lens collecting images every 2”, overlapping the images creating a continuous image enabling a technician to complete an in-depth report including PACP coding, and precise measurements of defects. The LiDAR component of the unit provides laser profiling of the pipe. Using a high frequency emitter/receiver, LiDAR creates a highly accurate image for conditional assessment of sewer lines. It can highlight cracks and fractures, joint integrity and even surface roughness otherwise not visible. The accuracy of the LiDAR technology vs. conventional laser profiling offered on other multisensor platforms is unparalleled. The Acrustat air monitor is a small piece of equipment that is attached to the transporter and traverses the pipe as the inspection process happens. The air monitor is set to 1 second intervals and creates a log on the device that can then be downloaded to generate graphs and charts from the data collected. This data is most beneficial in tracking H2S levels in wastewater systems. This data is especially important with systems that have liners or older pipes.
Sonar applications on the tool use sound waves to penetrate the flow and collect data on sediment/debris levels underneath the flow that would otherwise be undetectable by standard inspections. Sonar is also able to detect large voids and fractures underneath the flow. When all of this combined data is laid on top of one another, the equipment and software provide a highly detailed and accurate comprehensive conditional assessment of the wastewater systems Taplin inspects. This new technology has already been utilized on the following projects: > Macomb County - 70,000 ft of 60-132” pipe over the course of 2.5 months in 2023. Taplin has collected valuable data about sediment levels and structural integrity of one of Macomb County’s main interceptor systems. > Cedar Rapids - Over 10,000 ft of MSI data collected for not only large interceptors but also the main interceptor that runs into their WWTP. Having the ability to provide such accurate and comprehensive data to our customers offers endless opportunties for Taplin to provide a full range of sewer services from inspection to large diameter cleaning now and into the future.
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On April 13, 2023, the State of Michigan’s Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy Division contacted Taplin Group regarding a oil sheen discovered in a man-made lake that was adjacent to the Grand River in Jenison, Michigan. In the days leading up to the 13th, the area sustained heavy rains, which caused the Grand River to overflow its banks, then consequently overflow into the manmade lake, raising to abnormally high levels, which then flooded inland. This increased lake level impacted (3) plugged oil wells that were in shallow areas near the natural shoreline until the
EMERGENCY OIL SPILL RESPONSE: JENISON, MI | CONTAINMENT AND WELL PLUGGING
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lake levels rose. High levels allowed water to enter the well station pipes. This normally would not be an issued, but the well owners did not plug the wells properly. As a result, the inflow of water caused the wells to “burp” oil and discharge into the lake. It was estimated to be approximately 2000-5000 gallons of oil entered the lake. This combined with the rapidly rising waters, allowed the oil sheen to traverse a large area of upland, impacting nearby woods and a lower marsh area. Within a day of the lake level cresting, it receded leaving behind a large, impacted area. Taplin Group was contracted by the State of Michigan to first contain the area around the wells to prevent any future spill outs. Following the well containment, Taplin disbursed approximately 1,600 LF of oil boom to contain the oil coming off the shoreline as the waters receded to prevent further spread into the lake. Once all the containment efforts were complete, the skimming of the water to remove the oil sheen started. Simultaneously to the skimming efforts, Taplin began excavating impacted soils at the shoreline per EGLE’s direction. As the efforts continued, the State and Local Officials discovered that the oil sheen went further inland than originally thought. This new discovery required Taplin to respond with additional personnel, excavating equipment and absorbents to clean up trees and excavate impacted soils further inland, including the marsh area. The initial response, containment and remedial clean up was completed by 4/29. Resulting in 8,000 gallons of liquid disposal, 120 tons of impacted soil disposal, and 3,000 linear feet of absorbent boom deployed. 100% of this was completed by Taplin personnel and Taplin owned equipment.
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TAPLIN ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 5140 W Michigan Ave. Kalamazoo, MI 49006 Phone: 269-375-9595 www.TaplinGroup.com