Qepi was part of the Hannum Wagle & Cline and Jacobs Engineering team hired to conduct evaluations on portions of a new proposed interstate I-69 from central to southern Indiana. Our team’s section spans 28.9 miles across 3 counties in Indiana. Qepi was responsible for conducting Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement activities including a Floral and Fauna survey to document the presence of federal and state endangered, threatened and rare plant species. The survey also aimed at identifying unique natural habitats. Fall and spring bird surveys were conducted of the impact area in the Patoka River bottomlands in Pike and Gibson counties, Indiana. The objective of these bird surveys was to improve understanding of spring and fall occurrence and habitat use by resident and migrant birds in the Patoka River region on Section 2 of I-69. A hazardous waste survey was conducted for known and potential hazardous materials in the Section 2 corridor. Potential and known hazardous waste and materials locations were identified by reviewing several sources of data. Identified potential and known locations were then followed up with field verification. Aerial photographs of the subject area were overlaid with Geographic Information System (GIS) data from the Indiana Geological Survey’s (IGS) website.

A water quality survey was conducted by reviewing GIS information from a number of sources including public drinking water supply sites, both surface and underground water supplies, information on impaired streams, wellhead protection areas, and public water supply wells. Impacts to aquatic resources and water quality were evaluated for both short term impacts resulting from the construction of the highway as well as long term impacts of runoff and continual maintenance of the highway. The methodology followed in this EIS included research of available sources to identify potential karst areas that may be affected by the project. A review of existing dyetracing, cave density, and spring location information was conducted, and corridors have been altered to minimize impacts to these potentially sensitive karst features. Other activities included bat mist netting using Anabat utilization and radiotelemetry, and a bat roost bridge survey covering approximately 60 bridges within the 1,000 foot corridor of the proposed I-69 centerline.

Qepi has been contracted by the Indiana Department of Insurance to assess differential settlement of residential structures in relation to mine subsidence. As part of the assessment, Qepi staff review geological records and conduct site reconnaissance to evaluate the potential. In addition, continued monitoring of the site elevations and structures has been necessary to determine continued settlement and seasonal fluctuations.

Qepi was contracted by Industrial Pallet Corp. and American Fibertech to help bring them into stormwater and wastewater discharge compliance at their three Indiana facilities. These facilities consist of a pallet manufacturing facility, a pallet manufacturing/recycling/mulching facility, and a saw mill. Qepi performed site walkthroughs, sampled stormwater, performed stormwater flow analysis, applied for and received stormwater NPDES permits, recommended better management practices (BMPs), and wrote Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWP3s) for all three sites.

In addition to stormwater services, Qepi also provided wastewater discharge sampling and BMP recommendations, performed background and surface impoundment soil sampling, aided with surface impoundment compliance and closure, wrote spill prevention plans, and performed chemical risk assessments on little-known chemicals used at the facilities. Qepi worked with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to determine a reasonable, risk-based, site-specific closure level for a specific chemical used in a fungicide at one of the facilities. Quarterly and/or annual stormwater sampling is ongoing at these sites.

Quality Environmental Professionals, Inc. (Qepi) was contracted by Commonwealth Engineers Inc. to complete hydrogeologic investigations and perform groundwater and hydraulic modeling at four sites in Monticello, Indiana. This hydrogeologic investigation was initiated to determine site-specific information necessary to verify the design of four, large constructed wetlands to be used as community wastewater systems. Qepi was tasked with the determination of the relationship of groundwater flow to surface water bodies, the number and type of aquifers present, and the hydraulic characteristics, flowpaths and sensitive receptors of each site.

Qepi completed these field investigations in an expedient and cost-effective manner through the installation of nested monitoring wells at each site. Qepi completed vertical profiling of the site down to bedrock. Once bedrock was encountered at each site, Qepi obtained rock cores for describing the bedrock. Qepi completed all well development activities, completed well gauging, and groundwater sampling activities to obtain background water quality parameters. Slug tests were conducted for each site evaluating both the shallow water-bearing unit and the bedrock aquifer. Using AqtesolvTM, Qepi determined the hydraulic conductivity for the shallow water-bearing unit and the bedrock aquifer at each site. Additionally, Qepi determined the average hydraulic gradient and groundwater flow velocity for the upper water bearing unit and the bedrock aquifer.

Using WinFlowTM, Qepi simulated the flow regime resulting from a presumed discharge of effluent to engineered soil adsorption fields. Additionally, Qepi used MOCTM to evaluate simulations of advective flow and dispersion of contaminants from the adsorption fields.

Finally, Qepi evaluated the health effects associated with Nitrate, E. Coli and Ammonia exposures. Ingestion and skin absorption were the two distinct exposure pathways evaluated.

For the last 40 years, the Nora Plaza Mall has served as an integral part of the retail shopping area for the highly populated area on the north side of Indianapolis, Indiana. The major anchor store for the mall purchased the 32-acre mall parcel for the purpose of redeveloping and upgrading the mall to current retail standards. This large undertaking included demolition of four buildings including a former anchor store with little or no disturbance to the retail operations.

The first environmental task of the project included "due diligence" or identifying any potential environmental concerns associated with the property. This included the review of environmental reports and site drawings that had been accumulating over many years. Qepi identified potential concerns including: former use of heating oil underground storage tanks (UST) throughout the site, three automobile maintenance facilities, a former waste water treatment plant, a former use of one out-lot as a gasoline retail station and one operating gasoline UST.

Qepi also conducted an expansive asbestos-containing materials building inspection on 40 operating retail units consisting of over 300,000 square feet. The entire mall property was entered into the Indiana Voluntary Remediation Program. The majority of the property received a Covenant Not to Sue (CNTS) from the Indiana Governor's Office through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The remaining portion of the site is undergoing plume stability analysis.

Qepi completed the investigation of a shoreline property on the San Francisco Bay formerly used to produce molasses for agricultural purposes. A degraded heavy hydrocarbon fuel was observed to be seeping from the adjacent beach into the San Francisco Bay. Qepi investigated the site and observed separate phase product near the groundwater table. After evaluating the potential sources at the site, Qepi determined that a source was not present on this property. The adjacent (inland) property had been used for bulk oil storage since 1917. Qepi investigated upgradient properties and found the separate phase product in an adjacent railroad right-of-way and a street right-of-way.

Qepi provided technical support in discussions with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board. The regulators agreed that there did not appear to be a source on the site and that impacts were coming onto the site from an upgradient source.

Qepi successfully achieved the goal of preventing our client from being named to an administrative order. Qepi completed two investigation reports and an Interim Remedial Action Plan to address the seep observed on the beach.

Quality Environmental Professionals, Inc. (Qepi) was the emergency response consultant called to the site following a fire that engulfed one of the manufacturing buildings at the facility. The company manufactures fiberglass containers. During the fire, over one million gallons of wastewater was collected and stored in holding tanks and retention basins. The chemically contaminated water required treatment prior to discharging into a nearby creek, which eventually empties into the Patoka River. Due to the emergency situation, IDEM was present and provided oversight of the cleanup of the creek and Patoka River.

Qepi developed and implemented numerous treatment trains to treat the water to IDEM-approved standards so that the water could be discharged rather than disposed of at an off-site location, saving the owner thousands of dollars. The treatment technologies included aeration, metal sorption, and granulated activated carbon polishing. The constituents identified in the water included metals, acetone and other volatile organic compounds.

The ability of Qepi to implement alternative technologies allowed our client the ability to save money and limits the company’s environmental liability associated with off-site disposal of wastes.

Qepi was hired to investigate a former Interim Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) pad where hazardous waste was stored on the pad. Materials previously stored on the pad included chlorinated solvents used in the facility. A prior consultant on the site had evaluated the soil in the pad area for RCRA metals, and RCRA had requested that elevated lead in soil would need to be mitigated. Qepi completed an ecological, toxicology, and human health risk assessment with the findings being that lead in the soil in conjunction with the chlorinated solvents in the soil and water had a detoxifying effect on the kidneys. Therefore, Qepi was allowed to address cleanup activities for only the hazardous materials stored on the pad. The results of the risk assessment saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in investigation and cleanup cost associated with lead.

Qepi then conducted site investigations and delineation for soil and groundwater for chlorinated solvents stored on the Interim RCRA pad. Qepi's activities on this project included the preparation of an ecological, toxicological, and human health risk assessment. Qepi conducted soil and groundwater investigation and delineation activities. We prepared a Site Assessment Work Plan, Quality Assurance Project Plan, and Health and Safety Plan. Qepi completed a Hydro-geological Report, and an Engineering Pilot study followed by an Engineering Feasibility Report. Following site delineation, a remediation plan was developed to address site impacts. The engineering pilot testing and design was complicated by the geology. Soil at the site consisted of three individual units, each requiring its own pilot testing and a remediation system design tailored to each unit. Impacts to soil and groundwater in each zone were addressed using soil vapor extraction (SVE) and air-sparging. The state regulatory agency gave approval to the remediation plan, and cleanup goals were met after only two years of system operation. Qepi staff designed, installed, and provided operation and maintenance of the remediation systems. The closure report is currently under review with the state agency for final approval. Project costs were on a fee basis, completed ahead of projected time and under budget.

Quality Environmental Professionals, Inc. (Qepi) was contracted by AlliedSignal Aerospace to complete delineation activities associated with two distinct contaminant plumes (Isopar-M and diesel). Qepi prepared a Site Assessment Workplan which was designed to use the least extrusive sampling methods to complete the delineation. A Geoprobe™ percussion-drive rig was utilized to obtain several soil and groundwater samples. This screening was used to determine the permanent location of observation wells and the placement of a recovery/process well. To assist with remedial design parameters, Qepi completed a 24-hour pump test.

Qepi also completed a microcosm evaluation study at this facility to identify the applicability of using biological remediation to address groundwater and soil impacted with Isopar-M and diesel. As part of this study, Qepi completed a Kinetics Study to determine the amount of nutrients and oxygen to apply to this site to promote positive substrate growth for the bacterial strains present. Through conducting a series of microcosm studies, Qepi had concluded that biological remediation was appropriate for this site, and that biological remediation would also address the separate phase product at this site.

Qepi prepared the Corrective Action Plan and submitted an application to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for acceptance of the facility into the Excess Liability Fund (ELF) program. AlliedSignal has been reimbursed over $167,00 from the ELF fund. Additionally, this site has just received notification from IDEM of successful site closure for groundwater. The separate phase product as well as the dissolved phase was successfully addressed using bioremediation.

Qepi was contracted by Indianapolis Airport Authority to conduct an audit for an ongoing Wetland and Endangered Species Mitigation. Qepi, teamed with Dr. John Whitaker, Mammalogist, and J. F. New & Associates, Wetland experts, for this effort. The Qepi team provided a complete review of the Environmental Impact Study, Interim Bat and Wetland mitigation plans, and the review of all permits and site inspections which included proposed property to be purchased for the mitigation efforts plus the structures built for the Indiana Bat habitation area.

The Qepi team provided recommendations that could be beneficial to the development of the Wetland areas, bat mitigation efforts and other approaches that would result in overall improvement of the new constructed Wetland areas while saving federal financial resources. The Qepi team made several recommendations that resulted in the potential savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars while improving the success of the newly constructed Wetland and Bat habitation areas.

Quality Environmental Professionals, Inc. (Qepi), was contracted by Jefferson Smurfit Corporation to remove five underground storage tanks (UST) from operation. Prior to UST removal, Qepi completed several pre-screen borings to determine whether subsurface impacts were present prior to UST removal operations. The assessment activities revealed that the soil was impacted with total petroleum hydrocarbon constituents at concentrations as high as 33,000 parts per million (ppm). To make situations more complex, the contaminants of concern were #6 Fuel Oil and Gasoline, and the soil type was a silty sandy clay. Qepi and our subcontractors removed all USTs and addressed the impacted soil and groundwater via bioventing/biosparging. This bioventing system was designed and built by Qepi. Additionally, Qepi completed the Corrective Action Plan within a two week timeframe. This system was installed December 23, 1993.

Qepi has assisted Jefferson Smurfit Corporation with Water Quality Services through the completion of their Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and provided Jefferson Smurfit with best management practices associated with production processes, chemical storage, external structures, and shipping and receiving protocols.

In addition to the aforementioned services, Qepi assists Jefferson Smurfit Corporation with Regulatory Compliance, Management Consulting, and Health and Safety Training Services. Regulatory Compliance Services included the development of their Spill Prevention Countermeasure and Contingency Plan as well as all updates and changes to the plan. Management Consulting Services includes the development of a facility health and safety program.