Expert Testimony & Litigation Support
SERVICES PROVIDED
Expert testimony and technical support
to legal counsel are provided for the following disciplines:
- Groundwater resources & hydrology
- Subsurface contamination
- Property cleanup
EXPERIENCE
DHES has substantial experience
providing depositions and court testimony, and participating in
hearings and arbitration. Below is a selected summary of relevant
experience.
- Successfully argued before the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board
(RWQCB) that a client was not responsible for groundwater contamination
beneath the property. As a result, the client was not included
on the Potential Responsible Party (PRP) list for the California
San Fernando Valley Superfund Site.
- Provided testimony at a deposition in support of a landowner
whose property was to be condemned by the California Transportation
Authority (Caltrans) due to suspected subsurface contamination
in a new right-of-way. The case was successfully settled in
favor of the landowner.
- Successfully demonstrated at several public hearings that
underground injection of an alkaline solution containing radioactive
elements was safe and protective of local groundwater supplies.
Based on the demonstration, the injection program was approved
by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and accepted by State
agencies.
- Provided technical consultation to the California Solano County
District Attorney to develop a consistent and equitable approach
to evaluate various retail facilities in the County that were
identified as groundwater contamination sources in potential
violation of California Proposition 65. Proposition 65 contains
provision for groundwater protection in California.
- Assessed the source of impact to groundwater due to the release
of methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE) within the Charnock Well Field
near Santa Monica, California on behalf of Potential Responsible
Parties (PRPs).
- Provided expert support for numerous cases involving groundwater
resources and hydrogeology, subsurface contamination, and property
clean-up (see resume below).
For the resume of Dan Herlihy-Certified
Hydrogeologist, click here. Resumes
for other DHES professionals are available upon request.
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
For further information or to request
assistance, please call 714-746-9575 or send an e-mail to: dherlihy@dhenvironmental.com
Groundwater Resources & Containment Transport
SERVICES PROVIDED
Groundwater resources and the composition,
extent & migration of contamination plumes are evaluated through:
- Aquifer testing & laboratory data analysis
- Analytical & computer modeling
- Determination of natural aquifer attenuation properties for
contaminants
EXPERIENCE
DHES professionals have more than
20 years of practical field experience in well installation, aquifer
testing, computer modeling and data analysis throughout the United
States and abroad. Below is a selected summary of relevant experience.
- Evaluated the fate and transport of groundwater contaminated
with petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons at numerous sites
using a variety of groundwater modeling techniques including
the USGS MODFLOW algorithm to design groundwater remediation
systems.
- Evaluated potential leakage through the dam and walls of a
drinking water storage reservoir in California using groundwater
flownet analysis and chemical quality indicators. In addition,
designed a dewatering system to alleviate excessive pressure
along the reservoir walls so that a permanent reservoir liner
could be installed.
- Performed aquifer testing to evaluate a potential well field
for industrial groundwater supply in Chihuahua, Mexico to provide
cooling water for a gas-fired power plant.
- Designed and supervised installation of deep (500 to 1000
feet) industrial water supply wells in the United States and
Mexico to provide clear silt-free good-quality water for industrial
processing.
- Designed and performed well injection tests near Broken Hill,
South Australia to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the
deep aquifers of the "Outback."
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
For further information or to request
assistance, please call 714-746-9575 or send an e-mail to: dherlihy@dhenvironmental.com
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FS)
SERVICES PROVIDED
The preparation of Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Studies (RI/FS) including:
- Scoping and project planning
- Site characterization
- Development & screening of RI/FS alternatives
- Treatability investigations & studies
- Detailed analysis of remediation alternatives
EXPERIENCE
DHES has substantial experience
in the preparation of various RI/FS and related documents such
as Preliminary Endangerment Assessment (PEAs) and Environmental
Impact Reports (EIRs). Below is a selected summary of relevant
experience.
- Prepared numerous RI/FS documents for the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), California Department of Toxic Substances Control
(DTSC), and the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
associated with landfill citing, mining operations and contaminated
sites.
- Prepared Scoping Document for the RI/FS for impacted groundwater
beneath a former major manufacturing complex in Riverside County,
California, identified the applicable or relevant and appropriate
requirements (ARARs) for the site, and identified the data gaps
needed to complete the RI/FS.
- Prepared the Sampling & Analysis Plan (SAP) for the California
Stringfellow Hazardous Waste Facility in support of a variance
for the land disposal of solid groundwater treatment waste containing
pesticides.
- Prepared Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP), Field Sampling
Plans (FSP), and Data Quality Objectives (DOQ) for several Preliminary
Endangerment Assessments (PEA) for the Los Angeles Unified School
District (LAUSD) sites.
- Prepared technical portions of the Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) for the injection of alkaline solutions containing radioactive
elements in groundwater aquifers as part of an underground "in-situ"
mining process.
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
For further information or to request
assistance, please call 714-746-9575 or send an e-mail to: dherlihy@dhenvironmental.com
Phases I & II Assessments
SERVICES PROVIDED
These assessments include the full
range of services needed to evaluate potentially contaminated
properties through:
- Phase I environmental site audits
- Soil and groundwater sampling and laboratory analysis
- Report preparation & certification
- Communication with local, state & federal agencies
EXPERIENCE
DHES has substantial experience
in all aspects of site assessment requirements. Below is a selected
summary of relevant experience.
- Completed numerous phase one environmental audits to identify
potential sources of contamination as part of the due diligence
prior to the sale of commercial real estate throughout California
and the United States.
- Developed and implemented numerous Site Assessment Workplans
to adequately sample potentially impacted soils and groundwater
using regulatory-mandated protocols.
- Evaluated numerous properties to select the proper remediation
technologies including soil vapor extraction (SVE), groundwater
treatment through air-sparging, groundwater extraction, and
passive remediation using natural attenuation.
- Provide independent peer reviews for a variety of assessments
on behalf of attorneys and major environmental consulting firms
to determine if regulatory requirements were satisfied.
- Provide specialized and expert services to a variety of nationally
recognized consulting firms in support of large complex subsurface
contamination projects.
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
For further information or to request
assistance, please call 714-746-9575 or send an e-mail to: dherlihy@dhenvironmental.com
Property Cleanup
SERVICES PROVIDED
Remediation of contaminated properties
includes the full array of services needed to successfully remediate
properties impacted by subsurface contaminants including:
- Selection of appropriate cleanup criteria
- Feasibility and cost of various remediation alternatives
- Design, operation & maintenance of selected remediation system
- Successful site cleanup and acceptance by regulatory agencies
after cleanup
EXPERIENCE
DHES has design, operated and maintained
a variety of remediation systems. Below is a selected summary
of relevant experience.
- Designed, operated and maintained a variety of Soil Vapor
Extraction (SVE) Systems for the remediation of soils impacted
with gasoline hydrocarbons.
- Designed, operated and maintained a variety of groundwater
extraction systems for the remediation of groundwater impacted
with chlorinated hydrocarbons.
- Designed, operated and maintained a variety of combined soil
and groundwater extraction systems for the simultaneous remediation
of soil and groundwater impacted with gasoline and chlorinated
hydrocarbons.
- Negotiated the closure of a variety of sites with appropriate
regulatory authorities following successful soil and groundwater
remediation.
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
For further information or to request
assistance, please call 714-746-9575 or send an e-mail to: dherlihy@dhenvironmental.com
