This manufacturing facility is a major employer in a small town located in York County, Pennsylvania. The facility manufactures specialty equipment and vehicles for the military. Chlorinated solvents were discovered in monitoring wells installed as part of due diligence actions prior to an acquisition.

The buyer’s consultant estimated remediation costs of approximately $6 to $8 million, jeopardizing the acquisition.

ESI personnel were called in response to the finding, and were responsible for project management; mobilization and coordination of all on-site activities and personnel; subcontractor identification, selection, and management; data interpretation and evaluation; risk assessment; report preparation; and interface with client, potential purchaser, and purchaser’s consultant. Staff was mobilized, and within three months 18 wells were installed; a recovery system designed, specified, purchased and installed; and risk assessments were performed.

During the Thanksgiving holiday shutdown, personnel drilled wells inside the building and confirmed the source, while others cleaned the vault, and found and sealed an open sump. At one point, maintenance workers from the local highway department began work in a flood control basin where contaminated groundwater was discharging.

Risk assessment calculations performed within two hours showed that there was no risk to the incidental exposure. A revised engineering estimate dramatically lowered the financial commitments required to address the potential remediation. This allowed the merger to proceed on schedule.