SKA Consulting, L.P. was retained by the property owner to conduct environmental investigations and remedial activities on a former Culligan Water Facility in Houston, Harris County, Texas.  The site was formerly a portion of a large rail yard from at least 1924 until the early 1960’s.  The ultimate project objective was to acquire a final Certificate of Completion for residential land use through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) utilizing the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) rules (30 TAC § 350).

Site investigations conducted by SKA and others included the installation and sampling of 85 soil borings, 3 temporary monitoring wells, and 3 permanent groundwater monitoring wells which identified adverse contaminants in shallow soils consistent with former rail yard activities.  Specifically, lead was identified above site-specific TCEQ TRRP Residential Protective Concentration Levels (PCLs) in over half of the shallow soils at the property.  A smaller area of petroleum hydrocarbon impacts was also identified in shallow soils within the lead-impacted area.

SKA self-implemented environmental response actions through the removal (excavation) and off-site disposal of more than 8,000 cubic yards of impacted soils from the site.  A total of 78 confirmation soil samples were collected and analyzed in the testing laboratory to confirm the removal of all impacted shallow soils.  SKA prepared a Response Action Completion Report (RACR) summarizing the environmental response actions conducted on the site and requested regulatory closure.  The TCEQ VCP issued a final Certificate of Completion for residential land use for the site in February 2009