Environmental Site Assessments

The Dover Lumber Mill carried environmental baggage accumulated over seventy years of operations. The site owner provided Fulcrum with a preexisting Phase I ESA that included limited, but inadequately planned and premature, sampling. Consequently, the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) had issued a Consent Order formally naming the site owner responsible for groundwater and soil cleanup. Ownership transfer on multiple portions of the property was pending timely resolution of outstanding environmental issues.

Fulcrum designed and implemented a comprehensive Phase II investigation that focused on critically illuminating the presence or absence of contamination at each point source within the site. Phase II methods included sampling by backhoe excavation, soil borings, installation of groundwater monitoring wells, and soil vapor surveys. Several areas of soil contamination cited in the consent order were justifiably eliminated from the consent order with subsurface data gained by the Phase II investigation. Fulcrum successfully negotiated groundwater contamination out of the consent order based on Phase II findings, an accomplishment of major financial significance to the site's long-term economic potential. Ultimately, Fulcrum’s Phase II findings became the foundation for successful remediation of the site meeting all conditions of the consent order. A decision of “No Further Action” has been issued for the site.

Crescent Cleaners, Spokane, Washington

The Crescent Cleaners operated in Spokane for over seventy years. While acquisition of the land was strategically important to the prospective purchaser, potential contamination on-site was a major deterrent. Fulcrum was retained by First Presbyterian Church to provide an ESA focused on financial impact of potential contamination. Phase I ESA research reconstructed chemical usage and disposal practices typical of historical commercial cleaning operations. Phase II investigation required low clearance drilling within the building interior. With results incorporated into cleanup scenarios, projections of cleanup costs were generated and became integral to the transaction agreement. Once the transaction closed, Phase III remediation began. Asbestos and stored chemicals identified by Fulcrum’s ESA research were properly removed and disposed of prior to building demolition. Following demolition, Fulcrum worked closely with the environmental contractor guiding and documenting the remedial effort. Petroleum contaminated soil and hazardous waste were excavated and fully characterized prior to off-site disposal. Fulcrum provided quality control sampling and rapid analytical turnaround throughout cleanup. Work was completed within the remedial cost projection generated in Fulcrum’s investigation.

Banrac, LLC, Brewster, Washington

Most Phase I ESAs are performed on urban and suburban properties in close proximity to metropolitan areas. In contrast, this unique ESA (and subsequent ESAs for the same client) focused on remote property with a long history of agronomic development. The 20,500-acre site southwest of Brewster, Washington area was rural and remote with widely dispersed but relatively small and isolated developments. Conventional sources of information such as agency listings, Sanborn Maps, and Polk Directories were nonexistent or unproductive. Relevant information on site environmental condition derived from review of historical aerial photographs and maps, interviews with current and former inhabitants, and aerial reconnaissance of the property. The on-site survey focused on direct field observation of suspect environmental concerns discovered during review, interviews, and flyover. Identified environmental concerns included chemical and oil spills, debris dumps, drums requiring characterization and disposal, asbestos containing materials, lead-based paint, and PCB transformers. Fulcrum’s recommendations ranged from solid waste disposal to soil and groundwater sampling. The final project report was delivered in less than three weeks from initial client contact.

Snow Mountain Ranch, Cowiche, Washington

In 2004, Fulcrum assisted the Trust for Public Lands and the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy with acquisition of Snow Mountain Ranch. The Phase I ESA included six whole tax parcels and portions of two tax parcels of real property totaling approximately 1,700-acres. Elevation of the site was nearly 500 feet from the foot of the hillside to ridge. Site developments included livestock watering systems, bridges over waterways, outbuildings, and miles of fencing.

Today, after many volunteer hours, the site is open to naturalists. With acquisition of the ranch, the Conservancy presents on their website that the site is an opportunity to enhance salmon migration up Cowiche Creek, protect an important community resource, and provide public access to a remote and beautiful area in the Yakima Valley.