Marine-Based Impacted Beach Remediation

RENOVA was selected by a public utility provider’s consulting engineer as the key implementation contractor for the source removal of EPH-impacted sand along the waterfront of an upscale residential community. The impact was caused by a release of dielectric fluid from a public utility. The sand impacts were located within the intertidal zone, encompassing an estimated one-acre footprint on the beach. An additional challenge was posed by the heightened sensitivity of the residential community, which prohibited the transport of heavy machinery and materials through their waterfront development. RENOVA responded with a creatively adapted marine access plan that was minimally disruptive, effective, and efficient. RENOVA utilized a combination of a spud barge and specialized landing craft to mobilize track-mounted excavators and loaders onto the beach. RENOVA’s crews worked within allowable tide schedules to excavate and stockpile the contaminated sand layer from the intertidal zone. Once excavated, the sand stockpiles were loaded into scow barges using a long-reach excavator, housed on a spud barge adjacent to the beach. This process was repeated and a total of 1,800 tons of impacted sand was remediated from the site. Following the removal of impacted material, RENOVA used additional scow barges to import clean beach sand. The barge-mounted, long-reach excavator was again utilized to deposit 1,850 tons of imported material over the beach head. Shoreside track loaders then spread the clean sand across the beach to restore to the previous conditions and contours. All work was completed ahead of schedule, without safety incidents, and to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.