Next Meeting:

Description

Register Now!

Join our Newsletter Mailing List

Join our website PM Community

November 13, 2002 --  Alison Roccia, host

Directions      Printer Friendly Version

Title: Managing Risks and Uncertainties associated with a Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Remediation Project  --  John Peterson, Harding ESE

Abstract:

Environmental remediation costs have increased and project managers are continually challenged to reduce these costs. Cost reduction can be realized by accepting risk through selection of innovative technologies. This presentation presents a PCB remediation case study and explores how innovative technologies were applied and how project management controls and performance measurement were used to mitigate risk.

Detailed Description:

Environmental remediation projects are by their nature expensive, include many uncertainties, and can contain considerable project risks. Expenditures for these remediation projects reduce a company's income statement and take away from operating budgets for communities. As such, environmental project managers are continually being challenged to reduce the cost of these remediation projects. This challenge can be very difficult given the risks and uncertainties involved in remediation projects, but can also be supported by new remediation technologies, combinations of remediation technologies, and the application sound project management techniques to help understand and mitigate the risks and uncertainties.

To be discussed in this case study will be a recently completed PCB remediation project at a facility in Maine that has undergone closure. This case study covers the approach used to apply a combination of new and existing remediation techniques and the project management approach to mitigate the inherent risks and uncertainties. The approval for this PCB remediation project was granted by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the authority of Section 6(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. §2605(e), and the PCB regulations at 40 CFR Part 761.

PCBs were historically used within older electrical transformers. The site cleaned up under this remediation project included active electrical load centers that contained older PCB type transformers. Harding ESE was tasked to remove and dispose of transformers that were known to contain PCB-based fluids. In the process of these removals and associated general cleaning, a number of leaks and stains were observed that indicated the potential for PCB contamination of floor surfaces inside the load centers. As a result of these observations, a characterization and remediation program was executed within and the active load centers. Subsequently, characterization and remedial actions for PCBs that were tracked onto floor surfaces outside of the active load centers was performed and is the basis for this case study.

As noted above, PCBs were remediated within the active load centers. The active load centers represented a fairly defined area and allowed for a relatively straightforward physical removal of concrete floors under the necessary engineering controls such as temporary negative air containment structures. The PCB contamination outside the active load centers represented a greater challenge in that the nature and distribution of PCB contamination was not limited to a well defined area. PCB characterization information outside the active load centers showed varied sizes of areas as well as varied concentrations of PCBs detected. Based on this PCB characterization data outside the active load centers, Harding ESE developed a remediation approach that combined a more traditional method of physical removal of concrete with a more innovative chemical extraction process. The chemical extraction process was chosen to augment the physical removal of concrete in an effort to reduce overall remediation costs. An on-site pilot study performed by Harding ESE indicated the potential for project costs savings using the chemical extraction process. There was, however project risks associated with this combination of remediation technologies in addition to the already inherent remediation project risks.

Project risks, both inherent to the remediation project in general and to the combination of remediation technologies were identified prior to project initiation. Certain risks were controllable whereas others were not. As an example of controllable risk, chemical extraction was applied only in a setting where it was shown to be effective in the pilot study. As an example of uncontrollable risk, the higher density of verification (post-remediation) data points versus characterization (pre-remediation) data points (ratio of 4:1) exposed a higher level of variability in the distribution of PCBs than anticipated during the remediation planning stages. If not managed properly, chemical extraction could have resulted in an increase in the overall project costs. Controllable risk was managed through project controls and performance measurement to ensure that costs did not exceed the anticipated project cost of using physical removal exclusively. Uncontrollable risks were addressed through project contingencies.

This case study will present a summary of the pilot study and overall project and the remediation approaches used. From a project management perspective, this case study will present the risks associated with the project, the risk mitigation approaches used, and the project controls and performance measure used to keep the project in line with the planned costs.

Speaker Biography:

John Peterson, Harding ESE

Mr. Peterson is an Associate Project manager with Harding ESE in Portland, Maine. He has been associated with various environmental investigation, remediation, geotechnical, environmental engineering, mineral exploration, and economic resource evaluation projects over a 20 year period. He provides lead support for project controls systems for the Harding ESE Portland, Maine office as well as providing project management discipline lead services. He has also been a member of PMI and the Environmental Management SIG for 8 years and holds a B.B in Business administration with a minor in geology from Western Illinois University.

Directions:

Meeting will be held at UNUMProvident

Call the Maine Chapter Voicemail for meeting information and for information about meeting cancellations in case of inclement weather ~ 207-766-5514 September to mid-June ~ 766-5836 mid-June through August