In Situ Hydrocarbon Removal

Tidewater Environmental, Inc., provides a novel (patent pending) and rapid method for in-situ soil remediation of both dissolved and free-phase fuel contamination. This method has been demonstrated with great success recently at TxDOT construction sites. Examples of successful jobs completed by Tidewater Environmental, Inc., include:

1. A tool manufacturing site with a cutting oil spill that had seeped to over 25 feet in clay was a big problem to planned future land use. Conventional remediation methods had been tried over a 7 year period, but cutting oil contamination was still present at unacceptable levels. With Tidewater’s rapid in-situ remediation process, a continuous stream of cutting oil was removed for several weeks. After 45 days, no more cutting oil was being extracted and Tidewater demobilized from the project. The project consultant confirmed by sampling that the impacted aquifer showed no hydrocarbon contamination. Later, the area was excavated and no hydrocarbons (liquids or vapors) were detected.
   
   
   
   
2. In preparation for the construction of a highway underpass, a large amount of hydrocarbon (gasoline) was detected. Tidewater was a subcontractor to the TXDOT consultant. Over seven months, Tidewater used its proprietary process to remove and treat 1.5 million gallons of water, all of which was clean enough to be discharged to surface water drainage. At the same time, over 25 tons of hydrocarbons were removed and combusted through Tidewater’s equipment. Follow-up confirmation sampling showed the absence of hydrocarbons.

The driving forces to remediate the soil exposed to leaking or spilled fuel under or around surface / subsurface fuel tanks and piping are clear. The fairly light hydrocarbon in fuels (gasoline / jet / diesel) will remain in the ground for decades with little change in their chemical properties or bulk toxicity. Areas under fuel tanks have remained heavily contaminated for more than 50 years after the fuel tanks were decommissioned. Migration of the fuels away from the leak site resulting in off-site contamination of rivers, streams, lakes, or potable water wells is a nightmare scenario that has come true by taking no actions to reduce or eliminate the fuel plume in soils under fuel leaks. Future construction in areas near a site that had a fuel leak can be halted or encounter lengthy and costly delays due to harmful vapor exposure to personnel and possible fire or explosion hazards.

Tidewater Environmental, Inc can help you with this type of problem. Tidewater’s approach is to survey the area of the spill to determine the extent of the fuel contamination and the geology of the contaminated area. Small wells are placed in the area of the fuel plume as the first step. These wells are shallow and can be put in place in only a few days. Tidewater brings a fully self-contained trailer mounted remediation unit along with small portable tanks to extract and clean the ground water and to vapor strip the contaminated soil.

The remediation methods employed are designed specifically for the individual site based on Tidewaters experience and your requirements. A typical example of this process would have several stages of remediation:

1. Water removal and clean-up with low vacuum vapor removal.
2. SubStripping™ - a proprietary and patent pending method to increase the removal of hydrocarbons in water and soil. .
3. VaporMax™ - a proprietary and patent pending method to increase the removal of volatile hydrocarbons.
4. Bioremediation for trace fuel remediation.

The reasons for considering Tidewater Environmental, Inc to help you are many. Here is the short list:

Tidewater Environmental
110 Ave B, Suite 105
Stafford, Texas 77477
281-531-0909