COLUMBIA Technologies’ state-of-the-art equipment and rapid 3D visualizations combined with historical data completed a site assessment so efficiently that the original project work scope was reduced by 50%.
On this recently completed project, a major energy company required state clearance from regulators prior to advancing their expansion plans at an active petroleum refinery facility in western North Dakota.
Historical data indicated potential contamination in the expansion area requesting for rapid resolution to address regulatory concerns. The client engaged in a site assessment with COLUMBIA to map the area of concern and compare this with the historical data using COLUMBIA’s award winning SmartData Solutions®. With a dynamic work scope and real-time data measurement the team bound the area of concern and closed data gaps to reduce the problem at hand for the client as well as the regulatory agencies.
The original investigation was scheduled for a total of six days to detect contamination of LNAPL (Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid) and residual phase petroleum. COLUMBIA completed this site characterization in just three days saving the client both time and money.
Previous directives from regulators required the client to investigate subsurface contamination prior to state clearance. Using a UVOST® Laser Induced Fluorescence LNAPL mapping tool, the depth and horizontal extent of subsurface contamination at the petroleum refinery facility was delineated to justify to state regulators that no further investigations were required. Combining SmartData Solutions® with previous historical data allowed COLUMBIA to fill in the data gaps around the plume so that it could receive state clearance. As a result COLUMBIA offered a more cost-effective approach to site characterization through real-time, web based data delivery of LIF logs allowing the project managers and state regulators to make rapid decisions concerning project logistics.