The Former St. Mary’s Hospital closed over a decade ago; leaving a dilapidated building with significant environmental issues.  Fortunately, Chetrit Group, one of the largest NYC based developers undertook the brownfields rehabilitation of the building, converting it to condominiums and are addressing the environmental issues.

E&LP is remediating the large body of No. 6 fuel oil that floats on the ground water surface within the fractured bedrock below the site.  Due to the characteristics of the LNAPL (No.6 oil is a sticky, viscous petroleum that is difficult to remediate) and underlying geologic conditions, the LNAPL has proven to be immobile and is trapped within the fractures of the underlying Passaic Formation bedrock.

Based on it’s physical properties, complete remediation of no. 6 fuel oil is not reasonably economically feasible; Therefore E&LP is pursuing a Technical Impracticability (TI) Waiver from NJDEP as the regulatory mechanism to achieve site closure.  To date, only 14 TIs have been granted by NJDEP.

The burden of proof to document Technical Impracticability is significant; of which we are in the “throws” of completing. The leaking USTs have all be cleaned and abandoned in place or removed; soil removal is not feasible as the impacted soils extend to the top of bedrock, which is 40 feet below grade.

Through a series of remedial actions, we will remove the freely flowing portion of the No.6 oil; leaving a congealed non mobile tar like substate in place.  The first phase includes using long depth belt product recovery, followed by duel phase water/product recovery with in well heating, to make the project less viscus.  We predict the flowable phase of product will be recovered after 6 months of active remediation.  Once free flowing product is mitigated, we will have achieved the technical weight of evidence obligations to support pursuit of a TI waiver.