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Hammond board approves $3,920 for environmental consultant to prepare closure report for contaminated soil discovered on Summer Street
Summary
Engineering and environmental staff told the Hammond board that petroleum-contaminated soil uncovered on Summer Street required off-site disposal and a closure report to IDEM; board approved $3,920 to hire Enviroforensics to prepare the submittal.
The Hammond City Board of Upcourse and Safety approved on March 20 a $3,920 allocation from the Capital Improvement Board to pay Enviroforensics to prepare an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) closure report after petroleum-contaminated soil was uncovered during work on the 1800 block of Summer Street.
Why it matters: state environmental rules require a certified closure report when contaminated soil is discovered during construction. Preparation and certification by an environmental professional are necessary for compliance with IDEM’s incident process and for proper waste characterization and disposal.
Engineering staff explained the contractor found petroleum-contaminated soil while working on Summer Street. Efforts to reuse the material by recompaction failed; the soil was characterized and sent to Newton County Landfill. Per the Director of Environmental Management, Ron Novak, IDEM opened an incident and required a certified closure report. The city lacked an on-staff environmental professional with the required accreditation; Enviroforensics prepared the submittal for $3,920, which the board approved for allocation from CIB funds.
A staff member explained: “IDEM wanted us to prepare a closure report. It required certification by an environmental professional, which we don’t have in house. So I asked Enviroforensics for help to put the submittal together, and they did.”
Board action: the board voted to allocate $3,920 from CIB funds to Enviroforensics for preparation of the closure report and associated documentation, and the board recorded concurrence with the recommendation.
Ending: Engineering and environmental management will proceed with the consultant submittal to IDEM as required; the board approved the funding allocation so the closure process can move forward.
