Brownfield Redevelopment

A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment was performed by ERG in January 2018 at the former McDonald’s property located downtown Muskegon due to former uses of the property including: a vulcanizing (rubber treating) company, a battery storage shop, hat and clothing cleaners, a paint shop, an auto repair shop, and an auto filling station that utilized three gasoline underground storage tanks (USTs). Based on the due diligence investigation, it was determined that the soil at the site contained tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and petroleum hydrocarbon constituents.

 SERVICES PROVIDED

Due Diligence Investigation
Brownfield Grant Procurement
Soil, Groundwater, and Soil Gas Sampling
Asbestos Survey
Vapor Mitigation System Design
Due Care Compliance 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Due to the presence of volatile and semivolatile constituents in the soil, the City of Muskegon approached ERG for assistance in evaluating the potential vapor intrusion risk for the future multi-story developments at the property. ERG prepared, on behalf of the City of Muskegon, an application for a $50,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Site Assessment Grant that would help cover the costs of additional assessment and due care activities. Once the grant was awarded, a workplan was prepared by ERG, on behalf of the City of Muskegon, and was submitted to the State of Michigan for approval. The work plan was approved in July 2019, and included the following tasks:

• Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) survey to locate potential orphan tanks from the historic gas station.

• Conduction/installation of soil borings, temporary groundwater monitoring wells, and temporary soil gas monitoring points.

• Collection of soil, groundwater, and soil gas samples for laboratory analysis.

• Asbestos/lead/mold survey.

• Preparation documentation that the property is in compliance with Section 7a of Part 201 (Due Care Maintenance Plan).
  

The investigation activities revealed wide-spread PCE impact in the soil and soil gas at the property. In August 2020, ERG prepared, on the behalf of the City of Muskegon, a second application for an additional $500,000 to help cover the costs of the development of the property, including demolition and abatement, vapor mitigation system installation, and regular system monitoring of the future vapor mitigation system(s). The request for additional funds was fully approved in September 2020. ERG is now in the process of drafting Work Plans for the future redevelopment tasks at the property.