King & King LEED Platinum Office Building

B&L partnered with King & King Architects, LLP for the re-development of the site of their new office complex. The project was a LEED certified project for renovation of an abandoned warehouse and contaminated site into an energy efficient and state-of-the-art professional office building. The Brownfield remediation service provided by B&L constituted one of the many components that contributed to LEED Platinum certification. This project is a good example of a classic brownfield!

Village of Adams

As part of the NYSDEC's Environmental Restoration Project program (“Municipal Brownfields”), B&L investigated contamination at two abandoned properties. The interim remedial measures and investigation activities included the removal of 13 abandoned Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), two Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs), three hydraulic vehicle lifts, one vehicle maintenance pit, several 55-gallon drums of miscellaneous oils, and demolition of two structures, one on each property. One of the properties was redeveloped for use as the combined Village and Town Hall. The project won a 2007 American Public Works Association Project of the Year award.

B&L designed the construction of E-85 Ethanol fueling facilities at eight  service areas along the NYS Thruway (Interstate 90). The purpose of this project was to provide an alternative fuel retail fueling facility to the traveling public at certain locations. In order to make these facilities fully operational, B&L designed above-ground concrete tanks, fuel dispensers, fire suppression systems, and all associated piping and electrical work.

B&L assisted a consulting firm from Pennsylvania in an Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) mist-netting study at the Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) Landfill. A total of ten net sites were surveyed at the property to determine the extent of Indiana bat utilization at the landfill site. The Indiana bat is currently listed as a state and federal endangered species. B&L has been involved, on a volunteer basis, with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the NYSDEC, tracking this species when they emerge from their wintering areas.

This project involved a comprehensive survey for asbestos in a facility owned by a private client. This facility encompasses approximately 800,000 square feet of office space, penthouses, and mechanical areas. Extensive bulk sampling was conducted throughout the building in primarily occupied areas. B&L’s project team prepared project technical specifications for asbestos fireproofing, floor covering, and thermal system insulations.

B&L assisted Onondaga County with the mapping of their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). MS4s are required to develop and implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) to reduce the discharge of pollutants from their storm sewer system to the maximum extent practicable. B&L used a Global Positioning System to locate and describe over 700 outfalls along more than 200 miles of County roads. This aided the County in complying with the MS4 regulations and illicit discharge detection program.

In the summer of 2005, an un-designed manure storage in Lewis County failed, releasing millions of gallons of manure into the Black River. Following this incident, the NYSDEC, in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), developed a guideline for evaluating un-designed manure storages to meet NRCS standards as required under the State’s CAFO SPDES permit. An evaluation is now necessary for all storages that do not have engineered as-built drawings for their manure storage. B&L was retained by a permitted CAFO farm in Lansing to evaluate an un-designed manure storage at the farmstead that has been used successfully for over 20 years. B&L compared the structure of the storage to the Standard’s requirements and made recommendations for modifications to allow continued use of the storage.

B&L assisted Wayne County in the replacement of the deficient Le Roy Island Bridge. B&L conducted a wetland field delineation and summary report detailing the findings of this fieldwork. An aquatic vegetation analysis was also prepared because of the abundance of emergent vegetation surrounding the bridge site. B&L also completed a hazardous waste survey and asbestos screening in order to identify any contamination issues prior to construction.

The Fulton County Landfill is one of several clients for which B&L provides Title V Air Permitting services. B&L completed a Title V Permit Application for the facility in 2004, and now provides ongoing air permit compliance reporting services. B&L recently conducted Tier 2 landfill gas testing for a Landfill Gas to Energy Plant (LFGTE) feasibility study for the County.

B&L developed SPCC Plans for seven (7) facilities in Oswego County, including DPW garages, transfer stations, and a County airport. The main elements of the SPCC Plans included an inventory of oil bulk storage, spill prevention and response procedures, secondary containment and equipment requirements to minimize spills and leaks, employee training, best management practices, spill prediction, emergency contacts and notification plan, above-ground storage tank testing logs, delivery procedures, and state regulation conformance. B&L has also provided the County with recommendations to bring these sites into compliance with SPCC regulations.

Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative operated the Eaton Substation in the Town of Eaton. During site screening in preparation for site decommissioning and transfer of the substation property to private ownership, PCB contamination was detected at the site. An extensive investigation was undertaken under the USEPA’s self-implementing process (contained under the Toxic Substances Control Act). The project was also conducted in accordance with a NYSDEC Stipulation Agreement. Surface and subsurface soils and groundwater were sampled to establish the nature and extent of the contamination at the site. Remedial alternatives were identified, and a remedial method was selected. B&L prepared the remedial work plan and developed construction documents for remediation of the site. The environmental remediation work at the site was completed in 2001. B&L used immunoassay field screening kits to monitor the progress of the remediation and to determine the appropriate timing for collecting confirmatory soil samples for laboratory analysis. This approach reduced the downtime that results from conventional sampling and analysis methods by eliminating unnecessary iterative sampling of the excavation. Upon completion of the environmental remediation work, future use of the site was unrestricted, and the property was transferred to the adjacent landowner.