For heavy-duty work the Center draws on a pool of construction and remediation contractors, including Environmental Chemical Corporation (ECC), Marcor Environmental Inc., and Weston Sampson. The Center also draws on private firms during the design phase of many projects, including Camp, Dresser, and McKee and the consortium, Environmental Engineering Services (EES, comprised of Parsons Brinkerhoff, Quade, and Douglas; CH2M Hill; and URS Granier Woodward Clyde). By developing strong relationships with nationwide private contractors, the Center can ensure complete technical and geographic coverage without having to support an excessively large staff.

The Environmental Engineering Division recently applied its expertise to a time-critical site remediation action for the Federal Aviation Administration. During the mid-1990s the FAA discovered a host of contamination issues at the Bucks Harbor Radar Facility in Maine; many of the site's World War II-era buildings contained asbestos insulation, lead paint, mercury electrical switches, and electrical transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-suspected carcinogens. Unlabeled waste drums dotted the site and diesel fuel and solvents had leaked into the soil, threatening the quality of a nearby public drinking water supply well. When the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ordered the FAA to conduct a stringent cleanup of the site within a two-month time frame, the FAA turned to the Volpe Center. Staff from the Environmental Engineering Division, led by Goulet, provided site assessment, remediation design, project management, and field oversight for a complex effort, all under the watchful eye of the Maine DEP. Overall, Volpe staff coordinated the excavation and disposal of 24,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and the removal or stabilization of numerous buildings.

During 1998, the Environmental Engineering Division staff was also busy designing and managing the removal and cleanup of 68 underground storage tanks across the country. These kinds of tanks range in size from 500 to 50,000 gallons in volume; they are found at service stations, airfields, military installations, and industrial parks, and may contain gasoline, diesel fuel, solvents, or other hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, many older underground storage tanks can develop leaks; when the stored liquid escapes, it may negatively impact water quality. In order to prevent possible soil contamination, recent EPA regulations required that all tanks be equipped with features that provide protection against leaks, spills, overfilling, and corrosion. As the FAA and the Western Area Power Administration struggled to meet a December 1998 regulatory deadline set by the EPA, the Volpe Center assisted them by conducting site investigations and providing design services for tank replacement or removal. Because many of these tanks had already leaked, the Center also managed many remediation activities associated with replacement or closure.

The Division will soon extend its expertise beyond site closure by helping to promote the reuse of remediated Superfund sites. Working with the EPA Region 5 Superfund Division, John McGuiggin and other staff will be contributing to the Pilot Program for Post Remediation Residual Risk Reports (PR4). These reports will supplement the required 5-year reviews of all closed Superfund sites by providing important information relevant to reuse of the site. Developers will be able to turn to the PR4 reports to find data on groundwater, contamination levels, and other important site characteristics. By making this information more accessible, the PR4 reports will facilitate redevelopment of remediated sites, a primary goal of the EPA. Using its Geographic Information System (GIS) technical and graphic capabilities, the Volpe Center will develop a template model for the program, based on a remediated Superfund site in Zainesville, Ohio.