O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun (OTO) is a specialty geoenvironmental engineering consulting firm.

Vapor Intrusion: What you know now will help you!

Thanks to all of you who attended our breakfast seminar on vapor intrusion. It was great to have an opportunity to talk about the new MassDEP guidance and also to hear your concerns and suggestions

Here is a link to the slide presentation we used during the talks:
OTO Vapor Intrusion Presentation (3.0 mb)

Please call us or write if you have any questions or comments.

New MassDEP Interim Final Vapor Intrusion Guidance Document



The holidays may be over, but Massachusetts environmental consultants are still busy studying the gift MassDEP left under the tree: a new version of the vapor intrusion guidance manual (.pdf). This Interim Final Guidance is intended to signal the Department's approach to vapor intrusion (VI) pending the promulgation of new regulations planned for later this calendar year. DEP concluded that new regulations were needed to permit them to move certain elements of guidance from the category of "recommendations" to the category of "requirements." For all practical purposes we think it makes sense to treat the current round of recommendations as requirements already. Just imagine trying to defend a current LSP closure decision during an audit in 2017 by pointing out that the guidance at this time was only a recommendation and not a requirement; no thanks!

In 1993, when MassDEP put its first GW-2 standards on the street, the whole concept of VI was new, and among the states, Massachusetts was decidedly on the cutting edge. This time around MassDEP has opted to learn from other states and the USEPA before rolling out its own program.

PCBs in Schools – Health Risk or Regulatory Overreaction?



Last fall, OTO principal Jim Okun presented at the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy (AICSSWE) on the topic of whether PCBs in building materials posed an actual human health risk. His presentation reviewed three lines of scientific evidence and concluded that the health risk posed by PCBs in building materials was too small to justify the cost of their removal from buildings.

The presentation concluded that risks from other common building contaminants including asbestos, lead and radon posed far greater risks to people than do PCBs. This presentation has now been published in the peer-reviewed on-line proceedings of the 2010 AICSSWE meeting.

Successful Easthampton Cleanup Paves the Way for Rail Trail



OTO was the prime contractor on the clean up of asbestos contaminated soil at Wemelco Way in Easthampton paving the way for a 2.7 mile extension of the Manhan Rail trail. The clean up focused on wetland areas around the former W. R. Grace Zonolite manufacturing plant. While in operation years ago (1963-1983), asbestos-tainted vermiculite came to be located at the site as a result of the vermiculite manufacturing process. The project is good news for the Manhan Rail Trail and it also creates the potential for development on Main Street by providing space for a new sewer line along the trail bed. OTO will be monitoring the restored wetlands for the next two years to make sure it recovers.

The Re-Emergence of the Ludlow Mills

 

 

On December 13, 2011, Westmass Area Development Corporation hosted an event to celebrate the planned redevelopment of the long-vacant Ludlow Mills. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan noted at the event, the redevelopment of the mills demonstrates Governor Patrick's commitment to Western Massachusetts, and to the creation of local jobs. The mill complex includes 170 acres of land with 1.5 miles of river frontage, and is the home of the iconic clock tower that is the town symbol. This project is the largest mill redevelopment in New England. Once the world's leading manufacturer of jute fiber, and the manufacturing center of Ludlow, in recent years the mill has been largely unused. The site contains more than 50 buildings and over 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space. Assessments conducted to date have indicated approximately a dozen releases of oil or hazardous materials which will be addressed under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan. OTO has been engaged by Westmass to provide a Licensed Site Professional (LSP), assessment and remedial design services to cleanup oil and chemical releases on the property. Cleanup costs are estimated to be over $1,000,000, and should be completed by 2013. OTO is proud to be on the team for this important project.