ESE was retained by a national retail developer and property manager to conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) on a property located along Westheimer Road in West Houston. The Phase II ESA was requested by the client in response to an on-site dry cleaner that was identified as a Recognized Environmental Condition in a previous Phase I ESA. ESE Partners’ Phase II ESA confirmed the presence chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in shallow soils and groundwater at concentrations greater than Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Protective Concentration Levels (PCLs). As a result of the Phase II ESA findings, ESE on behalf of the client enrolled the site into the TCEQ’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) and proceeded with site characterization activities in accordance with 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §350 Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP). Upon completion of soil and groundwater plume delineation and characterization, ESE completed a Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) application that was accepted by the City of Houston. The MSD effectively eliminated the groundwater ingestion pathway by means of institutional control, allowing the site to receive Certificate of Completion from the TCEQ’s VCP, upon approval of the Affected Property Assessment and Response Action Plan.
ESE’s objective was to obtain a Certificate of Completion from the TCEQ’s VCP for the release of chlorinated solvents to shallow soil and groundwater, as a result of historical dry cleaning activities.