Prior to 1998, the Washington Square Mall in Germantown, Wisconsin was a dilapidated retail center that was over 80 percent vacant. Initial attempts to redevelop the property were unsuccessful due to uncertainties associated with contamination at the site. This contamination resulted from the release of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a common dry cleaning solvent, from a dry cleaning facility that operated within the former shopping mall.
On behalf of General Capital the site developer, ARCADIS was able to formulate a cost-effective remedial strategy with a fixed-price remediation guarantee for site closure. In addition, ARCADIS was able to obtain several supplemental insurance policies for minimizing the developer's long-term
liability associated with this project. The fixed-price remediation guarantee and associated insurance policies effectively minimized the risks associated with developing the contaminated property and were instrumental in obtaining the financing necessary for this successful property redevelopment.
Remedial Program
The soil remediation program, which was conducted over the period of August through September 1998, consisted of excavation and off-site disposal of unsaturated soils (RCRA F-listed soils) that contained PCE at levels above the soil cleanup objective approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The groundwater remediation program, involved the periodic injection of an organic carbon solution to promote the biological degradation of the groundwater contaminants (i.e., an in-situ bioremediation process).
Financial/Liability Protection Highlights
· Guaranteed Fixed-Price Remediation Contract (for a guaranteed fixed-price, ARCADIS is responsible for all remediation work necessary to obtain regulatory closure)
· Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district established to pay for remediation and site development costs
· Cleanup activities conducted under WDNR's purchaser liability exemption program
· Remediation stop-loss insurance policy
· Pollution legal liability insurance policy
Project Accomplishments
· Design and implementation of the site remedy within a 10 week time frame
· Excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 3,125 tons of contaminated soil
· Completion of an initial carbon injection event using 182 temporary injection wells
· Installation of permanent carbon injection system
· Average PCE concentration within the groundwater plume decreased from 1,600 ppb to 23 ppb within a 9 month time frame
· Site closure letter received from the WDNR in January 2001, less than 30 months following initiation of site remediation
